18 years ago today, in the middle of the 2008 financial crisis, an unknown person called Satoshi Nakamoto published a 9-page paper on a new kind of money called Bitcoin. Since then: - 2009: The Bitcoin network goes live, Satoshi sends the first Bitcoin transaction to Hal Finney. - 2010: Someone pays 10,000 BTC for two pizzas - 2011: Bitcoin hits $1 - 2012: First halving - 2013: Bitcoin crosses $1,000 - 2016: Second halving - 2017: Bitcoin crosses $10,000, and CME launches Bitcoin futures - 2020: Third halving, and Strategy starts buying Bitcoin - 2021: Tesla buys $1.5B of Bitcoin, and El Salvador makes it legal tender, Bitcoin reaches a $1 trillion market cap - 2024: Spot Bitcoin ETFs launch, fourth halving, and Bitcoin crosses $100,000 - 2025: The US creates a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, and Bitcoin hits a record $126,198 - The 20 millionth Bitcoin is mined. All of this without its creator, who disappeared in 2011 and has never been found. Happy 18th birthday, Bitcoin.