10 iconic crypto history videos you won’t believe actually happened

Crypto can be a weird place, and that eccentricity has often been captured on video.
Daniel Ramirez-Escudero
Posted by Daniel Ramirez-Escudero October 29, 2024 8 Mins Read
Crypto can be a weird place, and that eccentricity has often been captured on video.

The crypto industry is an eccentric bunch, with a wide range of personalities, including tech evangelists, businessmen, maximalists, conspiracists, scammers, thrill seekers, professional and wannabe traders, and many others. 

Crypto’s peculiarities are no less evident than looking at how these community members have expressed (and sometimes embarrassed) themselves over the last several years.

While there is a veritable treasure trove of iconic and hilarious videos capturing crypto’s short but eventful history, we’ve chosen 10 of our favorites. 

John McAfee’s insane Bitcoin bet to eat his d--k

John McAfee, a British-American cybersecurity pioneer who founded McAfee antivirus software and ran for US president as a Libertarian candidate, was a controversial figure with an eccentric lifestyle financed by the success of his antivirus creation. 

In 2011, McAfee’s friends pressured him to read the Bitcoin (BTC) white paper written by its pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. Shortly afterward, McAfee became involved in cryptocurrency advocacy and was a prominent crypto celebrity during the 2017 bull run. 

His belief in Bitcoin and its future price prospects was so solid that in 2017 he said in a TV interview that he would eat his “member” on national television if BTC didn’t reach $500,000 in three years.

On Nov. 29, 2017, he doubled down on his bet by raising the benchmark of Bitcoin’s price from $500,000 to $1 million for 2020, claiming “I will still eat my d--k if wrong.” He amended his initial prediction after supposedly tweaking his personal model he used to predict the price of Bitcoin. 

By 2020, the price of BTC began its rise toward new all-time highs. However, Bitcoin hasn’t even reached the $500,000 or $1-million marks. McAfee ended up welching on his bet, much to the relief of observers, as he admitted it was a “ruse” to boost Bitcoin’s value.

McAfee died in 2021 under mysterious circumstances while in a Spanish prison as he awaited extradition to the United States on tax evasion charges.

“Bitconneeeeeeeeect”

The bull market of 2017 could be considered the rally that made Bitcoin mainstream. However, the rally was supported by the craze for initial coin offerings (ICOs), which saw the birth of thousands of crypto projects, many of which pumped, then disappeared. 

Amid the ICO explosion, some legit crypto projects emerged, such as Tezos, Cosmos, Chainlink or BNB Smart Chain, among others. 

However, due to the many scams and Ponzi schemes funded through ICOs, the term became synonymous with dodgy projects.

Bitconnect is one of the most infamous ICO scams. It raised $3.45 billion, defrauding more than 4,000 people worldwide who were lured in by the promise that it could offer 1% daily returns on Bitconnect tokens.

The notorious scam left a lasting impression on crypto users, thanks in large part to the outburst from Bitconnect promoter Carlos Matos during a convention, where his overhyped enthusiasm captured media attention.

Ironically, Matos didn’t get a dime from the scam once it rugged. Despite his bad reputation in the crypto sector, he tried to launch a nonfungible token (NFT) in pursuit of “redemption” for his participation in Bitconnect. 

Vitalik Buterin’s musical career 

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is a legendary figure in the crypto community, instrumental in creating one of the most significant crypto projects after Bitcoin. 

While numerous developers have contributed to the Ethereum platform, Buterin has embodied the project. While he can sometimes get bogged down in technical discussions about decentralization, he has often tried to lighten the mood with informal antics. The Badger Dance at Edcon 2018 marked the start of his endearing yet awkward dance moves.

One of the latest Buterin stunts occurred in September 2024 during the Token2049 crypto conference, where he debuted his singing career. 

The Bitcoin sign at Janet Yellen’s congressional hearing 

On July 11, 2017, an anonymous man held up a “Buy Bitcoin” sign at a US congressional hearing of Janet Yellen, then chair of the Federal Reserve. At that time, the price of Bitcoin was approximately $2,330 per coin. 

The anonymous photobomber was later identified as Christian Langalis, but to most, he remained the “Bitcoin Sign Guy,” becoming an overnight sensation in the Bitcoin community.

The image of Langalis holding the sign quickly went viral, delivering a simple yet powerful message. This moment of peaceful protest symbolized the rising sentiment that Bitcoin represents a new form of financial sovereignty, free from the control of central banks and traditional monetary systems. 

The timing was impeccable, as Yellen’s significant influence over the US dollar made the sign’s appearance during her testimony both creative and unexpected.

In April 2024, the original “Buy Bitcoin” sign was auctioned off for an astounding 16 BTC, worth over $1 million at the time. The proceeds from this auction were used to fund Langalis’s startup, Tirrel Corp, which is developing a Bitcoin Lightning Network wallet on Urbit.

Roger Ver flips critics the bird

On Aug. 1, 2017, at Bitcoin block 478,559, the Bitcoin fork wars began. They emerged from ongoing disagreements within the cryptocurrency community about the best approach to scaling the Bitcoin network. 

As Bitcoin gained popularity and transaction volumes increased, debates arose over how to handle scalability challenges. One faction, advocating for larger block sizes to accommodate more transactions, argued that this would enhance Bitcoin’s usability as a peer-to-peer (P2P) electronic cash system. 

Another group believed that increasing block sizes could compromise decentralization and security, promoting the development of second-layer solutions like the Lightning Network instead. This fundamental disagreement set the stage for a series of contentious forks.

During a heated debate during an interview, Roger Ver, creator of the Bitcoin fork Bitcoin Cash, flipped his middle finger in anger amid accusations of Ver wanting to co-opt the branding of Bitcoin and for allegedly hiring people to promote Bitcoin Cash (BCH). 

Ver eventually apologized for his actions, claiming he was triggered by the false allegations of hiring shillers on the internet.

The incident took place shortly after a contentious split in the Bitcoin Cash community, which led to a fork that created Bitcoin SV. 

Andreas Antonopoulos explains Bitcoin to an empty room

These days, Bitcoin is practically a household term. Bitcoin conferences draw large audiences, feature presidential candidates as guests, and are used to announce significant milestones for the crypto community. 

But this was not always the case. In its early days, only a small group of hardcore advocates believed in Bitcoin, and few would listen to them. 

The Bitcoin community owes a lot to people such as Andreas Antonopoulos, a tech entrepreneur and early Bitcoin supporter, for their persistence in advocating Bitcoin’s potential.

In May 2013, Antonopoulos explained Bitcoin’s neutrality to a virtually empty room at the Bitcoin 2013 conference in San Jose, California. This speech has become a memorable example of the early days of Bitcoin, highlighting the challenges of getting mainstream acceptance and understanding of the cryptocurrency.

Since then, the Bitcoin industry has grown exponentially, and many new advocates understand the unique character potential of this cryptocurrency. Antonopoulos has become a must-listen for Bitcoin advocates and continues to educate the world about BTC.

Bitcoin’s early days: When $1 could have changed your life

New Bitcoin adopters might feel that BTC is too expensive or that they’ve missed the boat. However, numerous video testimonials highlight how even small investments can yield significant future gains, challenging the notion that it’s too late to enter the market.

Crypto educator Davinci Jeremie’s video gained traction thanks to Bitcoin analyst Nicholas Merten, host and owner of the YouTube channel DataDash. Merten referenced Jeremie’s May 9, 2013, video that raised awareness and encouraged new investors that it’s not too late to enter the market. 

In his now legendary video, Isaac Miller livestreamed his reaction when Bitcoin surpassed the $100 mark, hitting a historic milestone. Miller’s video has been used on several occasions as an example of how much things can change over time.

Despite the positive comments surrounding Bitcoin, its notorious volatility remains a concern for many investors. YouTube user Alex Galaxy highlighted the extreme crashes Bitcoin experienced in past cycles before reaching the $1,000 mark, concluding that it may be better to avoid purchasing Bitcoin altogether.

Crypto market all-time low motivator 

After the retail bull market of 2017, many new and inexperienced investors were smacked with the reality of the Bitcoin market cycle, in which BTC’s price can plummet 80%–90% when entering a bear market. 

The bear market that followed eroded investor confidence, prompting reflection amid a rapidly changing landscape. In 2019, parody musician Lil Bubble lifted the spirits of demoralized investors, encouraging them to believe in a brighter future.

Despite the short-term bearish trend, many in the community remained optimistic about the long-term potential of cryptocurrencies, especially as institutional interest continued to grow.

Live reaction of Squid Game rug pull

On Sept. 17, 2021, Netflix produced and launched the Squid Game series, which became a global hit with over 1.65 billion views in just the first four weeks from its release. 

In 2021, play-to-earn games surged in popularity, with projects like Axie Infinity reaching their peak. The success of the Netflix Squid Game series and the play-to-earn model inspired scammers to launch the token Squid Game (SQUID), which was based on but not affiliated with the show.

The Squid Game white paper promised, “The more people join, the larger [sic] reward pool will be.” This tactic was merely a way to attract funds from early investors, who believed they were getting in on the next potential hit.

On Nov. 1, 2021, after the SQUID token experienced a rapid price increase, its value plummeted violently as the developers vanished in a rug pull, taking with them an estimated $3 million in investor funds. 

The rug pull incident was recorded during a livestream from stream SimonZ, prompting an iconic reaction from the host.

Rug pulls occur frequently in crypto markets, especially among new projects with little institutional backing. Sectors with anonymity and high potential success rates, such as decentralized finance (DeFi) and memecoins, are particularly prone to the practice. 

Investors should stay alert and familiarize themselves with ways to spot rug pulls to avoid losing their funds.

The Bitfinex hack by an eccentric rapper

In August 2016, crypto exchange Bitfinex suffered a security breach resulting in the theft of approximately 120,000 BTC, valued at around $72 million at the time.

The hackers employed a series of complex techniques, including security weaknesses in the exchange’s multisignature wallets. 

The hackers managed to dodge capture for several years, but in February 2022, US law enforcement officials announced the arrest of two individuals connected to the notorious hack. 

Authorities took Ilya Lichtenstein and Heather Morgan — aka Razzlekhan — into custody. The Federal Bureau of Investigation alleged that they attempted to launder some of the Bitcoin, worth a whopping $4.5 billion at the time. The couple was charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to defraud. 

The Bitfinex hack was a significant event for the crypto community, thanks in part to Morgan’s side gig as a rapper and her unusual music videos under the name Razzlekhan. 

Morgan is currently awaiting sentencing, set for Nov. 8, 2024, but this has not deterred her from showing up at cryptocurrency conferences, much to the surprise and consternation of blockchain community members.

Jameson Lopp, a Bitcoin developer and co-founder of Bitcoin custody firm Casa, previously told Cointelegraph that he feared she was “seeking to reduce her sentence by collecting intel on behalf of the government.”

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