Skip to article
Degrees of Satoshi/ History research

Research data Version 2.1.0

Bitcoin Historical Event Catalog

A citable, source-linked index of the chronology—built for verification, reuse and fast fact-checking.

Records
26
Coverage
1976—2025
Formats
CSV · JSON
Last reviewed

Download

Two formats, one immutable release

Version 2.1.0 preserves the same 26 records, evidence links and related pages at permanent file paths.
CSVAnalysis, spreadsheets and newsroom toolsSHA-256 115f86d2239a…JSONApplications, notebooks and structured researchSHA-256 aa861d61eef7…SHA-256Verify either downloaded distributionPlain text manifest

Method

What each record means

Download JSON Schema
id / record_number
The stable chronology fragment and its visible REC 01–REC 26 citation key.
date
The chronology’s primary machine date; start_date and end_date preserve visible event ranges.
date_precision
Whether the primary machine date resolves to a day, month or year.
chapter
Machine label for the editorial era used by the illustrated chronology.
plane
Controlled evidence plane such as protocol, consensus, custody, market or law and policy.
locator
Human-readable pointer to a block height, BIP, court record, filing, law, archive or other evidence anchor.
sources
External records cited directly beside the event, kept separate from site navigation.
related_pages
Internal evidence dossiers and wallet records that extend the event.

The catalog is an editorial index, not a price series and not a claim that every event has equal historical weight. Block dates reproduce header timestamps; legal and institutional dates follow their issuing records. Versioned release files are immutable; the unversioned data paths remain aliases for the latest catalog. A source URL shows provenance, not automatic endorsement of every statement on that page.

Catalog

26 events, visible without a download

DateEventPlaneEraCited records
1976—2004The parts existed before the system.Pre-chainIdeas before the network4 records
31 October 2008A nine-page paper proposes electronic cash without a trusted third party.ProtocolIdeas before the network2 records
3 January 2009The genesis block fixes a starting point.On-chainBecoming money1 record
8—12 January 2009Independent peers turn code into a network.Network launchBecoming money3 records
22 May 2010Two pizzas make exchange value visible.MarketBecoming money1 record
15 August 2010A critical bug reveals that consensus is still software.ConsensusBecoming money2 records
23 April 2011Bitcoin continues without Satoshi’s public direction.GovernanceBecoming money2 records
28 November 2012The subsidy falls from 50 BTC to 25 BTC.IssuanceMarkets and custody1 record
11 March 2013Two software generations temporarily disagree.ConsensusMarkets and custody1 record
18 March 2013Regulators distinguish users from money transmitters.Law & policyMarkets and custody1 record
October 2013A seizure places Bitcoin inside a major criminal case.Law & policyMarkets and custody1 record
28 February 2014The dominant exchange collapses; the distinction between bitcoin and an IOU becomes unavoidable.CustodyMarkets and custody2 records
9 July 2016The subsidy falls again, to 12.5 BTC.IssuanceMarkets and custody1 record
2015—24 August 2017One dispute produces a protocol upgrade, a new chain and a lasting argument.ConsensusConsensus under pressure4 records
2016 proposal—2018 launchPayment channels move repeated activity away from the base layer.Second layerConsensus under pressure1 record
17—18 December 2017Bitcoin price risk enters a major futures venue.MarketConsensus under pressure1 record
11 May 2020The subsidy falls to 6.25 BTC.IssuanceConsensus under pressure1 record
11 August 2020A public company makes bitcoin a primary reserve asset.Corporate treasuryConsensus under pressure1 record
May—July 2021Physical infrastructure migrates while the chain continues.MiningInstitutions and states1 record
7 September 2021A country makes bitcoin legal tender alongside the U.S. dollar.Law & policyInstitutions and states2 records
14 November 2021Schnorr signatures and selective revelation expand the scripting toolkit.ConsensusInstitutions and states3 records
November 2022Another intermediary failure repeats an old lesson at a larger institutional scale.CustodyInstitutions and states2 records
29 August 2023—10 January 2024A court ruling forces reconsideration; exchange listings follow.Financial wrapperInstitutions and states2 records
20 April 2024The subsidy falls to 3.125 BTC per block.IssuanceInstitutions and states1 record
29—30 January 2025The legal-tender regime is narrowed.Law & policyInstitutions and states2 records
6 March 2025An executive order establishes a federal holding policy for forfeited bitcoin.Law & policyInstitutions and states1 record

Cite the dataset

Versioned for reproducible research

Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. Bitcoin Historical Event Catalog, version 2.1.0. 8 August 2026. https://degrees-of-satoshi.pages.dev/history/data-and-sources/

When quoting an individual event, cite both this catalog and the linked primary record. Source materials retain their original rights and terms.

Evidence hierarchy

How sources are chosen

  1. Protocol recordsBlocks, transactions, BIPs, source code and immutable commits.
  2. Issuing recordsLaws, court opinions, regulator orders and official notices.
  3. Contemporary archivesMailing-list posts, project notices and dated disclosures.
  4. AnalysisUsed to explain context, clearly separated from what a primary record proves.