Bitcoin – Milestones
Key milestones and important events in Bitcoin's history.
Showing 21 milestones for Bitcoin
U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve established
U.S. executive order established a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve using forfeited Treasury Bitcoin assets.
www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-02/bitcoin-jumps-after-trump-pledges-strategic-us-crypto-reserveFourth Bitcoin halving
Block reward reduced from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC.
All-time high price (record)
Bitcoin reached an all-time high price of $73,750 (reported by CoinMarketCap).
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs approved
U.S. regulators approved spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, allowing ETFs backed by physical Bitcoin to trade.
Taproot upgrade activated
The Taproot soft-fork upgrade activated, improving privacy and smart-contract flexibility.
El Salvador adopts Bitcoin as legal tender
El Salvador became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender.
Bitcoin market capitalization surpassed $1 trillion
Bitcoin's market capitalization exceeded $1 trillion after a new all-time price high.
Third Bitcoin halving
Block reward reduced from 12.5 BTC to 6.25 BTC.
Second Bitcoin halving
Block reward reduced from 25 BTC to 12.5 BTC.
Coinbase launches regulated bitcoin exchange
Coinbase launched the first regulated bitcoin exchange in 25 US states.
Mt. Gox collapse and bankruptcy
Mt. Gox suspended withdrawals and later filed for bankruptcy after reports that approximately 850,000 BTC were missing.
Bitcoin reaches $1,000
Bitcoin's price surpassed $1,000 for the first time during the 2013 bull run.
First Bitcoin ATM installed
The first Bitcoin ATM (Robocoin kiosk) was installed in Vancouver, Canada.
Silk Road shutdown
The FBI seized the Silk Road marketplace and arrested its alleged operator, Ross Ulbricht.
First Bitcoin halving
Block reward reduced from 50 BTC to 25 BTC.
Bitcoin reaches $1 (parity with USD)
Bitcoin's price reached parity with the US dollar for the first time.
First commercial transaction (Bitcoin Pizza Day)
Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 BTC for two pizzas (first known commercial Bitcoin transaction).
Date Founded
On January 3rd, 2009, the Bitcoin network was created when Satoshi Nakamato (the project's mysterious creator) mined the “Genesis” block. The 50 bitcoin coinbase reward is unredeemable, as it was omitted from the transaction database.
www.blockchain.com/explorer/blocks/btc/000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26fFirst Bitcoin transaction (Nakamoto → Hal Finney)
Satoshi Nakamoto sent 10 BTC to Hal Finney in the first known Bitcoin transaction.
Genesis block mined
The genesis block (block 0) was mined by Satoshi Nakamoto, launching the Bitcoin network; the 50 BTC coinbase is unspendable.
www.blockchain.com/explorer/blocks/btc/000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26fBitcoin whitepaper published
Satoshi Nakamoto published 'Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System'.
bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf