BİTCOİN
Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that was created in 2009 by an unknown person or group using the name Satoshi Nakamoto. Transactions are made with no middle men – meaning, no banks! Bitcoin can be used to book hotels on Expedia, shop for furniture on Overstock and buy Xbox games. But much of the hype is about getting rich by trading it. The price of bitcoin skyrocketed into the thousands in 2017 1.
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, which means it is a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security. Cryptography is the practice of secure communication in the presence of third parties 2. Bitcoin transactions are recorded on a public ledger called a blockchain. When someone sends bitcoins to someone else, the transaction is verified by a network of computers and then added to the blockchain. This verification process is called “mining” 3.
One of the most important features of Bitcoin is that it is decentralized. This means that it is not controlled by any government or financial institution. Instead, it is run by a network of computers around the world that work together to process transactions and maintain the blockchain 4.
Bitcoin has been the subject of controversy due to its association with illegal activities such as drug dealing and money laundering. However, it has also been praised for its potential to revolutionize the financial industry by making transactions faster, cheaper, and more secure .
In summary, Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that uses cryptography for security. Transactions are recorded on a public ledger called a blockchain, and the network of computers that maintain the blockchain work together to process transactions. Bitcoin has the potential to revolutionize the financial industry, but it has also been associated with illegal activities
history of Bitcoin’s price by year:
- In 2009, Bitcoin was first introduced and had no value 1.
- In 2010, the price of Bitcoin never topped $1. Its highest price for the year was just $0.39. 2010 is the year in which the famous purchase of two Dominos pizzas for 10,000 BTC took place 1.
- In 2011, Bitcoin’s adoption started to pick up steam. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) accepted Bitcoins as donations for a couple of months in 2011 1.
- In 2012, Bitcoin saw a steady increase in price, reaching a high of $13.40 in December 1.
- In 2013, Bitcoin’s price skyrocketed to over $1,000, but then crashed to around $300 by December 1.
- In 2014, Bitcoin’s price remained relatively stable, hovering around $600 1.
- In 2015, Bitcoin’s price saw a sharp decline, dropping to around $200 1.
- In 2016, Bitcoin’s price began to recover, reaching $1,000 by the end of the year 1.
- In 2017, Bitcoin’s price skyrocketed again, reaching an all-time high of nearly $20,000 in December 1.
- In 2018, Bitcoin’s price fell sharply, dropping to around $3,000 by December 1.
- In 2019, Bitcoin’s price began to recover, reaching $10,000 by the end of the year 1.
- In 2020, Bitcoin’s price saw a sharp increase, reaching nearly $30,000 by December 1.
- In 2021, Bitcoin’s price continued to rise, reaching an all-time high of nearly $69,000 in November 1.
- In 2022, Bitcoin’s price saw a sharp decline, dropping to around $20,000 by December 1.
Here are the top 10 Bitcoin holders as of January 2024
- Binance cold wallet: 248,597 BTC ($10,756,114,192) 1.
- Bitfinex cold wallet: 204,010 BTC ($8,826,943,061) 1.
- Robinhood wallet: 127,136 BTC ($5,500,826,399) 1.
- Binance cold wallet: 115,177 BTC ($4,983,402,164) 1.
- FBI wallet (BTC from 2016 Bitfinex hack): 94,643 BTC ($4,094,950,142) 1.
- Unidentified owner #1: 94,505 BTC ($4,088,980,831) 1.
- Mt. Gox hacker wallet: 79,957 BTC ($3,459,526,303) 1.
- FBI wallet (BTC confiscated from Silk Road): 69,371 BTC ($3,001,472,554) 1.
- Binance BTCB reserve: 4,706,287 BTC ($203,627,823,862) 1.
- Unidentified owner #2: 2,321,697 BTC ($100,453,312,052) 1.