LIVE data, historical context, and plain-English signals — updated every 12 hours
| Event | Date | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Ethereum Launch | Jul 2015 | Network goes live, ICO at $0.31 |
| The DAO Hack | Jun 2016 | $60M stolen, chain splits to ETC |
| ICO Boom Peak | Jan 2018 | ATH $1,400, thousands of tokens |
| DeFi Summer | Jun 2020 | TVL explodes, yield farming begins |
| EIP-1559 | Aug 2021 | Fee burning begins, supply shift |
| ATH $4,815 | Nov 2021 | DeFi + NFT peak |
| The Merge | Sep 2022 | PoW to PoS, energy cut 99.95% |
| Spot ETF Approved | Jul 2024 | SEC approves ETH ETFs |
| ATH $4,946 | Aug 2025 | New cycle peak |
Ethereum is a decentralized computing platform that runs smart contracts -- self-executing agreements written in code. If Bitcoin is digital gold, Ethereum is a digital operating system. It powers DeFi (decentralized finance), stablecoins, NFTs, and tokenized real-world assets. Over 280,000 tokens have been built on Ethereum.
Bitcoin is a store of value with a fixed supply of 21 million coins. Ethereum is a programmable platform with no hard cap, but it has a dynamic burn mechanism (EIP-1559) that can make it deflationary during high usage periods. ETH holders can earn 2-4% staking yield -- something Bitcoin does not offer natively.
Self-executing agreements written in code. They run exactly as programmed with no intermediaries needed. Smart contracts power everything from decentralized loans and insurance to gaming and identity verification. Once deployed, they cannot be altered, which provides trust and transparency.
Staking means locking your ETH to help validate transactions and secure the network. In return, you earn 2-4% annual yield. Think of it as earning interest backed by network participation. Solo staking requires 32 ETH, but you can stake any amount through exchanges or liquid staking pools like Lido.
Gas fees are transaction fees paid in ETH to use the network. They can spike during periods of high activity. A portion of every fee is burned (permanently destroyed), reducing supply over time. For cheaper transactions, Layer-2 solutions like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base process transactions off the main chain at a fraction of the cost.