# Bitcoin Key Milestones Timeline

By [BitGen](https://paragraph.com/@bitgen) · 2025-05-10

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₿ Foundations & Early Adoption

*   Oct 2008 — Satoshi Nakamoto publishes **the Bitcoin whitepaper**
    
*   Jan 3, 2009 — **Genesis Block** mined; Bitcoin network goes live
    
*   May 22, 2010 — First real-world transaction: 10,000 BTC for two pizzas (**Bitcoin Pizza Day**)
    
*   Jul 2010 — Mt. Gox launches the first major Bitcoin exchange
    

📈 Growth & Crises

*   Nov 2013 — Bitcoin hits **$1,000** for the first time
    
*   Feb 2014 — Mt. Gox hacked; ~850,000 BTC lost, exchange shuts down
    
*   Sep 2017 — China bans ICOs and shuts down crypto exchanges
    
*   Dec 17, 2017 — Bitcoin reaches $19,783, a new all-time high
    

❄️ Crash & Institutional Entry

*   2018 — Market crash begins → Crypto Winter
    
*   Aug 11, 2020 — **MicroStrategy buys** $250M in BTC (first public company to do so)
    
*   Jan 2021 — Tesla buys $1.5B worth of Bitcoin
    
*   Apr 2021 — Bitcoin surpasses **$60,000**
    

🏛️ Regulatory Shifts & Strategic Adoption

*   May–Sep 2021 — China bans mining and trading → full ban in Sep
    
*   Jan 10, 2024 — US SEC approves **spot Bitcoin ETFs** (BlackRock, Fidelity, etc.)
    
*   Dec 5, 2024 — Bitcoin surpasses **$100,000** for the first time 🥂
    
*   Mar 2025 — US signs executive order for strategic Bitcoin reserves

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*Originally published on [BitGen](https://paragraph.com/@bitgen/bitcoin-key-milestones-timeline)*