The world's number one cryptocurrency by USD market capitalization, Bitcoin (BTC), has won several Guinness World Records titles, including the oldest and first decentralized cryptocurrency. Bitcoin was written into this famous book as the first decentralized cryptocurrency, "developed as a solution to the problem of regulating digital currency without any centralized organization or 'trusted third party' to oversee transactions," according to the entry. The entry mentioned that its pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto published a whitepaper in 2008, with a working implementation of the concept completed and an open-source client released in 2009.
The world's number one cryptocurrency was mentioned in a total of 17 entries in the book. These include:
First blockchain: January 2009, launched by Nakamoto
Oldest cryptocurrency: 13 years old
First Bitcoin transaction: On January 12, 2009, Nakamoto transferred 10 BTC to an American software developer, Hal Finney
First commercial Bitcoin transaction: May 22, 2010, software developer Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 BTC for two large pizzas, today this day is known as 'Bitcoin Pizza Day'
First country to accept Bitcoin as legal tender: Sep 2021, El Salvador
Most Valuable Cryptocurrency: March 24, 2022
Biggest Bitcoin Scam: In 2012, Bitcoin Savings and Trust reportedly lost the equivalent of $5.6 million when it was shut down by the US Securities and Exchange Commission
Biggest Cryptocurrency Hack: February 2014, Mt. Gox
First cryptocurrency seizure: In April 2013, the US Drug Enforcement Administration seized BTC 11.02 from Eric Hughes, who was accused of selling illegal drugs through the Silk Road online marketplace
Largest Cryptocurrency Seizure: February 2022, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) seized $3.6 billion in cryptocurrency from Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan, believed to be linked to the 2016 BTC 120 hack of the Bitfinex cryptocurrency exchange
First cryptocurrency exchange: March 2010, BitcoinMarket
Largest Cryptocurrency Jackpot Win in Online Poker Tournament: July 2019, BTC 104.23
The first Minecraft server with a Bitcoin economy: 2014, mined resources could be exchanged for fractions of Bitcoin
First non-fungible token (NFT): May 2014, Quantum, a short looping animation created by American digital artist Kevin McCoy, the only one created via Bitcoin
However, two are included in this search list even though they are not directly related to Bitcoin, but contain the phrase "coins like bitcoin" or similar. It is the most valuable NFT sports club and the most expensive NFT artwork (limited edition) - the latter dating from March 2021 when Beeple sold his "EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS" at Christie's auction.
Although Guinness World Records is widely praised for its inclusion of Bitcoin, it has also received some constructive criticism: certain errors have been pointed out, such as the number of BTC in one of Nakamoto's wallets, the publication date of the whitepaper, and certain differences between validators and miners in proof-of-work blockchains (PoW). Meanwhile, earlier in October 2022, major crypto exchange Binance said it had teamed up with Talent Network, a Mexican recruitment agency, to win a Guinness World Record for hosting the world's largest cryptocurrency class. On October 7, 289 people attended the class at Blockchain Land Nuevo León, Mexico.
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