Fuelled by the Cyprus banking crisis, Bitcoin hit $1,000 for the first time in late 2013.
On May 22, 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz famously paid 10,000 BTC for two pizzas, valuing each coin at less than one cent.
The 2014 bankruptcy of Mt. Gox, which lost 850,000 BTC, triggered a long bear market, with prices slumping to around $300 by 2015.
2018 saw an 84% crash, ending the year near $3,200 as regulatory pressure mounted. Institutional Era (2020–2026): To Six Figures
A retail frenzy drove prices from under $1,000 in January to nearly $20,000 by December 2017.
Bitcoin's price history (2009 - 2025) – key events and insights
In its first few years, Bitcoin was largely a curiosity exchanged between cryptography fans.
By February 2011, Bitcoin reached parity with the US dollar ($1.00) . It saw its first major rally to over $30 that June before a "flash crash" on the Mt. Gox exchange dropped it back to pennies. Mainstream Awakening (2013–2019): Booms and Busts