30s Summary

This article recaps ten notable moments in cryptocurrency history. It begins with John McAfee’s bet that Bitcoin would hit $500,000 in three years, which he later increased to $1 million. It recalls the Bitconnect scam and Vitalik Buterin’s appearance at the Token2049 conference. It also highlights the viral ‘Buy Bitcoin’ sign, the Bitcoin fork wars, crypto enthusiast Andreas Antonopoulos, and small investments in Bitcoin. It mentions Lil Bubble’s music after the 2017 bull market, the doomed Squid Game token, and the Bitfinex hack tied to rapper Heather Morgan.

Full Article

The world of cryptocurrency is one colourful place – from tech geeks, risk-takers, sham artists to everyday folks hoping to make some extra cash and free thinkers who believe cryptos will change the world. It’s no wonder the crypto space has given us some pretty crazy moments that sometimes make us laugh, facepalm or just plain confuse us. We’ve picked our 10 favourite crypto moments, so sit back and read our crypto hall of fame.

First up is John McAfee, the guy who created the famous McAfee antivirus software and then ran for US presidency. Now, he was a lover of Bitcoin and one time in 2017, he made a daring bet. He promised to chomp on his private part on national television if Bitcoin didn’t hit $500,000 in three years. He even upped the bet to $1 million later. Spoiler alert…he didn’t follow through on his dare, thankfully!

There’s also the notorious Bitconnect scam. This guy Carlos Matos gave these hyped-up speeches, promising 1% daily returns on Bitconnect tokens. And guess what? He didn’t make a penny when the scam collapsed. Talk about instant karma, eh?

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is our next star. Known for his awkward and adorable dance moves, he went a step further at the Token2049 crypto conference where he decided to show off his singing talent.

What about the infamous ‘Buy Bitcoin’ sign? During a 2017 congressional hearing of then Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, Christian Langalis aka the ‘Bitcoin Sign Guy’ held this sign which went viral instantly. This silent protest came to symbolize the new world of financial independence that cryptocurrencies represented. And guess what? The original sign was auctioned for a cool 16 Bitcoin in 2024!

On to the Bitcoin fork wars now. In the middle of a heated debate about how to handle Bitcoin’s scalability problem, Roger Ver, the creator of the Bitcoin fork Bitcoin Cash, lost his cool and flipped the bird.

Crypto stalwarts such as Andreas Antonopoulos are next on our list. Known for his technical discussions on Bitcoin, he was an early evangelist when no one cared about cryptocurrencies. He’s the reason why many of us know and care about Bitcoin today.

For those who feel it’s too late to invest in Bitcoin, just remember the early days when just $1 could have made you rich. Small investments can make a big difference in the world of Bitcoin, as many early adopters can confirm.

After the 2017 bull market, many were left disheartened when Bitcoin prices slid. That’s when parody musician Lil Bubble brought some much-needed humour and positivity to the community.

Remember the Squid Game debacle? Scammers created an unaffiliated token based on the popular Netflix show, promising huge rewards. The developers vanished just as the token price crashed, in what became known as a ‘rug pull’, but not before a live streamer caught their reaction on video.

Lastly, we have the Bitfinex hack. A notorious crypto exchange breach saw roughly $72 million in Bitcoin stolen. But the real kicker? One of the alleged hackers was eccentric rapper Heather Morgan, whose bizarre music videos went viral after her arrest. She’s now facing charges while still making appearances at crypto conferences, causing quite a stir.

Source: Cointelegraph