From $0.20 to $110,000: Bitcoin’s 17-Year Journey Since the Whitepaper

The Birth of Bitcoin: A Revolution Written in Nine Pages

On October 31, 2008, an anonymous individual — or group — known as Satoshi Nakamoto released a nine-page paper titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.” This whitepaper was sent to a small cryptography mailing list, outlining the foundations of what would become the world’s first decentralized digital currency.

The document proposed a radical idea: a trustless, borderless currency that removes the need for intermediaries like banks. By combining proof-of-work, public key cryptography, and distributed ledger technology, Satoshi solved the long-standing “double-spending problem” — ensuring that digital money could not be duplicated or counterfeited.

Within months, the first $Bitcoin block — the Genesis Block — was mined on January 3, 2009. Embedded in it was a message referencing a Times headline:

“The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.”

It was a symbolic statement — Bitcoin wasn’t just technology; it was a protest against financial centralization.

Bitcoin Every Halloween: From $0.20 to $110,000

Seventeen years later, Bitcoin has become a financial giant — adopted by institutions, countries, and millions of investors worldwide. Each Halloween tells a chapter of Bitcoin’s extraordinary journey from obscurity to global dominance.

Year Halloween Price (USD)
2010 $0.20
2011 $3.27
2012 $11
2013 $201
2014 $337
2015 $312
2016 $699
2017 $6,369
2018 $6,332
2019 $9,172
2020 $13,537
2021 $61,837
2022 $20,624
2023 $34,494
2024 $72,250
2025 $110,000

From less than the price of a candy bar in 2010 to six figures in 2025, Bitcoin’s Halloween history shows the staggering growth of a once-dismissed experiment. Despite volatility, crashes, and global skepticism, Bitcoin has remained the best-performing asset of the decade.

BTC/USD price since creation - TradingView

The Legacy of Satoshi Nakamoto

Satoshi’s identity remains one of the greatest mysteries in modern history. Yet their creation has reshaped finance, politics, and technology — birthing the trillion-dollar crypto economy we know today. The whitepaper didn’t just describe a system; it sparked a movement for monetary freedom.

On this Halloween, as the world celebrates costumes and candy, crypto enthusiasts celebrate the anniversary of a revolution — one that began with an email, a PDF, and a dream of financial independence.

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Disclaimer: The content above is only the author's opinion which does not represent any position of Followin, and is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, investment advice from Followin.
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