Bitcoin Historical Price & Events

By: Ofir Beigel | Last updated: 4/26/20

The chart below displays Bitcoin’s price throughout different timeframes.

The numbers on the graph represent historical Bitcoin-related events.

The list of events is detailed below in this page.

Click on a number and you will be transferred to the corresponding event.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Much was Bitcoin Worth When it Started in 2009?

When Bitcoin started out there wasn’t really a price for it since no one was willing to buy it. The first time Bitcoin actually gained value was on October 12, 2009 when Martti Malmi, a Finnish developer that helped Satoshi work on Bitcoin, sold 5050 Bitcoins for $5.02. This gave 1 Bitcoin the value of $0.0009.

How Much was Bitcoin Worth at its Peak?

The highest price Bitcoin ever reached (Bitcoin all-time high) until today was $20,089 on December 18th 2017.

How does Bitcoin Price Change?

Bitcoin’s price refers to the last transaction conducted on a specific exchange. That’s why you’ll see different “prices” on different exchanges. For example, since Bitstamp has different exchanges going on than Coinbase Pro, each of these exchanges will show a different price for Bitcoin.

When more people are looking to buy Bitcoin (i.e. there’s more demand), the price will rise since people are willing to pay more and conduct transactions for a higher price.

When less people are looking to buy Bitcoin (i.e. there’s more supply), the price will drop since people aren’t willing to pay as much.

First Public Bitcoin Fund Listed on Toronto Stock Exchange - April 9, 2020 Bitcoin value: $7314.95 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $7170.65 View Event #156 on Chart Canadian asset manager 3iQ has become the first firm to launch a fund tied to Bitcoin (BTC) on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), after three years of legal wrangling.

‘The Bitcoin Fund’ listed nearly 1.5 million Class A ‘QBTC.U’ shares on TSX on April 9.

This launch means that retail investors will be able to gain exposure to Bitcoin’s price using a traditional, regulated stock exchange.



https://cointelegraph.com/news/first-public-bitcoin-fund-listed-on-toronto-stock-exchange



https://www.coindesk.com/14m-bitcoin-fund-gets-listed-on-toronto-stock-exchange

Bitcoin Cash Undergoes ‘Halving’ Event - April 8, 2020 Bitcoin value: $7341.15 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $7226.61 View Event #155 on Chart Bitcoin Cash – the blockchain that forked off Bitcoin in 2017 – reduced its block rewards by half, causing many miners to see gross margins drop to near zero.



https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-cash-undergoes-halving-event-casting-shadow-on-miner-profitability

Binance Acquired CoinMarketCap for $400M - April 1, 2020 Bitcoin value: $6671.95 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6814.05 View Event #154 on Chart The largest cryptocurrency exchange by market volume has acquired popular data site CoinMarketCap (CMC) for $400M. With its extensive (although often questionable) data on prices, volumes and other metrics for 5,290 cryptocurrencies, CMC has served as a dragnet for retail investors since its launch in 2013. Amazon’s Alexa ranks CMC as the 570th most visited website globally at this time.



https://www.coindesk.com/binances-coinmarketcap-acquisition-is-a-bet-that-crypto-really-is-for-the-masses





Microsoft Patents New Cryptocurrency System Using Body Activity Data - March 26, 2020 Bitcoin value: $6709.95 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6778.61 View Event #153 on Chart Microsoft Technology Licensing, the licensing arm of Microsoft Corp., has been granted an international patent for a “cryptocurrency system using body activity data.”



Human body activity associated with a task provided to a user may be used in a mining process of a cryptocurrency system, - the patent reads, adding as an example:

A brain wave or body heat emitted from the user when the user performs the task provided by an information or service provider, such as viewing advertisement or using certain internet services, can be used in the mining process.

https://news.bitcoin.com/microsoft-cryptocurrency-system/



https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2020060606&tab=PCTBIBLIO

Bitcoin Rally on Fed’s QE ‘Bazooka’ - March 23, 2020 Bitcoin value: $6492.94 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6833.05 View Event #152 on Chart The U.S. Federal Reserve's open-ended easing program is a long-run positive for bitcoin's (BTC) price. Bitcoin is marching northwards as the Federal Reserve’s extraordinary economic measures boosts risk appetite in the traditional markets. A major part of the double-digit price rise came after the Fed announced its "bazooka" move to expand asset purchases by as much as needed (that is, with no upper limit) to help the economy absorb shocks arising from the coronavirus pandemic.



https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/monetary20200323b.htm



https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-marches-on-7k-as-traditional-markets-cheer-feds-qe-bazooka

Bitcoin Price Tops as FED Cuts Interest Rates to 0% and Restarts QE - March 15, 2020 Bitcoin value: $5360.06 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6687.7 View Event #151 on Chart The surge in price occurred shortly after the U.S. Federal Reserve announced that it would cut interest rates to 0%, launch a $700 billion quantitative easing program, and the regulator provided additional details about the type of securities it would purchase. The massive stimulus package is designed to combat the market turmoil brought about by the novel Coronavirus but shortly after the announcement, Dow futures dropped 1,000 points.



https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-price-tops-59k-as-fed-cuts-interest-rates-to-0-restarts-qe



https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/15/federal-reserve-cuts-rates-to-zero-and-launches-massive-700-billion-quantitative-easing-program.html

Bitcoin Loses Half of Its Value in Two-Day Plunge - March 13, 2020 Bitcoin value: $5629.58 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6492.94 View Event #150 on Chart Bitcoin had been trading near the $10,000 level in mid-February and began its slide as the coronavirus outbreak worsened. The world’s most widely held cryptocurrency dropped below $4,000, knocking off half of its value over two days.

Even safe-haven assets, like Gold, Silver, and Bitcoin were not able to withstand the widespread coronavirus stock market crash on March 13, driving investors towards the safety of cash. People are raising cash to meet redemptions and margin calls. Market liquidity is freezing up, people are struggling to trade. The buy the dip mentality has totally flipped.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/13/bitcoin-loses-half-of-its-value-in-two-day-plunge.html

https://www.newsbtc.com/2020/03/12/silver-gold-bitcoin-even-safe-haven-coronavirus/

https://www.ccn.com/the-real-reason-why-bitcoin-had-its-worst-crash-in-7-years/

Indian Supreme Court Lifts Ban on Bitcoin Trading - March 4, 2020 Bitcoin value: $8767.89 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $5182.32 View Event #149 on Chart India’s supreme court overturned an April 2018 central bank order barring banks from providing services to crypto companies. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had, in its diktat, assumed that virtual currencies posed a systemic risk to the banking system.



https://qz.com/india/1813111/india-must-not-mess-up-with-bitcoin-other-cryptocurrencies-now/

https://www.newsbtc.com/2020/03/04/india-supreme-court-extremely-bullish-ruling-bitcoin/

FCoin Exchange Shuts Down After Becoming Insolvent - February 17, 2020 Bitcoin value: $9706.08 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8816.58 View Event #148 on Chart FCoin, a crypto exchange that adopted the controversial "trans-fee mining" model, has paused trading and withdrawal as it reveals a shortage of crypto assets worth up to $130 million. Zhang Jian, the former Huobi CTO who launched FCoin in May 2018, wrote a lengthy post on Monday, saying the exchange is now unable to process users' withdrawal demands as its asset reserve has fallen short of its liability – and the gap is estimated to be about 7,000 to 13,000 bitcoin (BTC).

https://www.reddit.com/r/FCoin_Official/comments/f579v4/fcoin_truth/

https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-exchange-fcoin-insolvent-after-revealing-up-to-130m-bitcoin-shortfall

Lightning Labs Raises $10M Series A Funding - February 5, 2020 Bitcoin value: $9613.4 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $9903.02 View Event #147 on Chart

Lightning Labs has raised $10 million in Series A financing as it gears up to launch its first paid service for merchants looking to accept bitcoin payments.







Craft Ventures led the round, with Managing Director Brian Murray joining Lightning Labs’ board of directors. Other investors include Slow Ventures, former Goldman Sachs co-head of securities David Heller, Avichal Garg of Electric Capital and Ribbit Capital.

In addition to the capital raise, Palo Alto-based Lightning Labs also launched its first financial services product, Lightning Loop, to monetize the so-called “layer-two” technology that sits on top of the bitcoin blockchain by making it easier for startups to accept the cryptocurrency.



In addition to the capital raise, Palo Alto-based Lightning Labs also launched its first financial services product, Lightning Loop, to monetize the so-called “layer-two” technology that sits on top of the bitcoin blockchain by making it easier for startups to accept the cryptocurrency.

Here you can read more about the Lightning Network:



https://www.coindesk.com/lightning-labs-raises-10m-series-a-to-be-the-visa-of-bitcoin



https://fortune.com/2020/02/05/bitcoin-lightning-labs/



https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2020/02/05/jack-dorsey-backed-lightning-labs-raises-10-million-to-build-visa-network-for-bitcoin/#5f198e595ede Here you can read more about the Lightning Network: https://99bitcoins.com/bitcoin/lightning-network/

Twitter Adds Bitcoin Emoji - February 2, 2020 Bitcoin value: $9333.08 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $10347.95 View Event #146 on Chart Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted the newly added Bitcoin (BTC) emoji. Dorsey’s tweet showed that, now, whenever a Twitter user writes the Bitcoin or BTC hashtag, an image showing its symbol appears next to it.

https://twitter.com/jack/status/1223841364711854080

Second City in Switzerland Accepting Tax Payments in Bitcoin - January 29, 2020 Bitcoin value: $9290.46 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $9897.66 View Event #145 on Chart The municipality of Zermatt, Switzerland — home to the iconic Matterhorn — is now the second location in Switzerland where taxpayers are officially allowed to pay their taxes in Bitcoin (BTC). In order to unlock the new tax payment option, the authorities of the Zermatt have partnered with Switzerland’s major crypto financial services company Bitcoin Suisse. Specifically, local taxpayers will be able to pay their taxes in Bitcoin via a point-of-sale tool installed in the Zermatt town hall or an online payment portal.



The city of Zug became the first in Switzerland to accept Bitcoin payments in 2016.

https://www.bitcoinsuisse.com/news/municipality-of-zermatt-now-accepts-payments-in-bitcoin/



Peter Schiff’s Bitcoin Wallet Vanishing Act Is the Most Boomer Thing Ever - January 19, 2020 Bitcoin value: $8698.57 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $9290.46 View Event #144 on Chart Famous crypto skeptic and gold bug Peter Schiff claimed on Twitter that he has lost access to his Bitcoin wallet and that his password is no longer valid.

Schiff added that his BTC is now intrinsically worthless and has no market value. He also added that:





“I knew owning Bitcoin was a bad idea, I just never realized it was this bad!”



Peter Schiff cannot access his bitcoin wallet and is blaming his “losses” on the blockchain. Schiff is a boomer in every sense of the word, and his lack of blockchain understanding shows.

https://twitter.com/PeterSchiff/status/1218911797626847234

https://www.ccn.com/peter-schiffs-bitcoin-wallet-vanishing-act-is-the-most-boomer-thing-ever/



https://cointelegraph.com/news/peter-schiff-lost-his-bitcoin-claims-owning-crypto-was-a-bad-idea

https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2020/01/20/updated-heres-why-peter-schiffs-ridiculous-bitcoin-claim-cant-be-true-mystery-solved/ Peter Schiff cannot access his bitcoin wallet and is blaming his “losses” on the blockchain. Schiff is a boomer in every sense of the word, and his lack of blockchain understanding shows.

CME Group Launched Bitcoin Options - January 13, 2020 Bitcoin value: $8105.48 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8392.15 View Event #143 on Chart Options on CME's bitcoin futures contracts launched on the CME Globex. Each contract, quoted in U.S. dollars, represents five bitcoin and is cleared centrally to avoid counterparty risk.



Bitcoin derivatives have been available on multiple cryptocurrency exchanges since at least 2014, but CME was one of the first platforms to offer investors regulated products when it first launched its cash-settled bitcoin futures in December 2017.



https://www.coindesk.com/cme-takes-its-bitcoin-options-live-competing-with-ices-bakkt



https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-options-launch-imminent-as-cme-open-interest-hits-7-month-high

Bitcoin Price Breakout Amid US-Iran Tensions - January 6, 2020 Bitcoin value: $7761.82 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8716.91 View Event #142 on Chart Cryptocurrency picked up a bid at lows after the U.S. launched an airstrike at Baghdad’s international airport, killing top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Tensions escalated over the weekend, with Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promising revenge and President Trump warning Tehran against retaliatory actions. Through all this, Bitcoin remained bid and hit a two-week high.



https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-eyes-price-breakout-amid-us-iran-tensions

Youtube Bans Crypto Videos by Mistake - December 23, 2019 Bitcoin value: $7324.49 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6961.57 View Event #141 on Chart A wave of YouTubers received notifications that their videos were in breach of the platform's terms of service. The move appeared to target smaller channels and publishers that focused on Bitcoin and crypto-currency content. The Google-owned video sharing platform has since apologised for the mistake.

But some crypto-bloggers have complained that their videos have not been restored after several days.



"With the massive volume of videos on our site, sometimes we make the wrong call," a YouTube spokesman said.



https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2019/12/26/googles-youtube-goes-to-war-with-bitcoin-and-crypto-update/#3ddb2ba61b63

https://decrypt.co/15590/youtube-to-deleted-crypto-video-sites-oops-we-screwed-up

BitClub Network Ponzi Scheme Busted - December 10, 2019 Bitcoin value: $7232.84 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $7198.78 View Event #140 on Chart Five men behind a company called BitClub Network are accused of a $722 million scam that allegedly preyed on victims who thought they were investing in a pool of bitcoin mining equipment.



https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cryptocurrency-rocked-massive-bitcoin-fraud-002556949.html

https://99bitcoins.com/anatomy-bitcoin-scam-bitclub-network-analyzed/

NY Regulator Licenses Fidelity for Bitcoin Trading and Custody - November 9, 2019 Bitcoin value: $8813.36 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8136.28 View Event #139 on Chart Fidelity has been granted a trust licence to offer trading and custody of bitcoin by the New York State Department of Financial Services, as the asset management group continues to woo cautious institutional investors into the “Wild West” of digital assets. The move allows Fidelity’s new digital assets subsidiary to launch a digital currency custody and execution platform “on which institutional investors and individuals can securely store, purchase, sell, and transfer bitcoin” to New York residents, the DFS said.



https://www.ft.com/content/eb3fce1c-0a80-11ea-b2d6-9bf4d1957a67



Research Suggest Bitcoin Price Rally in 2017 December was Manipulated - November 4, 2019 Bitcoin value: $9424.18 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8639.18 View Event #138 on Chart A forensic study on bitcoin’s 2017 boom has found that nearly the entire rise of the digital currency at the time is attributable to “one large player,” although the market manipulator remains unidentified. Finance professors John Griffin and Amin Shams – instructors at University of Texas and the Ohio State University, respectively – analyzed over 200 gigabytes of data for the transaction history between bitcoin and tether, another digital currency. Tether is an asset known as a “stablecoin,” which has its trading value connected to the dollar. The professors’ study found that tethers being traded for bitcoins revealed a pattern.



https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/04/study-single-anonymous-market-manipulator-pushed-bitcoin-to-20000.html

https://www.technologyreview.com/f/614673/one-bitcoin-whale-may-have-fueled-the-currencys-price-spike-in-2017/

Chinese Bitcoin Mining Machine Maker Canaan Files for U.S. IPO - October 29, 2019 Bitcoin value: $9437.58 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8770.36 View Event #137 on Chart Canaan Inc., the world’s second-largest maker of Bitcoin mining machines, filed for a U.S. initial public offering. The Hangzhou, China-based company listed its offering size as $400 million in its filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-28/chinese-bitcoin-mining-machine-maker-canaan-files-for-u-s-ipo

https://news.crunchbase.com/news/bitcoin-hardware-company-canaan-creative-files-for-ipo/

Bitcoin Flirts With $10,000 After China Endorses Blockchain - October 28, 2019 Bitcoin value: $9223.21 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $9205.81 View Event #136 on Chart Bitcoin price jumped after China’s government threw its backing behind the digital coin’s underlying ledger technology. China’s President Xi Jinping said Beijing will increase investment in blockchain technology. An official with China’s central bank also said blockchain technology can help with commercial banks’ risk control and ease borrowing difficulties for smaller businesses.



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-10-28/bitcoin-flirts-with-10-000-after-china-endorses-blockchain

'Satoshi' is Added to Oxford Dictionary - October 15, 2019 Bitcoin value: $8171.27 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8671.51 View Event #135 on Chart Satoshi, bitcoin's smallest unit, is now added to Oxford English Dictionary. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED), published by the Oxford University Press, has officially added the word “Satoshi” to its database. The decision was made as part of a quarterly update.



https://www.theblockcrypto.com/linked/43326/satoshi-bitcoins-smallest-unit-is-now-added-to-oxford-english-dictionary

Unicef Accepts Crypto Donations - October 9, 2019 Bitcoin value: $8596.45 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $7974.09 View Event #134 on Chart UNICEF will now be able to receive, hold and disburse donations of cryptocurrencies ether and bitcoin, through its newly-established UNICEF Cryptocurrency Fund. In a first for United Nations organizations, UNICEF will use cryptocurrencies to fund open source technology benefiting children and young people around the world.



https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-launches-cryptocurrency-fund

Long Awaited Bitcoin Futures Launched on Bakkt - September 22, 2019 Bitcoin value: $10036.71 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8395.22 View Event #133 on Chart The owner of the New York Stock Exchange launched its long-delayed market for Bitcoin futures. ICE Futures U.S., one of the world's largest commodities markets, offer Bakkt Daily and Monthly Bitcoin Futures, the first physically delivered crypto-currency futures contracts ever traded on a federally regulated exchange.



https://fortune.com/2019/09/20/bitcoin-futures-bakkt-launch/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/nyse-owner-to-launch-long-awaited-bitcoin-futures-11569153649

VanEck, SolidX to Offer Bitcoin ETF-Like Product to Institutions - September 3, 2019 Bitcoin value: $10634.64 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $10372.55 View Event #132 on Chart While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has so far blocked a number of proposed bitcoin ETFs, two firms aim to launch a more limited option. VanEck Securities and SolidX Management – which have previously had a decision on their proposed bitcoin ETF postponed by the SEC – revealed they are taking an unusual route to bypass the regulatory hurdles. The companies will use an SEC exemption that will allow shares in their VanEck SolidX Bitcoin Trust to be offered to institutions such as hedge funds and banks, but not to retail investors. It was clarified that the product is not a true ETF, although similar.



https://www.wsj.com/articles/van-eck-solidx-to-offer-limited-version-of-bitcoin-exchange-traded-fund-11567503003

https://www.coindesk.com/van-eck-solidx-to-offer-bitcoin-etf-to-institutions-via-sec-exemption-report

Self-proclaimed Bitcoin Inventor is Ordered to Pay Billions in Bitcoin - August 28, 2019 Bitcoin value: $9723.81 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $10488.41 View Event #131 on Chart US court orders Craig Wright to share cryptocurrency haul with the estate of American programmer David Kleiman. The IT security consultant Craig Wright, 49, was sued by the estate of David Kleiman, a programmer who died in 2013, for a share of Wright’s bitcoin haul over the pair’s involvement in the inception of the cryptocurrency from 2009 to 2013.



https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/aug/28/australian-who-says-he-invented-bitcoin-ordered-to-hand-over-up-to-5bn

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-27/bitcoin-investors-downplay-craig-wright-s-warning-of-liquidation

Coinbase Exchange Acquires Xapo Bitcoin Vault - August 15, 2019 Bitcoin value: $10307.9 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $10138.67 View Event #130 on Chart Cryptocurrency firm Coinbase has acquired the custody business of Xapo, a service best known for storing Bitcoins in a vault under a Swiss mountain. The acquisition comes as part of an aggressive push by Coinbase to expand its custody services and could result in the San Francisco company storing over 5% of all Bitcoins in circulation.



https://fortune.com/2019/08/15/coinbase-xapo-bitcoin-custody/

Scammer Demands 300 Bitcoin From Binance in KYC Data Ransom - August 7, 2019 Bitcoin value: $11981.15 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $10220.6 View Event #129 on Chart Binance has been the victim of an attempted ransom demand from a scammer. The attacker threatened to release KYC information if the company did not cough up 300 Bitcoins. In its efforts to be totally transparent, Binance has released a statement revealing that an unidentified individual has ‘threatened and harassed’ them.



https://www.binance.com/en/blog/365766157488967680/Statement-on-False-KYC-Leak

President Trump Comments on Bitcoin - July 11, 2019 Bitcoin value: $11345.77 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $10586.24 View Event #128 on Chart In a series of tweets, Trump expanded on his thoughts on crypto, saying he is not a fan of Bitcoin.



https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1149472282584072192

Bitcoin Price Trades Flat on Facebook Libra Blockchain Launch - June 18, 2019 Bitcoin value: $9083.82 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $12356.28 View Event #127 on Chart The Facebook, the social media giant unveiled its highly anticipated and until-now secretive cryptocurrency, Libra, which will run on a blockchain network secured at launch by 100 distributed computer servers, or nodes.The unveiling of Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency has failed to put a strong bid under Bitcoin.



https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-price-unfazed-by-unveiling-of-facebooks-libra-crypto

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-06-18/facebook-libra-cryptocurrency-tries-to-avoid-bitcoin-bear-traps

Bakkt names launch date for Bitcoin Futures Testing - June 13, 2019 Bitcoin value: $8232.75 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $10860.82 View Event #126 on Chart Institutional cryptocurrency platform Bakkt will begin testing its first product, physically-delivered bitcoin (BTC) futures on July 22, the company announced in a blog post on June 13.



https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-futures-analysis/is-bitcoin-growing-up-regulated-futures-boom-as-investors-seek-a-safer-ride-idUSKCN1TE0IB

https://cointelegraph.com/news/bakkt-names-launch-date-for-bitcoin-futures-testing

Crypto entrepreneur to pay $4.6 million for charity lunch with bitcoin skeptic Warren Buffett - June 3, 2019 Bitcoin value: $8105.13 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8232.75 View Event #125 on Chart Cryptocurrency founder Justin Sun had the winning $4.57 million bid in the 20th-anniversary charity auction to have lunch with Warren Buffett.

Buffett has been a notable and outspoken bitcoin critic — calling it everything from “rat poison squared” to a “delusion” that “attracts charlatans.”

Still, Sun says even the most successful investors of all time “can sometimes miss a coming wave,” pointing to Buffett’s investments in Kraft Heinz and general aversion to tech investing.



https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/03/crypto-entrepreneur-to-pay-4point6-million-for-charity-lunch-with-bitcoin-skeptic-warren-buffett.html

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-03/crypto-pioneer-pays-4-57-million-for-lunch-with-warren-buffett

Another applicant files for Bitcoin copyright - May 30, 2019 Bitcoin value: $8273.01 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $7634.65 View Event #124 on Chart Second copyright registration for the white paper has appeared on the public catalog of the United States Copyright Office, indicating that a certain Wei Liu is also claiming to have originated the work under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. It is not clear who Wei Liu is or why the registration was filed. However, it may well be that it is a counter to Wright’s move to assert ownership of fundamental bitcoin property.



https://www.coindesk.com/another-satoshi-second-copyright-filing-appears-for-bitcoin-white-paper

Australian who says he invented Bitcoin files for copyright - May 21, 2019 Bitcoin value: $7945.05 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8544.97 View Event #123 on Chart The man claiming he invented bitcoin, Craig Wright, has filed for copyright of the original Satoshi Nakamoto whitepaper. The Australian entrepreneur claimed to be Nakamoto, the creator of the cryptocurrency, back in 2016. The US Copyright Office catalog shows his filings for the Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System text file and Bitcoin, a computer file. Wright is working on Bitcoin SV, which emerged after the world’s first Bitcoin hash war in November 2018 to ensure the Satoshi Vision of Bitcoin lives on. Bitcoin SV (BSV), at one point surged over 200 percent on some exchanges during the day reacting to the copyright news.



https://www.cnet.com/news/australian-who-says-he-invented-bitcoin-files-for-copyright/

https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-sv-bsv-suddenly-surges-200

Binance exchange hackers steals $41M worth of Bitcoin - May 8, 2019 Bitcoin value: $6029.08 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $7259.51 View Event #122 on Chart Hackers stole 7,000 bitcoin from major cryptocurrency exchange Binance. They used a variety of methods to carry out the “large scale security breach, ” according to the exchange. Binance said it would cover the incident “in full” and no user funds affected.



https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/08/binance-bitcoin-hack-over-40-million-of-cryptocurrency-stolen.html

https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/07/binance-breach/

Bitfinex and Tether faces investigation over alleged $850M shortfall - April 26, 2019 Bitcoin value: $5241.02 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $5799.62 View Event #121 on Chart The New York attorney general accused the operator of bitcoin exchange Bitfinex and tether issuer Tether Limited of hiding an $850 million loss. The state’s top lawyer alleges Bitfinex used at least $700 million from Tether’s cash reserves to cover up the apparent loss of $850 million of client and corporate funds. Its findings were detailed in papers filed with the Manhattan Supreme Court.



https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/26/cryptocurrency-bitcoin-price-falls-on-ny-ag-bitfinex-probe.html

http://fortune.com/2019/04/25/bitfinex-tether-bitcoin/

Major exchanges delists Bitcoin SV - April 15, 2019 Bitcoin value: $5033.1 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $5160.64 View Event #120 on Chart The world's largest bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange by volume, Binance, has said "de-listed" Bitcoin SV, striking it from the exchange as of April 22 as it no longer meets the high level of standard they expect. Elsewhere, the exchange ShapeShift said it will delist bitcoin SV too and another exchange, Kraken, is polling its users on whether to continue supporting the cryptocurrency.



The bitcoin cash split, known as a "hard fork", was sparked by a disagreement over the block size, which determines how many transactions can be recorded in each block added to the blockchain.



https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2019/04/15/binance-ceo-dramatically-throws-down-the-gauntlet-to-struggling-bitcoin-rival/#38a7e5e33d6a

China wants to ban Bitcoin mining - April 8, 2019 Bitcoin value: $5296.93 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $5290.74 View Event #119 on Chart China’s state planner wants to eliminate bitcoin mining in the country, according to a draft list of industrial activities the agency is seeking to stop in a sign of growing government pressure on the cryptocurrency sector. China is the world’s largest market for computer hardware designed to mine bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, even though such activities previously fell under a regulatory grey area. The suggestion is that the power consumed by the industry contributes to pollution and wastes resources.



https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-cryptocurrency/china-wants-to-ban-bitcoin-mining-idUSKCN1RL0C4

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47867031

SEC Postpones Decision on Bitwise, VanEck Bitcoin ETF Proposals - March 29, 2019 Bitcoin value: $4119.02 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $5296.93 View Event #118 on Chart The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has delayed making a decision (again) on two bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) proposals earlier this year.



https://www.coindesk.com/sec-postpones-decision-on-bitwises-bitcoin-etf-proposal

Bitwise study finds majority of bitcoin trading volume is faked by unregulated exchanges - March 22, 2019 Bitcoin value: $4003.55 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $4156.39 View Event #117 on Chart 95% percent of spot bitcoin trading volume is faked by unregulated exchanges, according to a study from Bitwise. The firm analyzed the top 81 crypto exchanges by volume on industry site CoinMarketCap.com. They report an aggregated $6 billion in average daily bitcoin volume. The study finds that only $273 million of that is legitimate.



https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/22/majority-of-bitcoin-trading-is-a-hoax-new-study-finds.html

https://www.wsj.com/articles/most-bitcoin-trading-faked-by-unregulated-exchanges-study-finds-11553259600

CBOE stops listing Bitcoin futures contracts - March 15, 2019 Bitcoin value: $3935.41 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3929.31 View Event #116 on Chart Cboe Global Markets Inc., the first mainstream exchange to let people buy and sell Bitcoin futures, said in a web posting that it’s reviewing its approach to cryptocurrency derivatives and doesn’t currently plan to list more contracts. It offers ones that expire in April, May and June.



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-15/bitcoin-futures-don-t-look-so-bright-as-cboe-reviews-contracts

http://markets.cboe.com/resources/product_update/2019/New-CFE-Products-Being-Added-in-March-2019-Update.pdf

Mt.Gox founder gets suspended sentence - March 14, 2019 Bitcoin value: $3885.99 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3994.03 View Event #115 on Chart Mark Karpeles, the former head of Mt. Gox — a bitcoin exchange that went bankrupt in 2014 — was found guilty of data manipulation by the Tokyo District Court and handed a prison sentence of 2.5 years that will be suspended for 4 years. He was found not guilty on a separate charge of embezzling millions of dollars through customer accounts.



https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/03/15/national/crime-legal/mtgox/#.XQzrcIgzaUk

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/14/tech/mark-karpeles-mt-gox/index.html

Facebook is Working on its own Cryptocurrency - March 1, 2019 Bitcoin value: $3850.07 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3882.61 View Event #114 on Chart Facebook's much-rumoured cryptocurrency appears to be close to fruition, with reports suggesting the technology giant is within a few months of launching its own bitcoin-style currency.



A secret team of around 50 Facebook employees are working on the cryptocurrency, according to The New York Times, who cited five anonymous sources close to the project.



The social network first began working on the cryptocurrency in May 2018, following one of the biggest management reshuffles in the company's history. Previous rumours have suggested the so-called stablecoin, which would be pegged to other currencies to avoid price volatility, would roll out to users of the popular messaging app WhatsApp.



https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-cryptocurrency-whatsapp-bitcoin-telegram-signal-a8802651.html

Canadian Crypto Exchange QuadrigaCX Goes Bankrupt - February 1, 2019 Bitcoin value: $3468.25 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3621.03 View Event #113 on Chart Canadian crypto exchange QuadrigaCX says it cannot repay most of $190 million in client holdings after its 30-year-old founder Gerald Cotten, the only person who knew the passwords to its “cold storage,” unexpectedly died in India in December 2018.



https://gizmodo.com/crypto-exchange-says-it-cant-repay-190-million-to-clie-1832309454

CBOE Resubmits the VanEck/SolidX Bitcoin ETF Proposal for SEC Approval - January 31, 2019 Bitcoin value: $3441.99 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3681.05 View Event #112 on Chart CBOE resubmitted its joint proposal with VanEck and SolidX to launch the first U.S. bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF).



https://www.coindesk.com/cboe-re-files-vaneck-solidx-bitcoin-etf-proposal

CBOE Withdraws VanEck Bitcoin ETF Application - January 23, 2019 Bitcoin value: $3586.16 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3466.22 View Event #111 on Chart The on-going U.S. government shutdown has forced the withdrawal of a closely-watched proposal to list a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the Cboe BZX Exchange. The bitcoin ETF proposal, brought by investment firm VanEck and financial services provider SolidX, has faced an uphill battle for approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) due to concerns the bitcoin price is susceptible to market manipulation. VanEck CEO Jan van Eck explained that the companies filing the rule change proposal had been in talks with the SEC, but these talks ended when the shutdown began. To avoid a probable rejection due to the closure, the proposal was withdrawn.



https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/23/cboe-pulls-its-long-awaited-bitcoin-etf-application-amidst-a-government-shutdown--.html

Coinstar Machines Start Selling Bitcoin at Grocery Stores Across US - January 18, 2019 Bitcoin value: $3647.29 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3594.16 View Event #110 on Chart Bitcoin ATM company Coinme is partnering with coins-to-cash converter Coinstar to allow bitcoin purchases through Coinstar kiosks in a number of U.S. states



http://fortune.com/2019/01/18/buy-bitcoin-grocery-store-coinstar/

Bitwise Files for New Bitcoin ETF With SEC - January 10, 2019 Bitcoin value: $4046.45 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3710.09 View Event #109 on Chart Crypto startup Bitwise Asset Management has proposed a new bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) that it says would address the regulatory concerns that doomed previous attempts.



The company has filed an initial registration form proposing the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Trust with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund would track the Bitwise Bitcoin Total Return Index, which measures the value of bitcoin plus any “meaningful hard forks.”



https://www.coindesk.com/bitwise-plans-new-bitcoin-etf-with-nyse-arca

"Proof of Keys" Movement - January 3, 2019 Bitcoin value: $3864.3 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3672.5 View Event #108 on Chart To celebrate Bitcoin's 10 year anniversary, long-time Bitcoin advocate and successful investor Trace Mayer proposed that the community start an annual tradition of a crypto bank run on exchanges – to be known as Proof-of-Keys. The idea was to get as many cryptocurrency users and investors to withdraw all funds from wallets that they did not hold the private key to.

The tradition, according to Trace, would serve two main purposes. Firstly, it would encourage Bitcoin users to exercise the monetary sovereignty made possible by the protocol – the hope being that those not knowing how to securely store Bitcoin would learn. Meanwhile, those that do know could teach. The second part of Proof-of-Keys supposedly serves to test the trustworthiness of the exchanges. If every single user requested every single coin on the same day, would the exchange be able to pay them all? If it turned out they could not then the platform in question would be not only guilty of deceiving its users but also guilty of artificially inflated the total supply of the currency.



https://www.newsbtc.com/2019/01/04/what-can-we-learn-from-bitcoins-birthday-bank-run/

https://www.coindesk.com/proof-of-keys-bitcoin-bank-run

Institutional Crypto Exchange Bakkt Raised $182M Funding - December 31, 2018 Bitcoin value: $3852.1 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $4046.45 View Event #107 on Chart Bakkt, a cryptocurrency exchange and liquidity provider created by the New York Stock Exchange’s parent company ICE has raised $182.5 million from a group of high profile investors and venture capital firms.



On December 31, on New Year’s Eve, Bakkt CEO Kelly Loeffler announced that Boston Consulting Group, CMT Digital, Eagle Seven, Galaxy Digital, Goldfinch Partners, Alan Howard, Horizons Ventures, Intercontinental Exchange, Microsoft’s venture capital arm, M12, Pantera Capital, PayU, the fintech arm of Naspers, and Protocol Ventures invested in the company, sharing the firm’s vision of driving institutional access for digital assets and providing support for merchants.



https://www.ccn.com/breaking-bakkt-raises-182-million-what-it-means-for-the-state-of-bitcoin-industry/

Electrum Wallet Attack - December 29, 2018 Bitcoin value: $3753.83 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $4049.89 View Event #106 on Chart A phishing attack on the Electrum wallet network has possibly managed to steal around 245 bitcoins, worth over $880,000 at the time of the attack. The bad actor set up the attack by creating multiple fake servers on the Electrum wallet network. As a result, when wallet users that connected to those servers attempted to broadcast a bitcoin transaction, they received an error message providing a malicious link to malware disguised as an updated wallet, the firm explained on its Github page.



https://www.coindesk.com/electrum-wallet-attack-may-have-stolen-as-much-as-245-bitcoin

Fake Bomb Threats Across US Demanding Bitcoin Ransom - December 13, 2018 Bitcoin value: $3468.52 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3908.91 View Event #105 on Chart A wave of bomb threats emailed to hundreds of schools, businesses and government buildings across the US triggered searches, evacuations and fear - but there were no signs of explosives, and authorities said the scare appeared to be a crude extortion attempt with hoaxers requesting cryptocurrency ransoms. The U.S. government has confirmed the existence of bomb threat emails that demand bitcoin from organizations and suggested steps to take.



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2018/12/14/bomb-threat-hoaxers-hunt-bitcoin/

https://nypost.com/2018/12/13/fake-bomb-threats-nationwide-were-part-of-bitcoin-export-plot/

Bitcoin mining difficulty dropped significantly - December 3, 2018 Bitcoin value: $4177.35 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3468.52 View Event #104 on Chart Bitcoin’s mining difficulty saw its second largest drop in history, with a -15 percent adjustment.







https://www.ccn.com/bitcoin-mining-difficulty-just-saw-its-second-largest-drop-in-history/

Bitcoin Cash hard fork - November 15, 2018 Bitcoin value: $6130.99 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $4275.09 View Event #103 on Chart In November 2018, a hard-fork chain split of Bitcoin Cash occurred between two rival factions called Bitcoin ABC and Bitcoin SV. This caused a decline in prices across the cryptocurrencies due to uncertainty.







https://www.forbes.com/sites/cbovaird/2018/11/14/what-triggered-bitcoins-sharp-price-plunge/#13c929a61d66

Bitcoin turns 10 years old - October 31, 2018 Bitcoin value: $6337.06 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6414.86 View Event #102 on Chart On October 31 2008, Bitcoin's mysterious founder Satoshi Nakamoto published a nine-page long academic style paper called "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System", which led to the creation of Bitcoin, the first ever cryptocurrency.



https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/31/bitcoin-turns-10-years-old.html



https://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-price-10-year-anniversary-of-cryptocurrency-2018-10

Fidelity launches institutional platform for cryptocurrencies - October 15, 2018 Bitcoin value: $6317.58 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6497.39 View Event #101 on Chart Fidelity Investments is spinning off a stand-alone company dedicated to bringing cryptocurrencies to institutional investors. Called Fidelity Digital Assets, the limited liability corporation based in Boston will provide enterprise-grade custody solutions, a cryptocurrency trading execution platform and institutional advising services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, designed to align with blockchain's always-on trading cycle.







https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2018/10/15/fidelity-launches-institutional-platform-for-bitcoin-and-ethereum/#30513fee93c4



https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/15/fidelity-launches-trade-execution-and-custody-for-cryptocurrencies.html

Japanese Zaif exchange hacked loosing about $60M in crypto - September 18, 2018 Bitcoin value: $6418.2 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6538.76 View Event #100 on Chart A Japan-based cryptocurrency exchange called Zaif has been hacked, losing a 6.7 billion yen (about $60 million worth of cryptocurrency), including 5,966 bitcoins. Hackers with unauthorized access to the exchange’s hot wallets had stolen roughly $60 million in Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and MonaCoin.







https://www.coindesk.com/crypto-exchange-zaif-hacked-in-60-million-6000-bitcoin-theft

Goldman Sachs drops crypto trading plans - September 5, 2018 Bitcoin value: $7326.73 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6515.75 View Event #99 on Chart Goldman Sachs is abandoning plans to open a trading desk for cryptocurrencies. Goldman still sees the regulatory environment as ambiguous, according to Business Insider, which cited people familiar with the matter. The Wall Street giant has been considering the launch of a new trading operation focused on bitcoin and other digital currencies for the past year.



https://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-retreats-from-launching-crypto-trading-desk-2018-9?r=UK&IR=T

SEC delays decision on Bitcoin ETFs - August 7, 2018 Bitcoin value: $7020.22 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6366.47 View Event #98 on Chart The price of bitcoin fell sharply after the Securities and Exchange Commission postponed its decision on whether it would approve a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) proposed by VanEck and SolidX.



https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/08/bitcoin-price-falls-after-sec-postpones-key-etf-decision.html



https://www.forbes.com/sites/cbovaird/2018/08/07/bitcoin-prices-drop-after-sec-postpones-etf-decision/#7d56c172e677

NYSE's owner (ICE) announced the launch of Bakkt, a federal regulated market for Bitcoin - August 3, 2018 Bitcoin value: $7616.03 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6336.53 View Event #97 on Chart NYSE's Intercontinental Exchange together with Starbucks, Microsoft and BCG, among others, announced they are working to launch a new company called Bakkt. Along with enabling consumers to use bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies at Starbucks, Bakkt will leverage Microsoft's cloud to create an open and regulated, digital asset ecosystem, ICE said.







http://fortune.com/longform/nyse-owner-bitcoin-exchange-startup/



https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/04/brian-kelly-bitcoin-could-come-to-your-401k-with-starbucks-bakkt.html

Winklevoss twins Bitcoin ETF is rejected by the SEC - July 26, 2018 Bitcoin value: $8226.95 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $7275.01 View Event #96 on Chart The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rejected a request to list an exchange-traded fund run by the Winklevoss twins for the second time. The U.S. financial watchdog has yet to approve a cryptocurrency-based ETF and in the release highlights issues with security, market manipulation and investor protection issues.



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-27/bitcoin-drops-as-u-s-regulators-reject-winklevoss-etf-plan



https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/26/winklevoss-twins-bitcoin-etf-rejected-by-sec.html









BlackRock looks into crypto and blockchain - July 16, 2018 Bitcoin value: $6336.16 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8226.95 View Event #95 on Chart Bitcoin jumped as the news spread that BlackRock sets up a working group to look into cryptocurrencies and blockchain. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink later confirmed the report in an interview with Reuters.



https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/16/bitcoin-jumps-after-report-says-blackrock-exploring-cryptocurrencies.html



https://www.reuters.com/article/us-blackrock-cryptocurrency/blackrock-is-evaluating-cryptocurrencies-ceo-says-idUSKBN1K61MC





Facebook is lifting ban on crypto ads - June 26, 2018 Bitcoin value: $6215.85 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6656.48 View Event #94 on Chart Facebook has reversed its controversial ban on cryptocurrency adverts put in place in January amid fears that the ads were used for fraud.



https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-cryptocurrency-ban-coinbase-bitcoin-exchange-a8418841.html

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange, Bithumb was hacked - June 20, 2018 Bitcoin value: $6747.77 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $5928.41 View Event #93 on Chart Bitcoin price tumbles after the Bithumb exchange announced on Wednesday, 20 June, that hackers had seized $31 million worth of cryptocurrency from its online vaults, marking the second time in less than a year that it has been breached.



https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/bitcoin-price-hack-bithumb-cryptocurrency-exchange-theft-coinbase-a8408291.html

U.S. regulator demands trading data from Bitcoin exchanges in manipulation probe - June 11, 2018 Bitcoin value: $7158.95 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6709.39 View Event #92 on Chart The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has sent subpoenas to four crypto-exchanges—Bitstamp, Kraken, ItBit, and Coinbase—demanding answers on the subject of market price distortion.



Sources:



https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-regulators-demand-trading-data-from-bitcoin-exchanges-in-manipulation-probe-1528492835?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1



https://uk.news.yahoo.com/bitcoin-price-crypto-crash-blamed-095821221.html

South Korean crypto exchange, CoinRail has been hacked - June 10, 2018 Bitcoin value: $7638.44 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $6747.77 View Event #91 on Chart South Korean crypto exchange Coinrail loses over $40M in tokens following a hack.



Sources:



https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/10/bitcoin-tumbles-10-percent-after-news-of-south-korea-crypto-exchange-hack.html

U.S.Justice Department launches criminal probe into Bitcoin price manipulation - May 24, 2018 Bitcoin value: $7818.21 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $7608.5 View Event #90 on Chart The Justice Department has opened a criminal probe into whether traders are manipulating the price of Bitcoin and other digital currencies. The investigation is focused on illegal practices that can influence prices -- such as spoofing, or flooding the market with fake orders to trick other traders into buying or selling.



Sources:



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-24/bitcoin-manipulation-is-said-to-be-focus-of-u-s-criminal-probe



https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/24/us-opens-criminal-probe-into-bitcoin-price-manipulation-bloomberg.html

Prosecutors raid largest South Korean exchange - May 11, 2018 Bitcoin value: $9289.09 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8371.9 View Event #89 on Chart Prosecutors raided UpBit, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in South Korea on suspicion of fraud.



Sources:



https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/11/bitcoin-drops-to-3-week-low-other-cryptocurrencies-plunge-after-prosecutors-raid-largest-korean-exchange.html



https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-southkorea/prosecutors-raid-south-koreas-biggest-cryptocurrency-exchange-yonhap-idUSKBN1IC150

Goldman Sachs announces to open a Bitcoin trading operation - May 2, 2018 Bitcoin value: $9021.75 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8728.95 View Event #88 on Chart One of the largest investment bank announced, Goldman is about to begin using its own money to trade with clients in a variety of contracts linked to the price of Bitcoin.



Sources:



https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/technology/bitcoin-goldman-sachs.html

Indian Exchange Coinsecure Hit By $3.5 Million Bitcoin Theft - April 13, 2018 Bitcoin value: $7322.81 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8890.33 View Event #87 on Chart One of India’s biggest cryptocurrency trading platforms has lost about 438 Bitcoins worth some 190 million rupees ($3 million), allegedly due to a rogue employee. Coinsecure pledges to compensate customers from personal funds.



Sources:



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-13/bitcoin-heist-of-3-million-reported-by-india-s-coinsecure-jfxqtgou

Twitter announces ban on cryptocurrency ads - March 26, 2018 Bitcoin value: $8576.53 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $7126.6 View Event #86 on Chart Twitter announced it would ban advertising for cryptocurrencies, following Google and Facebook's crackdown that aims to protect investors from fraud.



Sources:



https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/26/bitcoin-falls-7-percent-to-below-8000-after-twitter-bans-cryptocurrency-ads.html

Google bans crypto advertisements - March 14, 2018 Bitcoin value: $9208.96 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8569.66 View Event #85 on Chart Google said it is banning online advertisements promoting cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings from June. Google’s updated policy came with the release of its annual "bad ads" report, a review of the number of malicious, deceptive and controversial ads Google scrubs from its massive search, display and video network.



Sources:



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-14/google-to-ban-cryptocurrency-initial-coin-offering-ads-in-june

US Regulator SEC says crypto exchanges must register with agency - March 7, 2018 Bitcoin value: $11091.64 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8343.72 View Event #84 on Chart US Securities and Exchange Commission reiterated that many online trading platforms for digital assets should register with the agency as exchanges. SEC statement boosted concern that tightening regulation may limit trading.



Sources:



https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/07/bitcoin-just-tanked-below-10000-after-sec-says-crypto-exchanges-must-register-with-agency.html

Facebook bans all ads promoting cryptocurrency - January 30, 2018 Bitcoin value: $11399.32 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8211.01 View Event #83 on Chart Facebook has banned people entirely from advertising bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Facebook said it had found a huge number of people using the site to advertise misleading and dangerous offers. It said it would now ban ads that are related to cryptocurrency, initial coin offerings, or binary options. Facebook noted that all of those things can be used legitimately – but that a worryingly large amount of ads marketing them were actually just scams.



Sources:



https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/bitcoin-price-latest-value-facebook-ban-ads-cryptocurrency-ico-scam-fraud-warning-a8186646.html



https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/01/30/facebook-just-banned-crypto-ads.html

Japanese CoinCheck Exchange halts withdrawals after being hacked - January 26, 2018 Bitcoin value: $11382.9 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $8775.52 View Event #82 on Chart One of Japan’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, CoinCheck has halted all withdrawals amidst rumors of a large-scale hack. Ripple worth $123 million was withdrawn from its wallet on Friday January 26 along with a single withdrawal of 500 million NEM.



Sources:



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-26/cryptocurrencies-drop-after-japanese-exchange-halts-withdrawals



https://news.bitcoin.com/coincheck-halts-operations-amidst-hacking-rumors-after-723-million-withdrawn/

80% of the total Bitcoin supply has been mined - January 13, 2018 Bitcoin value: $13830.7 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $11242 View Event #81 on Chart Out of the total 21mln, on January 13, 2018, 16,800,000 BTC have been mined and there’s only 20 percent left for miners to acquire.



Sources:



https://www.express.co.uk/finance/city/904946/bitcoin-price-mined-cryptocurrency-BTC-what-happen-next-token-limit

CoinMarketCap drops South Korea prices from cryptocurrency rates and regulator inspects cryptocurrency bank accounts. - January 8, 2018 Bitcoin value: $16831.09 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $10685.16 View Event #80 on Chart CoinMarketCap removed prices from South Korean exchanges from its calculations of cryptocurrency rates without any warning, resulting in a steep drop in all prices. Additionally, Korea’s financial authorities on Jan. 8 launched an investigation into cryptocurrency-related services provided by local banks amid criticism that recent government measures are having little impact on cooling the markets.



Sources:



https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-global-bitcoin/bitcoin-slides-as-website-drops-south-korea-prices-from-virtual-currency-rates-idUSKBN1EX1DB



http://www.theinvestor.co.kr/view.php?ud=20180108000853

Report says early Facebook investor Peter Thiel is buying massive amounts - January 2, 2018 Bitcoin value: $13672.76 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $13869.76 View Event #79 on Chart Peter Thiel's Founders Fund has bought millions of dollars in bitcoin, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the situation. Those holdings are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, the newspaper says. It wasn't clear whether Founders had sold any of its holdings, the report says.



Sources:



https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/02/bitcoin-rises-after-report-says-early-facebook-investor-peter-thiel-is-buying-massive-amounts.html



https://www.wsj.com/articles/peter-thiels-founders-fund-makes-big-bet-on-bitcoin-1514917433

South Korea threatens to shut down cryptocurrency exchanges - December 28, 2017 Bitcoin value: $16064.44 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $17163.38 View Event #78 on Chart Bitcoin price tumbled after South Korea announced more measures to regulate bitcoin trading, including a potential shutdown of exchanges, amid volatile moves in the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency market. “Cryptocurrency speculation has been irrationally overheated in Korea,” the government said in a statement. “We cannot leave the abnormal situation of speculation any longer.”



Sources:



https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/dec/28/bitcoin-falls-south-korea-crackdown-trading



http://fortune.com/2017/12/28/bitcoin-fall-south-korea-exchange-closure/



https://www.ft.com/content/75e13894-eba7-11e7-bd17-521324c81e23

Bitcoin price hit all time high just below $20,000 - December 18, 2017 Bitcoin value: $19498.63 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $16064.44 View Event #77 on Chart Bitcoin hits a new record high, but stops short of $20,000



Sources:



http://fortune.com/2017/12/17/bitcoin-record-high-short-of-20000/

CBOE Bitcoin Futures are launched - December 11, 2017 Bitcoin value: $14594.78 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $17010.53 View Event #76 on Chart Futures on the world’s most popular cryptocurrency surged as much as 26 percent from the opening price in their debut session on Cboe Global Markets Inc.’s exchange, triggering two temporary trading halts designed to calm the market.



Sources:



http://time.com/5058192/bitcoin-futures/



https://www.theguardian.com/business/live/2017/dec/11/bitcoin-price-futures-trading-begins-cryptocurrency-business-live

Bitcoin price breaks $10,000 for the first time - November 28, 2017 Bitcoin value: $9666.23 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $15455.75 View Event #75 on Chart Bitcoin has finally surmounted the greatest psychological barrier of all, passing $10,000.



Sources:



https://www.ft.com/content/cc422666-d4b0-11e7-8c9a-d9c0a5c8d5c9

SegWit2X Cancelled - November 8, 2017 Bitcoin value: $7143.47 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $7844.44 View Event #74 on Chart Bitcoin was scheduled to upgrade around Nov. 16 following a proposal called SegWit2x, which would have split the digital currency in two. However, more and more major bitcoin developers dropped their support for the upgrade in the last few months. Developers behind SegWit2x announced they are calling off plans for the upgrade until there is more agreement in the bitcoin community.



Sources:



https://99bitcoins.com/who-supports-segwit2x-the-new-york-agreement-and-the-upcoming-bitcoin-fork-explained/



https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/08/bitcoin-surges-11-percent-to-record-above-7800-after-developers-call-off-plans-to-split-digital-currency.html

CME announces to launch Bitcoin futures - October 31, 2017 Bitcoin value: $6121.79 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $7255.21 View Event #73 on Chart CME Group announced that it plans to introduce trading in bitcoin futures by the end of the year, only a month after dismissing such a plan. Chief Executive Officer Terrence Duffy cited increased client demand as a key reason for the change of mind. As a result, the Bitcoin price hit a high of $6,600.84 just hours after breaking through the $6,400 barrier, and a minute after moving past the $6,500 mark, according to data from CoinDesk. Its market capitalization, or the total value of bitcoin in circulation, hit $110 billion.



Sources:



https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/01/bitcoin-price-hits-6500-to-new-record-high-after-cme-futures-plan.html



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-01/bitcoin-rises-to-fresh-record-after-cme-about-turn-on-futures

Bitcoin Hardfork: Bitcoin Gold goes live - October 25, 2017 Bitcoin value: $5682.85 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $7261.41 View Event #72 on Chart According to the Bitcoin Gold pitch, returning to home users will bring forth greater decentralization. Since Bitcoin Gold was issued, its price has plunged over 66 percent within the first couple of hours. The sell-off was due to investors dumping the cryptocurrency, perhaps signaling a lack of faith in the newly-created coin.



Sources:



https://99bitcoins.com/the-bitcoin-gold-hard-fork-explained-coming-october-25th/

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/25/bitcoin-gold-price-plunges-what-is-hard-fork.html

Bitcoin price breaks $5,000 for the first time - October 13, 2017 Bitcoin value: $5128.05 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $5943.06 View Event #71 on Chart The price of bitcoin has smashed through $5,000 to an all-time high. The cryptocurrency rose by more than 8% to $5,243 having started the year at $966.



Sources:



https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/oct/12/bitcoin-price-5000-cryptocurrency-gold-bubble

China Is Shutting Down All Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Exchanges - September 15, 2017 Bitcoin value: $3606.08 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3714.44 View Event #70 on Chart Chinese authorities have ordered Beijing-based cryptocurrency exchanges to cease trading and immediately notify users of their closure, signaling a widening crackdown by authorities on the industry to contain financial risks. Exchanges were also told to stop allowing new user registrations, according to a government notice signed by the Beijing city group in charge of overseeing internet finance risks that were circulated online and verified by a government source to Reuters.



Sources:



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-15/china-is-said-to-call-for-bitcoin-exchange-halt-by-month-end-j7lblmdg



http://fortune.com/2017/09/15/china-shutting-down-beijing-bitcoin-cryptocurrency-exchanges/

Jamie Dimon, head of JP Morgan calls Bitcoin as fraud - September 12, 2017 Bitcoin value: $4166.59 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3807.07 View Event #69 on Chart JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon said he would fire any employee trading bitcoin for being “stupid.” The cryptocurrency “won’t end well,” he told an investor conference in New York, predicting it will eventually blow up. “It’s a fraud” and “worse than tulip bulbs.”



Sources:



https://99bitcoins.com/jpmorgan-ceo-jamie-dimon-says-bitcoin-is-a-fraud/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-12/jpmorgan-s-ceo-says-he-d-fire-traders-who-bet-on-fraud-bitcoin





China bans companies from raising money through ICOs - September 3, 2017 Bitcoin value: $4668.5 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $4223.82 View Event #68 on Chart Regulators started to scrutinize China's initial coin offerings as announced by a local outlet. Caixin reported that a notice, issued by a working committee that oversees risk in the country's internet finance sector, said new projects raising cash or other virtual currencies through cryptocurrencies are banned. It added that authorities are cracking down on related fraudulent practices. The document defined initial coin offerings (ICOs) as an unauthorized fundraising tool that may involve financial scams, the Caixin report noted. The committee provided a list of 60 major ICO platforms for local financial regulatory bodies to inspect.



Sources:



https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/04/chinese-icos-china-bans-fundraising-through-initial-coin-offerings-report-says.html





Bitcoin "splits" into Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) - August 1, 2017 Bitcoin value: $2787.85 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $3383.79 View Event #67 on Chart After years of debating about how Bitcoin should scale the controversy turned into action. The Bitcoin code split in two different directions. One direction supporting the optimization of Bitcoin blocks through Segwit, while the other direction supports bigger blocks of up to 8mb.



The bigger block group called their currency Bitcoin Cash and effectively doubled the holdings of anyone who owned Bitcoin before August 1st. For example, if you have 10 Bitcoins before August 1st, you would now have 10 Bitcoins and 10 Bitcoin Cash.



Sources:



https://99bitcoins.com/segwit2x-uasf-and-the-upcoming-fork-guidelines-heres-what-you-need-to-know/



https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-forking-bitcoin-cash-hasnt-created-yet/

Japan Declares Bitcoin as Legel Tender - April 1, 2017 Bitcoin value: $1085.03 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $1215.69 View Event #66 on Chart Japan recognizes bitcoin as a legal method of payment.

The country's legislature passed a law, following months of debate, that brought bitcoin exchanges under anti-money laundering/know-your-customer rules, while also categorizing bitcoin as a kind of prepaid payment instrument.



Sources:



https://www.coindesk.com/japan-bitcoin-law-effect-tomorrow/

SEC denies second Bitcoin ETF application - March 28, 2017 Bitcoin value: $1044.25 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $1190.39 View Event #65 on Chart The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday denied for the second time in a month a request to bring to market a first-of-its-kind product tracking bitcoin, the digital currency.



The SEC announced in a filing its decision denying Intercontinental Exchange Inc's NYSE Arca exchange the ability to list and trade the SolidX Bitcoin Trust, an exchange-traded product (ETP) that would trade like a stock and track the digital asset's price.



Sources:



http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/29/us-sec-denies-a-second-application-to-list-bitcoin-product.html



http://www.reuters.com/article/us-bitcoin-etp-idUSKBN16Z2HH

SEC denies Winkelvos ETF - March 10, 2017 Bitcoin value: $1201.86 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $1037.85 View Event #64 on Chart the US government denied the application of Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss — the brothers who once claimed to be co-inventors of Facebook — to operate an exchange-traded fund (ETF) to make it easier for investors to buy Bitcoin.



Sources:



https://nypost.com/2017/03/10/winklevoss-bitcoin-trust-tanks-after-sec-denies-application/



https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/get-there/wp/2017/03/10/sec-rejects-bitcoin-etf-application-from-winklevoss-twins/

Bitcoin price breaks $1000 for the first time in 3 years - January 3, 2017 Bitcoin value: $1020.47 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $806.94 View Event #63 on Chart After rallying for most of the second half of 2016 Bitcoin breaches the $1000 mark for the first time in 3 years. Mass media coverage brings in an influx of new users that supposedly will raise the price even higher.



Source:



http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/02/bitcoin-breaks-1000-level-highest-in-more-than-3-years.html

Donald Trump Elected as President, Market Plummet - November 9, 2016 Bitcoin value: $726.36 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $749.1 View Event #62 on Chart In a shocking turn of events Donald Trump defeats Hillary Clinton and become the 45th president of the United States. The US market drops by over 1% and the Mexican Peso has plumbed record lows, and is now down 10% today at 20.22 peso to the dollar.



Japan's Nikkei 225 plunged 5.4% while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index lost 2.2%. The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.6%.. Dow futures were down 2.1%, S&P 500 futures were 2.3% lower and Nasdaq futures lost 2.7% at around 6.30 a.m. ET.



European markets opened sharply lower before paring its losses. Germany’s DAX index was off around 1% after opening down nearly 3%. France's CAC 40 was in positive territory by 0.4% after an earlier decline of 1.5% and Britain's FTSE 100 dropped 0.3%.



Investors rushed into perceived havens, such as gold, which is up $26.90 an ounce, or 2.1%, to $1,301.40.



Bitcoin has seen a sharp increase in value during this night going up 5% in just 24 hours, however later throughout the day the price stabilized on a total increase of 2.5%.



Sources:



http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-11-08/markets-crash-peso-plunges-record-low-trump-looks-likely-winner

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/markets/2016/11/09/global-markets-tailspin-trump-victory-declared/93531114/

Bitfinex Hacked - August 2, 2016 Bitcoin value: $594.86 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $591.36 View Event #61 on Chart Bitfinex, the largest Bitcoin exchange by volume, announced that 119,756 bitcoins of customer funds had been stolen via a security breach, a value roughly equivalent to $72 million USD. Bitfinex was holding the customer funds in multi-signature addresses in conjunction with its security partner BitGo. It is presumed that the attacker obtained access to the private keys for nearly all Bitfinex customer accounts, as well as access to the BitGo API for the Bitfinex account.



It remains unclear if the customer funds were insured by BitGo and if customers will be fully reimbursed.



The price of Bitcoin plunged nearly 20% to $480 USD that day before beginning a gradual recovery.



Others in the Bitcoin community suggested that prior knowledge of the upcoming hack was used by unknown entities for insider trading as the price had begun to drop significantly before Bitfinex's announcement.





Sources:

http://www.coindesk.com/bitfinex-bitcoin-hack-know-dont-know/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/4w6tbp/major_shorting_on_okcoin_hours_before_hack_11/

Second Halving Day - July 9, 2016 Bitcoin value: $652.14 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $674.03 View Event #60 on Chart The block reward was decreased for the second time in Bitcoin's history, resulting in a new reward of 12.5 bitcoins per mined block. The automatic 50% drop continued Bitcoin's original design to gradually decrease the number of newly created bitcoins until the block reward ends completely, which is estimated to occur in the year 2140.



The block reward halving occurs every 210,000 blocks and the next "Halving Day" is expected to occur in July 2020.



Sources:

http://blockr.io/block/info/420000

Craig Wright Claims to be Bitcoin's Creator - May 2, 2016 Bitcoin value: $447.64 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $454.36 View Event #59 on Chart Following a five month absence from the public eye, Craig Wright publicly announced he was Satoshi Nakamoto by means of a blog post. The blog post featured a disjointed demonstration of a private key signing, which seemed to be an attempt to verify Wright was in possession of Nakamoto's private Bitcoin keys. This verification was later debunked by the Bitcoin community.



Wright's claim was backed up by Bitcoin developer Gavin Andresen in his own blog post earlier the same day. Andresen stated that he met with Wright in-person in London, and privately witnessed Wright sign an arbitrary message using one of Nakamoto's private Bitcoin keys.



Andresen later stated that he may have been tricked by Wright.



Sources:

http://www.drcraigwright.net/jean-paul-sartre-signing-significance/

http://gizmodo.com/craig-wright-reveals-himself-as-bitcoin-creator-satoshi-1774194884

https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/technical-proof-craig-wright-not-satoshi-nakamoto/

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11609707

http://gavinandresen.ninja/satoshi

https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/gavin-andersen-craig-wright-blog-mistake/

Steam Accepts Bitcoin - April 27, 2016 Bitcoin value: $461.08 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $460.85 View Event #58 on Chart The popular gaming platform Steam began accepting Bitcoin as payment for video games and other online media. Valve, the company that owns Steam, enlisted Bitpay as the payment processor to facilitate Bitcoin payments and help target international customers where credit card payments weren't as ubiquitous.



Sources:

http://www.coindesk.com/video-game-platform-steam-now-accepting-bitcoin/

https://blog.bitpay.com/load-your-steam-wallet-using-bitcoin/

OpenBazaar Launched - April 4, 2016 Bitcoin value: $420.61 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $426.28 View Event #57 on Chart The initial production version of the first decentralized marketplace software, OpenBazaar, was released to the general public. The goal of the project was to facilitate peer-to-peer trade without a middleman, fees, or restrictions on trade. The software allows users to create virtual stores where buyers can purchase goods using Bitcoin.



The OpenBazaar project would later announce it received $1 million in funding from venture capital firms Union Square Ventures, Andreessen-Horowitz, and angel investor William Mougayar .



Sources:

https://blog.openbazaar.org/openbazaar-is-open-for-business/

http://www.businessinsider.com/openbazaar-gets-1-million-seed-round-from-andreessen-horowitz-union-square-ventures-2015-6

Bitcoin Roundtable Consensus - February 21, 2016 Bitcoin value: $439.84 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $433.66 View Event #56 on Chart Influential members of the Bitcoin community met in Hong Kong to discuss a development plan and timeline for scaling Bitcoin. The closed-door meeting included over 30 miners, service providers, and Bitcoin Core developers and was meant to address solutions to the block size debate.



The meeting concluded with a public statement proposing the group's support for the new Segregated Witness functionality, and making a hard fork in the Bitcoin protocol available that would increase the block size limit between 2MB and 4MB by July 2016.



Others in the Bitcoin community denounced the meeting as being inconsequential as the parties involved represented a small handful of Bitcoin companies and special interest groups.



Sources:

https://medium.com/@bitcoinroundtable/bitcoin-roundtable-consensus-266d475a61ff

http://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-miners-back-proposed-timeline-for-2017-network-hard-fork/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/46po4l/we_have_consensus_in_april_we_get_sw_3_months/

Mike Hearn Quits Bitcoin (a.k.a The Hearnia) - January 14, 2016 Bitcoin value: $431.76 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $397.92 View Event #55 on Chart In a public blog post, Mike Hearn declared that Bitcoin had failed and that he will "no longer be taking part in Bitcoin development". Hearn was an ex-Google developer who had been heavily involved in the Bitcoin community and related projects since the early days of the cryptocurrency. His most popular project was bitcoinj, a Java implementation of the Bitcoin protocol.



Hearn's post blamed Bitcoin's alleged failure on a number of reasons: censorship in the Bitcoin community, the centralization of mining to a handful of Chinese miners, and the unwillingness of Bitcoin Core developers to increase the limit on Bitcoin's block size. Within 24 hours of the post being published, Bitcoin's price dropped over $50 USD.



Others in the Bitcoin community accused Hearn of purposely attacking Bitcoin in order to promote his new employer, R3 CEV, a startup focused on using blockchain technology to improve the operations of the global banking industry.



Sources:

https://medium.com/@octskyward/the-resolution-of-the-bitcoin-experiment-dabb30201f7

https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/mike-hearn-says-bitcoin-has-failed-and-sees-a-price-plunge-in-the-future/

Gwern and WIRED Claim Craig Wright is Probably Satoshi Nakamoto - December 8, 2015 Bitcoin value: $397.52 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $461.05 View Event #54 on Chart Security researcher and writer, Gwern Branwen, published an article in WIRED magazine claiming that an Australian man named Dr. Craig S. Wright was either Satoshi Nakamoto or a "brilliant hoaxer". Gwern cited a number of Wright's deleted blog posts, leaked emails, and transcripts that seemed to suggest Wright is Bitcoin's creator. In one leaked transcript Wright himself claims "I did my best to try and hide the fact that I’ve been running bitcoin since 2009". Another document detailed that Wright had access to a Bitcoin trust worth 1.1 million bitcoins.



However, none of the leaked documents Gwern claimed to possess were published.



Wright did not provide WIRED with any confirmation that he was indeed Satoshi Nakamoto. Within hours of the article being published, Wright's existing online presence was mostly removed from the web.



Sources:

https://www.wired.com/2015/12/bitcoins-creator-satoshi-nakamoto-is-probably-this-unknown-australian-genius/

http://www.coindesk.com/craig-wright/

Bitcoin Sign Accepted into Unicode - November 3, 2015 Bitcoin value: $383.16 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $334.73 View Event #53 on Chart The Unicode committee accepted the Bitcoin currency symbol (uppercase B with 2 vertical bars going through it, but only visible at the top and bottom) to be in a future version of the Unicode standard. The glyph will be given the slot "U+20BF BITCOIN SIGN" and eventually will render with standard system fonts.





Sources:

http://www.unicode.org/L2/L2015/15229-bitcoin-sign.pdf

Bitcoin Featured on Front Page of The Economist - October 31, 2015 Bitcoin value: $323.35 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $366.67 View Event #52 on Chart The Economist, a globally popular British publication focused on economic liberalism, made it's article "The Trust Machine" the featured cover story of it's weekly print edition. The article focused mainly on the utility of blockchain technology, promoting the idea that banks and government institutions may implement their own blockchains to create "cheap, tamper-proof public databases".



Sources:

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21677198-technology-behind-bitcoin-could-transform-how-economy-works-trust-machine

EU Declares No VAT on Bitcoin Trades - October 22, 2015 Bitcoin value: $273.82 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $318.43 View Event #51 on Chart The European Court of Justice ruled that the exchange of Bitcoin and "virtual currencies" is not subject to value-added-tax (VAT) in the European Union. The ruling acts to classify Bitcoin and related alt-coins as currency, instead of goods or property.



This ruling is in contrast to the United States' classification of Bitcoin as both a currency (according to FINCEN) and commodity (according to CFTC/IRS).



Sources:

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/22/bitcoin-now-tax-free-in-europe-after-court-ruling.html

http://www.newsbtc.com/2015/10/25/no-vat-bitcoin-exchanges-exempted-from-value-added-tax-in-eu/

Gemini Exchange Launched - October 8, 2015 Bitcoin value: $245.48 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $268.01 View Event #50 on Chart Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss released their own US based Bitcoin exchange dubbed "Gemini". Upon launch, the exchange was licensed to operate in 26 states and was able to "service both individual and institutional customers" due to its LLTC corporate structure. Gemini was also able to offer FDIC insurance on customer deposits thanks to a partnership with a New York based bank.



The exchange aims to be fully compliant with US law with a policy to first "ask for permission, not forgiveness".



Sources:

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/winklevoss-twins-announce-the-launch-of-gemini-bitcoin-exchange-1444058291

Bitcoin declared as a commodity by the US regulator - September 18, 2015 Bitcoin value: $234.65 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $238.15 View Event #49 on Chart The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), announced it had filed and settled charges against a Bitcoin exchange for facilitating the trading of option contracts on its platform. They state: "In this order, the CFTC for the first time finds that Bitcoin and other virtual currencies are properly defined as commodities,".



Sources:



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-17/bitcoin-is-officially-a-commodity-according-to-u-s-regulator

Bitcoin XT Fork Released - August 15, 2015 Bitcoin value: $267.24 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $214.3 View Event #48 on Chart Bitcoin Core developers Mike Hearn and Gavin Andresen released a separate version of the Bitcoin client software, called Bitcoin XT. The release illustrates an ongoing controversy in the Bitcoin development community: what limit should be placed on the size of Bitcoin's blocks? Bitcoin XT implements BIP 101, which proposes "replacing the fixed one megabyte maximum block size with a maximum size that grows over time at a predictable rate".



The release of Bitcoin XT culminated fears that the Bitcoin community may not be able to reach a consensus on the issue, and the blockchain may hard fork, resulting in two separate versions of Bitcoin's global ledger.



Sources:

https://medium.com/faith-and-future/why-is-bitcoin-forking-d647312d22c1

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Block_size_limit_controversy

http://www.coindesk.com/what-is-the-bitcoin-block-size-debate-and-why-does-it-matter/

https://bitcoinxt.software/

https://github.com/gavinandresen/bips/blob/fd99a8ce04dbad96fb275e0300a7ee669e70f418/bip-0101.mediawiki

Mark Karpeles Arrested - August 1, 2015 Bitcoin value: $283.04 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $267.19 View Event #47 on Chart Mark Karpeles, the CEO of the failed Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, was arrested in Japan on charges of fraud and embezzlement in relation to collapse of the exchange. Karpeles faces allegations of illegally manipulating trade volume and the personal use of client deposits, of which may have led to the exchange's insolvency. Mt. Gox is thought to have ultimately lost 744,400 Bitcoins of customer deposits.



Sources:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33745611

http://www.coindesk.com/mt-gox-ceo-mark-karpeles-arrested-in-japan/

2 Federal Agents Plead Guilty to Silk Road Theft - July 1, 2015 Bitcoin value: $260.73 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $291.66 View Event #46 on Chart Former Federal agents Carl Force IV (DEA) and Shaun Bridges (Secret Service) pleaded guilty to stealing Bitcoins for their personal gain during their active investigation of the Silk Road marketplace.



Force was charged with "extorting Ulbricht, as well as wire fraud, theft of government property, money laundering, and conflict of interest" in his role in siphoning off $50,000 worth of Bitcoin from the Silk Road into his own personal accounts. Bridges is charged with money laundering and obstruction of justice for stealing $820,000 worth of Bitcoin in a similar manner.



Force agreed to pay $500,000 in restitution and was later sentenced to 6 years in prison in October 2015. Bridges is awaiting sentencing in December 2015.



Sources:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/katevinton/2015/07/01/corrupt-dea-agent-pleads-guilty-to-extorting-bitcoin-from-silk-road-creator-ross-ulbricht/

http://insidebitcoins.com/news/former-us-federal-agent-pleads-guilty-to-800000-bitcoin-theft/34678

http://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahjeong/2015/03/31/force-and-bridges/

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/silk-road-federal-agent-gets-6-years-stealing-50000-worth-bitcoins-1524901

New York State Releases the BitLicense - June 3, 2015 Bitcoin value: $226.9 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $232.05 View Event #45 on Chart Superintendent of New York State Department of Financial Services, Benjamin Lawsky, released a set of customized rules meant to regulate Bitcoin and digital currency businesses that serve customers located in New York state. These regulations are the first ever directly targeted at digital currency businesses.



According to the regulations, digital currency companies that serve NY customers must apply for a "BitLicense" within 45 days or be considered in "breach of the law". A BitLicense application costs $5,000 and the regulations include a number business requirements, such as fingerprinting employees for the FBI, obtaining written approval of all new business activities, and retained "earnings and profits of the company can only be invested in US dollars".



In response, New York based customers were banned and expunged by a number of Bitcoin companies, including Bitfinex, Kraken, Bitquick.co, and ShapeShift.



Sources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/2aycxs/hi_this_is_ben_lawsky_at_nydfs_here_are_the

http://www.dfs.ny.gov/about/speeches/sp1506031.htm

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/38dr9b/ny_financial_regulator_lawsky_releases_final/

http://www.dfs.ny.gov/legal/regulations/adoptions/dfsp200t.pdf

http://www.coindesk.com/ny-bitcoin-business-45-days-bitlicense/

http://bravenewcoin.com/news/mass-exodus-of-bitcoin-exchanges-from-new-york-state-triggered-by-bitlicense-deadline/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/3gcedf/bitlicense_the_rundown/

Ross Ulbricht Sentenced to Life in Prison - May 19, 2015 Bitcoin value: $234.31 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $238.22 View Event #44 on Chart After a month-long jury trial that ended in Ulbricht's conviction, Judge Katherine Forrest sentenced Ulbricht to life in prison without parole. Ulbricht had been found guilty on 7 charges of money laundering, computer hacking, and conspiracy to traffic narcotics in February due to his role as the operator of the Silk Road marketplace (a.k.a "Dread Pirate Roberts"). In a letter to Judge Katherine Forrest prior to his sentencing, Ulbricht admitted to running the Silk Road and made a plea for leniency. The judge's sentencing statement hinted that the harshness of the sentence was to make an example of Ulbricht: members of the public considering following in his footsteps should know "that if you break the law this way, there will be very serious consequences."



Ross Ulbricht would later appeal the ruling on June 5, 2015.



Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/30/nyregion/ross-ulbricht-creator-of-silk-road-website-is-sentenced-to-life-in-prison.html

http://www.wired.com/2015/02/silk-road-ross-ulbricht-verdict/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Ulbricht

https://reason.com/blog/2015/05/31/silk-road-trial-read-ross-ulbrichts-haun

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/ross-ulbricht-just-appealed-his-life-sentence

Coinbase Launches US Licensed Exchange - January 26, 2015 Bitcoin value: $281.26 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $222.85 View Event #43 on Chart The VC backed startup Coinbase Inc., a popular Bitcoin outlet and payment processor, announced the release of its own Bitcoin trading platform. The company founders stated they had worked for months to obtain various licenses from state financial regulators, allowing them to legally accept customers from 25 different US states.



The new platform will operate like a traditional exchange: customers can deposit funds, place asks and bids on an order book, and will be charged a small percentage fee on executed trades. The exchange platform is to remain separate from their Bitcoin outlet operation, which in contrast, allows customers to buy and sell Bitcoins directly from Coinbase.



Sources:

https://blog.coinbase.com/2015/01/26/coinbase-launches-first-regulated-bitcoin-exchange/

http://www.coindesk.com/coinbase-secures-approval-launch-regulated-us-bitcoin-exchange/

Bitstamp Hacked - January 4, 2015 Bitcoin value: $275.07 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $198.59 View Event #42 on Chart Unknown hackers were able to steal 18,866 bitcoins from Bitstamp's operational hot wallet, worth roughly $5.2 million dollars. The attackers used social engineering against Bitstamp system administrator Luka Kodric to gain access to 2 of Bitstamp's servers and subsequently the hot wallet's private keys. The wallet was completely drained of all bitcoins shortly thereafter.



Upon discovery of the breach, Bitstamp immediately shutdown the exchange's operations for 8 days as it audited its systems and rebuilt its trading platform.



The theft represented "a small fraction of Bitstamp's total bitcoin reserves" as the majority of the company's Bitcoin funds remained untouched in offline "cold" storage. No customer account balances were affected. However, according to a leaked internal Bitstamp report on the incident, the damage to the company's reputation and customer confidence far exceeded its monetary Bitcoin loss.



Sources:

http://www.coindesk.com/bitstamp-claims-roughly-19000-btc-lost-hot-wallet-hack/

http://www.coindesk.com/unconfirmed-report-5-million-bitstamp-bitcoin-exchange/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/3bpdb4/bitstamp_incident_report_22015/

Charlie Shrem Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison - December 19, 2014 Bitcoin value: $313.38 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $317.06 View Event #41 on Chart Labeled Bitcoin's "First Felon", Charlie Shrem, the CEO of bitcoin exchange BitInstant, was sentenced to 2 years in prison for his role in laundering money for users of the Silk Road, an online marketplace that catered to illicit goods and services.



Shrem had entered a plea bargain which involved surrendering $950,000 to the US government and pleading guilty to aiding and abetting the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business.



Sources:

http://insidebitcoins.com/news/charles-shrem-sentenced-former-bitcoin-entrepreneur-gets-two-years-in-prison/27768

http://www.coindesk.com/bitcoins-first-felon-charlie-shrem-begins-2-year-sentence/

Microsoft Accepts Bitcoin - December 11, 2014 Bitcoin value: $352.56 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $324.87 View Event #40 on Chart Microsoft revealed it will accept Bitcoin from US customers for "apps, games and other digital content" offered on the Windows and Xbox online stores. The announcement was made via a post on the tech giant's blog and stated that Microsoft had partnered with Bitpay for Bitcoin payment processing.



Sources:

https://blogs.microsoft.com/firehose/2014/12/11/now-you-can-exchange-bitcoins-to-buy-apps-games-and-more-for-windows-windows-phone-and-xbox/

http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/11/technology/microsoft-bitcoin/

The Slaying of BearWhale - October 6, 2014 Bitcoin value: $323.47 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $387.4 View Event #39 on Chart An unknown trader places nearly 30,000 BTC for sale on the Bitstamp exchange at a limit price of $300 per bitcoin, worth roughly $9 million USD. The order was dubbed the "BearWhale" by the Bitcoin community due to its unprecedented size.



Over the next 24 hours, the entire BearWhale order is fulfilled on the exchange via buy orders.



Sources:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102070437

https://reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/2ifjr8/the_slaying_of_bearwhale_30k_btc_sell_order_being/

http://shapeshift.io/bearwhale.html

Paypal Subsidiary Braintree to Accept Bitcoin - September 8, 2014 Bitcoin value: $473.02 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $439.52 View Event #38 on Chart Braintree, a subsidiary of Paypal, announces that it is partnering with Coinbase to accept Bitcoin payments on their platform. Over the next three months, the two companies will work on integrating Bitcoin payment processing for Braintree merchants. The Bitcoin payment option will be seamlessly enabled for all merchants on the platform. Braintree merchants need only sign up for a Coinbase account and link it to their Braintree account.



The news adds to speculation that Paypal is becoming more favorable towards Bitcoin, and may eventually integrate it into their own payment processing system.



Sources:

http://blog.coinbase.com/post/96987622472/braintree-partners-with-coinbase-to-accept-bitcoin

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/11/paypal-bitcoin-braintree-overstock-reddit

Dell Accepts Bitcoin - July 18, 2014 Bitcoin value: $624.1 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $582.88 View Event #37 on Chart Founder Michael Dell announces on Twitter that dell.com now accepts Bitcoin. Customers in the United States (only) can purchase any product listed on Dell's online marketplace using Bitcoin. All Bitcoin transactions are to be handled by Coinbase, a Bitcoin payment processor. At a yearly revenue of $56 billion, Dell becomes the largest company to accept Bitcoin.



This announcement follows a number of other major online retailers' acceptance of Bitcoin payments in 2014 (Overstock on 2014-01-09 via processor Coinbase, Tiger Direct on 2014-01-23, and Newegg on 2014-07-01 via processor Bitpay).



Sources:

http://en.community.dell.com/dell-blogs/direct2dell/b/direct2dell/archive/2014/07/18/we-re-now-accepting-bitcoin-on-dell-com.aspx

https://twitter.com/MichaelDell/status/490162239983599616

http://coinfire.cf/2014/07/18/breaking-dell-now-accepts-bitcoin/

New York DFS Releases Proposed “BitLicense” - July 17, 2014 Bitcoin value: $619.9 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $595.49 View Event #36 on Chart Benjamin M. Lawsky, Superintendent of New York's Department of Financial Services, announces a proposed set of regulations for businesses that interact with Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. The goal of the new regulations, according to Lawsky, are to help "protect consumers and root out illegal activity – without stifling beneficial innovation". The regulations would require entities that deal in Bitcoin to run background checks/fingerprints for all employees, get written approval for new business activities by the state, and to immediately convert any Bitcoin profit to US dollars. Affected entities would be exchanges, mining pools, bulk Bitcoin sellers, and altcoin software creators based in New York state, or that have customers in New York state. News of these regulations are generally rebuked by the cryptocurrency community.



Sources:

http://www.dfs.ny.gov/about/press2014/pr1407171.html

http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/2aycxs/hi_this_is_ben_lawsky_at_nydfs_here_are_the/

US Marshals Service Auctions 29,656 Seized Bitcoins - June 27, 2014 Bitcoin value: $596.8 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $628.5 View Event #35 on Chart Nearly 30,000 government seized Bitcoins, obtained by the US Marshals Service during the October 2013 bust of the Silk Road website, are auctioned off in chunks of 3,000 bitcoins. Bidders are required to deposit $200,000 USD via bank wire in order to qualify for the auction. A single bidder (venture capitalist Tim Draper) won every auction, indicating that his winning bid prices were far higher than the current market price.



Sources:

http://www.coindesk.com/us-marshals-one-auction-bidder-claimed-all-30000-silk-road-bitcoins/

http://abcnews.go.com/US/tim-draper-bought-auctioned-bitcoins-seized-silk-road/story?id=24399619

Mining Pool GHash.io Reaches 51% - June 13, 2014 Bitcoin value: $598 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $592.28 View Event #34 on Chart Due to GHash.io's popularity and partnership with CEX.io to sell mining shares of their own mining hardware, the mining pool giant gains a sole majority of the Bitcoin network hashing power, and the ability to launch a successful 51% attack on the Bitcoin network. With a majority of the Bitcoin network hashing power, GHash.io could temporarily reverse transactions that they send (double spending) and prevent other transactions from being confirmed.



GHash.io responds by stating they "have and never will participate in any 51% attack". The pool also issues a press statement declaring that it will attempt to limit its hashing power to 39.99% by "actively asking miners to take their hardware away from GHash.IO and mine on other pools", as well as form a committee to assist Bitcoin core developers in solving the 51% attack problem.



Sources:

http://blog.cex.io/official-statement-on-51-threat-and-closed-round-table/

http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/06/after-reaching-51-network-power-bitcoin-mining-pool-says-trust-us/

Chinese Exchanges' Bank Accounts Closed - April 10, 2014 Bitcoin value: $408.25 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $501.7 View Event #33 on Chart The People's Bank of China's frequently updated restrictions against Bitcoin finally pressure some Chinese banks to issue a deadline against several bitcoin exchanges, requiring them to close their accounts by April 15. Although some are spared the warnings, the uncertain regulatory environment holds some prominent loopholes that virtually all Chinese exchanges quickly adopt. Using offshore banks, novel cryptographic voucher systems and other solutions, these trading platforms continue to operate, but at greatly reduced volumes from their hayday in 2013.



Sources:

http://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-price-crashes-chinese-exchanges-stop-bank-deposits/

IRS Declares Bitcoin To Be Taxed As Property - March 26, 2014 Bitcoin value: $581.52 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $453.05 View Event #32 on Chart The IRS policy document declares Bitcoin to be property, not currency, subject to capital gains tax – with that tax calculated against every change in buying power for a given amount of bitcoin, from the time it's acquired to the time it's spent. The decision is widely derided as unwieldy and overly complex, requiring users of the currency to record Bitcoin's market price with every transaction, subject to an array of largely unfamiliar calculations. Others, however, remark that the net tax paid may often be less than if Bitcoin were treated as currency proper - but to a market that emerged in tax-free innocence, it is a difficult blow to soften.



Sources:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-25/bitcoin-is-property-not-currency-in-tax-system-irs-says.html

Newsweek Claims Dorian Nakamoto is Bitcoin's Creator - March 6, 2014 Bitcoin value: $662.57 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $631.25 View Event #31 on Chart In an article titled "The Face Behind Bitcoin", journalist Leah McGrath Goodman writes that an unemployed engineer in Temple City, California is in fact Bitcoin's creator. Based on speculations and interviews with Dorian's family, Goodman's article ultimately draws an enourmous amount of worldwide attention to Dorian Nakamoto, who denies any involvement in Bitcoin and asks for privacy from the media.



The Bitcoin community would later go on to raise about $23,000 for Dorian Nakamoto.



Sources:

http://www.newsweek.com/2014/03/14/face-behind-bitcoin-247957.html

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/10/dorian-nakamoto-fingered-as-bitcoin-creator-wants-to-sue-newsweek/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoshi_Nakamoto#Dorian_Nakamoto

Mt. Gox Closes - February 24, 2014 Bitcoin value: $547.09 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $662.57 View Event #30 on Chart After putting an abrupt halt to withdrawals on February 6, claiming that a hacker had exploited their own poorly-implemented software through the use of transaction malleability attacks, disgraced bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox's website and trading engine go blank without official comment. Other exchanges and Bitcoin businesses issue a joint statement condemning the mismanagement, deception, and eventual collapse wrought by the executives of the Japan-based exchange, after an alleged leaked internal document showed that over 744,000 BTC were lost by the company.



Sources:

http://recode.net/2014/02/24/the-mt-gox-bitcoin-exchange-has-disappeared/

http://blog.coinbase.com/post/77766809700/joint-statement-regarding-mtgox

Major Exchanges Hit With DDoS Attacks - February 7, 2014 Bitcoin value: $717.83 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $626.5 View Event #29 on Chart Mt. Gox, Bitstamp, and BTC-e all experienced a stoppage of trading due to massive DDoS attacks that were apparently aimed at exploiting transaction maleability in the exchanges' software. Mt. Gox halted withdrawals first, on February 6, evidently contributing to a sharp drop in BTC price; the DDoS attack was detected on February 11, 2014.



Due to a host of problems at Mt. Gox, it may not be clear that the DDoS attack was primarily responsible for the problems they experienced on February 6th. [1]



Sources:

http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/06/mt-gox-temporarily-pauses-bitcoin-withdrawals/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/leoking/2014/02/12/bitcoin-hit-by-massive-ddos-attack-as-tensions-rise/

http://www.coindesk.com/btc-e-online-following-ddos-attack/

http://www.coindesk.com/massive-concerted-attack-launched-bitcoin-exchanges/

Chinese Government Bans Financial Institutions From Using Bitcoin - December 5, 2013 Bitcoin value: $1022.37 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $839.93 View Event #28 on Chart Putting its first restraints on Bitcoin's surging popularity, the People's Bank of China declares Satoshi Nakamoto's novel invention not to be a currency. The policy change prohibits any financial institution to trade, insure, or otherwise offer services related to Bitcoin. Over the following weeks, further restrictions slowly strangle the Chinese cryptocurrency markets, as exchanges repeatedly try to find innovative, lasting ways to stay in operation, and prices around the globe sink dramatically.



Sources:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/business/international/china-bars-banks-from-using-bitcoin.html

http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/05/investing/china-bitcoin/

Exchange Rate Peaks at $1,242 on Mt. Gox - November 29, 2013 Bitcoin value: $1132.26 Bitcoin value 10 days later: $921.97 View Event #27 on Chart Rapidly growing Bitcoin investment from China steadily drives prices higher and higher, reaching a peak on November 29th. Subject to strict controls concerning the movement of money across the country's borders, Chinese citizens embrace the freedom provided by Bitcoin with open arms, seeking an alternative to t