10 Surprising Facts You Might Not Know About Crypto

Metaverse Planet August 26, 2025Last Updated: August 26, 2025

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Cryptocurrency dominates headlines and conversations around the globe, but the real story goes far beyond price charts and market predictions. The world of digital assets is built on a foundation of bizarre history, unbelievable mistakes, and a fascinating culture that rarely makes the news. From pizzas that would now be worth hundreds of millions to fortunes buried forever in a landfill, the journey of crypto is filled with shocking and unexpected tales. Get ready to explore the hidden side of this technology with ten of the most surprising facts you probably didn’t know about the world of crypto.

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The Creator is a Complete Mystery

The true identity of Bitcoin’s creator, known only by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, remains one of the greatest mysteries of the 21st century. This anonymous person or group disappeared in 2011 after launching the world’s first cryptocurrency, and their estimated holdings of around 1 million BTC have never been touched.

The Most Expensive Pizza in History

The first-ever real-world transaction using Bitcoin occurred on May 22, 2010, when a programmer paid 10,000 bitcoins for two pizzas. At today’s prices, those pizzas would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. This event is now celebrated annually by the crypto community as “Bitcoin Pizza Day.”

Millions of Coins Are Lost Forever

It is estimated that nearly 4 million bitcoins are permanently lost. Many of these were lost in the early days by miners who didn’t realize their value. The most famous case is a man in the UK who accidentally threw away a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins, which is now buried under thousands of tons of garbage in a landfill.

Dogecoin Started as a Joke Dogecoin (DOGE)

, one of the most well-known cryptocurrencies, was created in 2013 purely as a joke. Its creators wanted to make a fun and friendly alternative to Bitcoin, using the popular “Doge” meme featuring a Shiba Inu dog. They were shocked when it developed a massive community and market capitalization.

Bitcoin Has a Limited Supply

Unlike traditional currencies that can be printed infinitely by governments, there is a finite supply of Bitcoin. Only 21 million bitcoins will ever be created. This built-in digital scarcity is one of the fundamental principles that gives it value, similar to precious metals like gold.

The Smallest Unit is Named After the Creator

Just as a dollar can be divided into cents, a Bitcoin is also divisible. The smallest unit of a Bitcoin is called a “Satoshi,” named in honor of its anonymous creator. One Bitcoin is equal to 100 million Satoshis.

“HODL” Was Originally a Typo

The popular crypto slang “HODL” (often explained as “Hold On for Dear Life”) originated from a typo. In 2013, a user on a Bitcoin forum, who admitted to being drunk during a market crash, misspelled “HOLDING” as “HODLING.” The community embraced the term as a philosophy and investment strategy for not selling during market volatility.

A Country Uses Bitcoin as Official Money

In 2021, the nation of El Salvador became the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, placing it on equal footing with the U.S. dollar, its other official currency. This was a landmark moment for the global adoption of cryptocurrency.

The FBI Owns One of the Largest Bitcoin Wallets

Through seizures from illegal operations, such as the Silk Road marketplace, the U.S. government has become one of the largest holders of Bitcoin. The FBI periodically auctions off these confiscated digital assets, making them an unconventional player in the crypto market.

There Are Over 20,000 Different Cryptocurrencies While Bitcoin is the most famous, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are thousands of different cryptocurrencies, known as “altcoins” (alternative coins). Each one is designed for a different purpose, from powering smart contracts like Ethereum to enabling private transactions like Monero.