The Teenage Guide to Cryptocurrency
The Teenage Guide to Cryptocurrency provides readers with an accessible history of cryptocurrencies’ tumultuous odyssey. It sheds light on the historical currents that propelled this digital phenomenon, the economic virtues that fueled its meteoric rise, and the potential reverberations it holds for the economic, political, and social landscapes.
Bitcoin, the progenitor of all cryptocurrencies, was released as open-source software in 2009. By the mid-year of 2023, there were over 25,000 cryptocurrencies, among which more than forty boasted a market capitalization surpassing the billion-dollar threshold. Despite their revolutionary promise, these digital currencies have not been strangers to the darker alleys of human enterprise, entangled at times in criminal endeavors and ensnared in frauds of staggering proportions.
At the heart of the cryptocurrency saga lies an age-old conundrum—the quest to transmute value across time and space. This short book takes the reader through a riveting chronicle of monetary evolution, from the barter of primeval tokens like limestones and seashells to the advent of metals, coins, the gold standard, and the intricate web of modern government debt. Our journey through time illuminates the essence of money and its influence on individual ambition, societal progress, trade, peace, culture, and the arts. The ascent of cryptocurrencies is not merely a technological leap but a chapter in the enduring saga of humanity’s pursuit of economic sovereignty and societal flourishing.