Bitcoin Unpacked

Learn

What is BitcoinThe idea in plain EnglishHow it worksMine a block, read a transactionLightning and layersInstant payments and layer 2sMiningASICs, pools, energy, AI

The story

HistoryTimeline from 1982 to 2026People120+ profiles, searchableCultureLore, myths and fun facts

Money

ETFsEvery US spot fund comparedHoldersWho owns the 21 millionEconomicsHalvings, supply, goldBuy and storeWallets, keys, scamsRisks and criticismsThe case against, fairly put

Reference

Glossary100+ termsQuiz20 questions, three levelsFAQShort answersSourcesEvery reference, linked
Price… 24h… Block… Fee… Hashrate… Next halving… Loading live data
Transparency

Sources and method

Where the facts on this site come from, how figures are dated, and what we chose not to claim.

Last updated October 2026Educational only, not advice
On this page
  1. How this site was researched
  2. What was left out or hedged
  3. Primary documents
  4. Live data
  5. Holdings and fund data
  6. Markets and the 2025 to 2026 cycle
  7. Protocol and development
  8. Mining and energy
  9. Policy and regulation
  10. People
  11. Official sites of products named on this site

How this site was researched

Bitcoin Unpacked was written in October 2026. Stable history and technical facts were drawn from primary documents such as the whitepaper, release notes and court opinions. Anything that moves, such as fund holdings, company treasuries, office-holders and legislation, was checked against sources published in 2026 and is dated where it appears.

  • Numbers carry dates. A holding or a market share is shown with the day it refers to and where it came from. Where two reputable trackers disagree, the page gives the range and says so.
  • No stored prices. The current price, block height, fee rate and hashrate are fetched live in your browser from CoinGecko and mempool.space. Historical prices mentioned in the text are past events, labelled with their dates.
  • No predictions, no recommendations. The site does not forecast prices or suggest what to buy. Products and funds are described, not ranked.
  • Quotations are minimal. A handful of famous phrases of a few words each are quoted. Everything else is paraphrase in our own words.
  • Secondary sources are flagged. Several 2026 events were only covered by trade press or by companies with an interest in the story. Those are marked in the list below.

What was left out or hedged

  • Net worth and personal holdings of individuals, which are rarely verifiable.
  • Exact government holdings. The US has published no full audit; China’s holdings are unconfirmed. Ranges are given instead.
  • Per-fund cumulative flow figures for ETFs, which change daily and could not be pinned to a single reliable dated source.
  • The outcome of the eCash fork’s main launch, scheduled for after this site was written.
  • Estimates of lost coins and of Satoshi’s holdings are long-standing research figures (Chainalysis; Sergio Demian Lerner’s “Patoshi” analysis) and are presented as estimates, not measurements.
  • Gold’s annual mine supply is given as a round figure from World Gold Council reporting; only the above-ground stock was re-checked for this edition.
  • Roles described as current were verified where a 2026 source could be found. Otherwise profiles describe what a person is known for.

Found something out of date? Figures on this site are a snapshot. The primary sources below are the authority.

Primary documents

Live data

Holdings and fund data

Markets and the 2025 to 2026 cycle

Protocol and development

Mining and energy

Policy and regulation

People

Official sites of products named on this site