bitcointributeAN INDEPENDENT BITCOIN ARCHIVESearch/
The timeline / A developing archive

It didn’t happen
all at once.

An idea became software. Software became a network. Follow the experiments, setbacks, and turning points through the evidence they left behind.

14 documented milestones

  1. 2008
    3 sources · 2 min read

    The Bitcoin White Paper

    A nine-page proposal, announced on October 31, 2008, set out a peer-to-peer electronic cash system.

  2. 2009
    3 sources · 2 min read

    The Genesis Block

    On January 3, 2009, Bitcoin’s first block recorded a newspaper headline. Here is what its data tells us—and what it does not.

  3. 2009
    3 sources · 2 min read

    The First Bitcoin Software Release

    On January 8, 2009 UTC, Satoshi announced Bitcoin v0.1: experimental software people could actually run.

  4. 2009
    2 sources · 1 min read

    The First Bitcoin Transfer

    A ten-bitcoin test payment, an early collaborator, and the difference between ledger data and personal testimony.

  5. 2010
    1 sources · 1 min read

    Bitcoin Pizza Day

    In May 2010, a public forum offer turned 10,000 bitcoin into two pizzas—and left a record anyone can read.

  6. 2010
    2 sources · 2 min read

    The Bitcoin Faucet

    In June 2010, Gavin Andresen offered free bitcoin so more people could try the software.

  7. 2012
    3 sources · 2 min read

    Bitcoin’s First Halving

    At block 210,000 on November 28, 2012, Bitcoin’s permitted block subsidy fell from 50 BTC to 25 BTC.

  8. 2013
    2 sources · 2 min read

    The March 2013 Chain Split

    A database compatibility problem caused Bitcoin software versions to disagree about a block at height 225,430.

  9. 2013
    3 sources · 2 min read

    Silk Road and Bitcoin’s Public Ledger

    The marketplace, its 2013 closure, and the distinction between pseudonymous payments and anonymity.

  10. 2014
    4 sources · 2 min read

    The Collapse of Mt. Gox

    The exchange’s February 2014 failure exposed the gap between a customer balance and control of bitcoin.

  11. 2017
    3 sources · 2 min read

    SegWit Activation

    At block 481,824 in August 2017, new witness rules changed Bitcoin’s transaction format and capacity accounting.

  12. 2021
    3 sources · 1 min read

    Taproot Activation

    Bitcoin’s November 2021 upgrade introduced new spending paths built around Schnorr signatures and script commitments.

  13. 2024
    2 sources · 2 min read

    The U.S. Spot Bitcoin ETP Approvals

    On January 10, 2024, the SEC approved exchange rule changes allowing spot bitcoin investment products to list and trade.

  14. 2024
    3 sources · 2 min read

    The Fourth Bitcoin Halving

    At block 840,000 in April 2024, Bitcoin’s permitted block subsidy fell from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC.