Bitcoin has officially entered the Guinness World Records for a number of entries, the first of which is being recognized as the “first decentralized cryptocurrency.”
“Bitcoin was developed as a solution to the challenge of regulating a digital currency without any centralized organization,” reads the entry.
Indeed, Bitcoin does offer decentralized consensus through proof-of-work, as Guinness mentions, though the record keeper does seem to still be learning how Bitcoin works.
“Each node (i.e.,computer) represents a validator, also called, in the case of PoW, a miner,” the entry continues.
However, this depiction of nodes and miners is not accurate. A node does validate transactions, but miners are separate entities that help organize the data held in the blocks on the blockchain. A full node cannot propose new blocks to the blockchain like miners can.
Still yet, it is a notable thing to see so many firsts in the world of Bitcoin to be recognized by Guinness. For instance, a Bitcoiner favorite, the first commercial bitcoin transaction where Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 BTC to order $25 worth of pizza.
Additionally, El Salvador received recognition for being the first nation-state to recognize bitcoin as legal tender. Bitcoin was also recognized as the most valuable cryptocurrency, as well as the oldest.
Furthermore, and contrary to popular belief, Guinness noted that the first non-fungible token (NFT) was created on Bitcoin. In a more light-hearted fashion, an entry was also made for the first bitcoin economy on a Minecraft server, allowing mined resources to be traded for fractions of a bitcoin.
While some entries may have some definitions mixed up or some of the semantics of the Bitcoin ecosystem misinterpreted, it is still interesting to see some of the most notable achievements of Bitcoin being recognized by Guinness.
Shawn Amick
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