The Captcha That Could Have Made You Rich: A 2010 Bitcoin Experiment


Let’s be honest - people hate captchas. They are the bane of internet users everywhere. Captchas pop up as roadblocks that demand you decipher distorted text, blurry signs, or puzzling images, all to prove to an algorithm that you are a human—though sometimes you feel too human to solve them. Frustrating, right? But what if I told you there was a captcha back in 2010 that you would actually appreciate? Its true value would reveal itself years later, but it would unlock incredible opportunities for you. What am I talking about? 


In 2010, solving a single captcha could earn you 5 bitcoins. It was a double test of patience: first, enduring annoyance of solving the captcha, and, second, holding onto those rewards for years as bitcoin’s value skyrocketed. 


In 2010, software developer Gavin Andresen planted the seeds of a digital revolution by placing captcha on his website “freebitcoins”. Visitors who solved captchas earned 5 bitcoins. They could return daily to pile up the rewards. But who could have thought then that the reward worth pennies then would turn into a fortune over the years? 


Though the offer may seem absurd now, the faucet’s purpose was clear. The developers of Bitcoin wanted to make it accessible, demystify the concept, and encourage widespread adoption. It was necessary to spread the crypto far and wide to reach the goal.


The developer gave out 1100 BTC of his own, then used donations from miners and whales. It stopped working in 2011. In total, users received 19,700 BTC from the bitcoin faucet. That’s almost $2 billion at today's prices! 


This initiative also became an unintended experiment in human behavior. Many visitors eagerly participated, while others dismissed the opportunity as insignificant and missed the chance to get rich. What did it take to succeed? Just a spark of curiosity and a bit of faith to become a part of a remarkable story. 


#bitcoin #captcha

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