The Disappearance of Satoshi Nakamoto and Meme Cryptocurrencies: ForkLog’s 2021 Most-Read Pieces
In 2021, Bitcoin reached a new high above $68,000. An unprecedented frenzy surrounded NFTs, GameFi, and meme cryptocurrencies.
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We will cover this and more in our wrap-up pieces, but for now let us view the industry through the reader’s eye. We have gathered ForkLog’s most-read and most-discussed materials of 2021.
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Top 10 News
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Pizza delivery driver cashes out tips in Bitcoin that had sat since 2013
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Back in 2013, one customer offered the pizza delivery driver a tip choice: $5 in cash or 0.0069 BTC (~$5 at the rate at the time) on [simple_tooltip content=’sheet of paper with the private key to the cryptocurrency wallet written on it’]paper wallet[/simple_tooltip].
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Choosing the cryptocurrency, the driver held onto it for seven years and decided to cash out when the amount reached $320.
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146k
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Blogger estimates cost of a Chia mining rig ahead of trading launch
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In the first half of the year, the cryptocurrency Chia (XCH), mined using free disk space, gained particular popularity.
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Readers were most interested in the cost of a hard-drive-based rig to mine the coin. A blogger calculated that to earn 1 XCH in 18 hours would require 200 TB of storage costing over $15,800.
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115k
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Robert Kiyosaki: the largest crash in history is coming, Bitcoin at $24,000 expected
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Entrepreneur Robert Kiyosaki in June perplexed the community with a forecast of \”the largest crash in world history\” and a forecast that Bitcoin would fall to $24,000. He also noted that market downturns are the best times to get rich.
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By the way, that forecast did not come to pass; Bitcoin did not fall below $29,700 in 2021.
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112k
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Binance suspended withdrawals
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Readers were unsettled by the sudden suspension of withdrawals from the Binance exchange in May. This followed soon after the launch of Shiba Inu trading, a meme-coin clone of Dogecoin.
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The resumption of operations occurred on the same day, but platform representatives did not disclose the reasons for the incident.
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104k
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Unknown address moved 2,189 BTC that had sat idle since 2013
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On February 24, 2,189 BTC (~$107.2 million at the time) that had sat idle since 2013 moved. Since then their value has grown 583-fold. The following day, February 25, an unknown person moved 100 BTC from addresses dormant since June 2010.
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Analysts concluded that, with a high probability, Bitcoin’s creator Satoshi Nakamoto had nothing to do with these transactions.
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79k
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A Russian individual bought Bitcoin and Cosmos with money saved from school lunches. The value of the holdings rose to 37 million rubles
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A 24-year-old Russian bought Bitcoin and Cosmos with money saved from school lunches. At the start of 2021, the value of his assets rose to 37 million rubles.
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He said he intends to wait until his balance reaches $1 million, after which he plans to withdraw the funds and invest in various asset classes, including ETFs and commercial real estate.
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71k
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Ethereum crossing $3,000 pushes Vitalik Buterin into the billionaire ranks
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Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin joined the ranks of billionaires after Ether crossed the $3,000 mark in May.
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66k
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The Finiko pyramid suspended payouts and demanded users’ personal data
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In July, the Finiko financial pyramid suspended payouts and demanded users’ personal data. Later, the pyramid’s founder Kirill Doronin stated that he had lost access to users’ accounts. A criminal case has since been opened against the organizers for fraud on a large scale.
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ForkLog tracked the chronology of the pyramid’s exit-scam and the fate of its founders.
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66k
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Blockchain.com users temporarily lost access to wallets due to a fire
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In March, Blockchain.com users temporarily lost access to wallets due to a fire. The team redirected wallet activity to other data centres and managed to resolve the outage. The company’s infrastructure and users’ funds were not affected.
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61k
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Trader turns $5,000 into $135,000 on Ethereum scalping
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During Ethereum’s volatility in May, a Twitter user made 27x by actively trading ETH/USDT perpetual contracts.
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Using a scalping strategy [simple_tooltip content=’serial opening of positions with closing after a few minutes (seconds)’]scalping[/simple_tooltip], he increased the initial $5,000 to $135,000.
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61k
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Top 10 Exclusives
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Satoshi’s Final Days: What Happened When the Bitcoin Creator Vanished
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Ten years after the disappearance of Bitcoin’s creator Satoshi Nakamoto, in April 2021 journalist Pete Rizzo told the story of his last actions before handing the project to a developer community led by Gavin Andresen.
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Adapted translation of this article became the most popular piece in the Exclusives category.
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94k
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What is NFT?
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The wave of popularity of non-fungible tokens (NFTs prompted ForkLog to provide a detailed breakdown. In our \\”Cards\\” section, we explained the terminology and features of this asset class in plain terms.
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67k
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Total regulation and Bitcoin correction: Crypto experts’ forecasts for 2021
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Forecasts come true, except when they don’t. That aside, discussing the potential trajectory of the industry and Bitcoin price movements is a sacred duty.
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Crypto experts’ forecasts for 2021 ranked third in the Exclusives category.
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40k
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Hashrate collapse, overheated market, and cascading liquidations: what triggers Bitcoin price declines
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In this piece we examine whether there is a correlation between hashrate and price, and other factors influencing the value of digital gold.
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39k
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Elon Musk, the altseason and the power of the crowd: what is the Dogecoin phenomenon?
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In 2021, a once half-forgotten meme coin, Dogecoin, surged into the top 10 by market cap. The billionaire Elon Musk played a significant role in DOGE’s hype.
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We explored the Dogecoin phenomenon in this piece.
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37k
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Experts assess the prospects for the altseason
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After a short-term correction in April, when the market again targeted growth, we discussed with experts the prospects for the altseason and coins worthy of close attention.
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36k
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Satoshi’s worst nightmare or a financial revolution: what Bitcoin’s legalization in El Salvador could mean
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Bitcoin’s recognition as a legal tender in El Salvador marked one of 2021’s turning points. This piece brought together voices who see the country’s move as a win for the industry and those who called the development \”Satoshi’s worst nightmare.\”
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32k
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What is Polkadot?
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An educational card on Polkadot, a technology designed to increase interoperability among blockchains, became the second-most popular piece in this section for 2021.
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Last year, developers introduced an innovative model of project support — parachain slot auctions.
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28.5k
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MicroStrategy: what lies behind the big Bitcoin bet
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The publicly traded company MicroStrategy, which has plunged into the Bitcoin space, has set the rules of the game for many large investors.
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The author examines potential hidden motives behind the company’s large bet on driving Bitcoin higher.
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28k
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On the road to the metaverse: how the GameFi industry is developing
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Axie Infinity’s explosive growth has shown the prospects of the GameFi industry. The metaverse-building trend is likely to carry over into 2022.
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22k
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What do readers like?
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In 2021, your attention was fixed on Bitcoin price moves and various meme-tokens. You were interested in major scams, moves of older coins, and the prospect of getting rich through trading.
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Popular topics included groundbreaking legislative initiatives and exchange outages.
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In the new year, ForkLog will continue to report industry news promptly, deliver high-quality analysis and educational material. Stay with us! Happy New Year!
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