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Technically speaking, it’s impossible to destroy bitcoins. But it is possible to send coins to an unspendable address, rendering them redundant to all intents and purposes. In October 2011, that’s exactly what Mark Karpeles did when he consigned 2,609 BTC to eternal oblivion due to a scripting error. Also read: Bitcoin History Part 16: The … Read more
No one remembers the first Mt. Gox hack. It was a small sum, even by 2011’s standards, and the exchange reimbursed all users. The incident was to prove significant, however, for it set in motion a string of attacks on other bitcoin platforms that began the very next day. By the time the dust had … Read more
Bitcoin and poker have a history that stretches back to the very start. Perhaps, even, to before the start of Bitcoin as we know it, for there is evidence that Satoshi had a background in poker. What’s beyond dispute is that in March 2010, the world’s first bitcoin poker tournament took place, with the nascent … Read more
Pseudonymous Grin founder Ignotus Peverell has stepped away from the project, reassuring the privacy coin’s community that it is in “safe hands.” The move has sparked inevitable Satoshi Nakamoto comparisons. Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator used almost identical language eight years ago, writing in an email that “I’ve moved on to other things,” before adding “It’s in … Read more
Since the very start, people have lost bitcoins due to human error. Mislaid wallets, forgotten passwords, broken hard drives, hacks, and scams have conspired to remove over 20% of all BTC from circulation by some estimates. The dubious accolade for the first major bitcoin loss goes to forum member Stone Man, who, on August 10, … Read more
There was something unusual about Bitcoin block 74638. It was Core developer Jeff Garzik who first spotted it, commenting on the “quite strange” transaction outputs, which stood at 92233720368.54 BTC apiece. That wasn’t meant to happen. Within an hour, another forum user had started a thread titled “overflow bug serious” in which he implored “We … Read more
“Hi everyone, I just put up a new bitcoin exchange. Please let me know what you think.” With those innocuous words, one of the most notorious sagas in Bitcoin’s early history began. The name of the exchange was Mt. Gox and it was to play a pivotal role in Bitcoin’s rise – for a while, … Read more
How much is one bitcoin worth? In fiat currency terms, that’s a constantly shifting answer, but ever since the beginning, the following has held true: one bitcoin is worth as much as the buyer is willing to pay. Today, that’s likely to be a few thousand dollars, but back in the day, the reverse was … Read more
Hacks and heists have been a threat for as long as bitcoin has been worth stealing. By 2011, as Bitcoin was easing into its second year of life and its first bubble, early cryptocurrency exchanges were bringing liquidity and price discovery to the nascent ecosystem. At the same time, they were providing an outlet for … Read more
Aside from mining, the only way to obtain bitcoin in the very early days was by trading it on forums or IRC. This arrangement relied on the other party fulfilling their side of the deal, since there were few escrow services back then. Bitcoin didn’t have to wait long for a dedicated exchange to spring … Read more
