The first Bitcoin block was mined this day, Jan. 3, exactly 17 years ago. On this date, BTC’s pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto officially launched Bitcoin as open-source software.
The crypto community celebrated this historic event, including the major crypto exchange Coinbase, which posted tweets to mark the occasion.
Coinbase initially posted a hash code-based tweet, which was followed by a happy birthday message. “Happy birthday bitcoin,” Coinbase wrote.
On Jan. 3, 2009, the Bitcoin network was birthed when Satoshi Nakamoto mined the Bitcoin genesis block. Embedded in this block was the text “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks,” which is the date and headline of an issue of The Times newspaper.
Before this time, Satoshi laid the foundation for the Bitcoin network with the Bitcoin white paper published in October 2008.
On Oct. 31, 2008, a link to a white paper authored by Satoshi Nakamoto titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” was posted to a cryptography mailing list. About two months earlier, the domain name bitcoin.org was registered Aug. 18, 2008.
On Jan. 12, Hal Finney received the first Bitcoin transaction from Satoshi Nakamoto, marking another noteworthy day in Bitcoin’s history.
Bitcoin gains institutional interest
Seventeen years later, Bitcoin is gaining institutional interest and is now a trillion dollar asset. On Jan. 2, spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded total net inflows of $471 million, with BlackRock’s IBIT leading at $287 million.
At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading at $90,007, having reached an all-time high of $126,198 in October 2025.
The largest digital currency traded above the $90,000 price level for a second consecutive day after dipping below this level in December.
Bitcoin settled into a trading range of about $85,000 to $95,000 following the major sell-off in October, with bulls now making attempts to escape this range at 2026’s start.
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to
Disclaimer.
Related Articles
Federal Reserve Hawk Signals Hit Bitcoin, Multiple OGs Sell Over $100 Million BTC
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady and hinted at a slower pace of rate cuts, triggering a major sell-off by early Bitcoin holders and causing Bitcoin's price to decline nearly 1% to $70,600. Market adjustments to rate cut expectations have impacted the overall cryptocurrency market trajectory, with investors needing to monitor the Federal Reserve's policy impact on crypto assets.
GateNews12m ago
CryptoQuant: Bitcoin and Gold Correlation Falls to Nearly 4-Year Low, Showing Clear Divergence in Trends
The correlation between Bitcoin and gold has fallen to its lowest level since November 2022, showing a clear divergence in their trajectories. Despite Bitcoin's recent rebound to $70,000, bearish pressure is intensifying, and investors need to monitor key support levels and gold price movements to gauge market direction.
GateNews14m ago
A certain CEX's 24-hour trading volume reached $1.596 billion, with XRP, BTC, and ETH ranking in the top three
According to CoinGecko data, on March 19, a certain CEX had a trading volume of $1.596 billion, up 19.31% from the previous day. The top five tokens by trading volume were XRP, BTC, ETH, BARD, and USDT.
GateNews16m ago
If Bitcoin Falls Below $68,000, Major CEX Long Liquidations Will Reach $608 Million
According to Coinglass data, if Bitcoin breaks below $68,000, the liquidation intensity of long positions on mainstream CEXs will reach $608 million; if it breaks above $72,000, the liquidation intensity of short positions will reach $856 million. This reflects the importance of liquidation clusters and the intensity of market reaction.
GateNews25m ago
Over the past 24 hours, liquidations across the network totaled $369 million, with long position liquidations accounting for over 84% of the total.
Gate News Report: As of March 19, according to CoinAnk data, the entire network experienced $369 million in liquidations over the past 24 hours. Among these, long position liquidations accounted for approximately $310 million, while short position liquidations accounted for approximately $58.5 million. From the distribution by cryptocurrency, Bitcoin liquidations reached approximately $126 million, and Ethereum liquidations reached approximately $102 million.
GateNews25m ago
