Bitcoin is often compared to the honey badger for its antifragility and resilience, given the tenacity with which this mammal defends itself. Despite its strength and ability to withstand adversity, Bitcoin has accumulated a series of truly peculiar and bizarre curiosities and anecdotes. Here are some of the most interesting ones.
The First Purchase with Bitcoin
On May 22, 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz made history by paying 10,000 Bitcoins to Jeremy Sturdivant for two Papa John’s pizzas. At the time, Laszlo’s goal was to demonstrate that Bitcoin, still little known, could be used to purchase physical goods. This event is recognized as the first official Bitcoin transaction, celebrated annually as “Bitcoin Pizza Day.”
Bitcoin Faucets
Another curiosity is the existence of “faucets,” mechanisms that distribute small amounts of Bitcoin for free. Although today they mainly provide Bitcoin testnet tokens, in 2010, developer Gavin Andresen created a website that allowed users to earn 5 BTC per day by solving a simple captcha. It is estimated that over 19,700 Bitcoins were distributed through this system.
HODL: The Birth of a Myth
In December 2013, a user known as GameKyuubi posted on the Bitcointalk forum with the title “I AM HODLING.” He meant to write “holding,” but the typo went viral. In the post, GameKyuubi explained his intention to hold onto his Bitcoins, adopting a buy & hold strategy, acknowledging that he was not good at trading. The term HODL quickly spread, becoming a mantra for those who refuse to sell their Bitcoins, regardless of market fluctuations.
The Mystery of Jack Dorsey’s Moscow Time
In March 2021, Twitter billionaire Jack Dorsey participated in a video call with the House committee to discuss fake news. In the video, a “block clock” could be seen showing the number 1952, indicating the number of satoshis that could be bought with 1 US dollar. Cybersecurity researcher Chris Vickery hypothesized that Dorsey had set the clock to Russian hours (Moscow Time). This led to a series of jokes on Twitter from Bitcoin enthusiasts, remembered as a humorous media blunder.
Bitcoin Statue & Online Poker
On September 16, 2021, the Bitcoin Statue was unveiled in Budapest, a monument depicting a hooded figure symbolizing Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of Bitcoin. It was Nakamoto who, in the original Bitcoin code, included several supplementary functions, including an online poker system that was never fully developed. This shows just how innovative and full of surprises the Bitcoin project has been from the beginning.
Bitcoin continues to amaze and fascinate with its unique stories and anecdotes. Who knows what other bizarre facts the future holds for this revolutionary cryptocurrency!