<p>Press inquiries to me really picked up after <a href="http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0509/technology-psilocybin-bitcoins-gavin-andresen-crypto-currency.html" rel="nofollow">the Forbes article</a> came out in the print edition of that magazine. I think that "mainstream press" mention started the publicity avalanche that fueled the bubble, although I'm a pattern-matching monkey like everybody else so take my opinion with a big grain of salt.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-06-15T17:46:56.057Z
2012-06-15T17:46:56.057Z
gavinandresen
<p>There were events that coincided with Bitcoin's rapid ascent, but not necessarily does that mean those events caused the bubble.  </p>

<p>Jason Calacanis' "<a href="http://www.launch.co/blog/l019-bitcoin-p2p-currency-the-most-dangerous-project-weve-ev.html" rel="nofollow">Most dangerous open source project ever</a>" post was one such time where the price spiked at the same time.</p>

<p>Jerry Brito's article raised some good attention and subsequent coverage in Forbes didn't hurt either.</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Press#April" rel="nofollow">http://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Press#April</a></li>
</ul>

<p>The real catalyst that got things started in Spring 2011 though was February's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCzsCmhkjMM" rel="nofollow">Security Now podcast</a> with Steve Gibson.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-11T11:15:50.443Z
A question related to "where the price spiked at the same time": http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/12125/4975
unor
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-05-05T19:13:53.810Z
2012-05-05T19:13:53.810Z
Stephen Gornick
<p>I thought it was "<a href="http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/06/silkroad/" rel="nofollow">Underground Website Lets You Buy Any Drug Imaginable</a>" in <a href="http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/06/silkroad/" rel="nofollow">wired.com</a>'s "<a href="http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/" rel="nofollow">Threat Level</a>" on June 1, 2011 that triggered the bubble.  The bubble really started <a href="http://bitcoincharts.com/charts/mtgoxUSD#ig6-hourzczsg2011-05-25zeg2011-06-12ztgSzm1g10zm2g25" rel="nofollow">just after that date</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-05-06T03:38:28.900Z
That was also my impression. Not a positive spin, but certainly an engaging one.
BinaryMage
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-05-06T03:35:31.413Z
2012-06-13T01:31:11.800Z
2012-06-13T01:31:11.800Z
Chris Moore
<p>they started spamming Bitcoin-threads on 4chan's technology board. then the bitcoin prices started to rise. after the spike no one ever mentioned bitcoins again on 4chan. /job done/</p>

<p>personally i think they reached currency speculators  through 4chan (they also talk about finance, financing options and how much money they make through trading) and as a currency speculator, you know the weak spots of money.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-05-14T12:53:06.133Z
2012-05-14T12:53:06.133Z
davidDavidson
<p>This was a big one that probably didnt start it, but fueled it and kept it going, <a href="http://falkvinge.net/2011/05/29/why-im-putting-all-my-savings-into-bitcoin/" rel="nofollow">http://falkvinge.net/2011/05/29/why-im-putting-all-my-savings-into-bitcoin/</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-05-10T00:48:38.657Z
2012-05-10T00:48:38.657Z
osmosis
<p><a href="http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/03/23/0210207/google-engineer-releases-open-source-bitcoin-client" rel="nofollow">A Slashdotting of BitcoinJ</a> is the first time that I personally saw Bitcoin mentioned anywhere ... and with a Google Engineer behind it.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-05-05T18:40:37.143Z
2012-05-05T18:40:37.143Z
ripper234
<p>As I heard the Bitcoin bubble started around April 2011 due to an article on Bitcoin in some news website. What article started the Bitcoin bubble?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-05-15T05:05:33.600Z
This question is speculative. Fun discussion, but not really answerable.
lemonginger
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-05-15T07:12:22.210Z
@lemonginger When asking this question I thought the answer would be more straightforward...
ThePiachu
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-07-11T11:19:14.377Z
See also (not a duplicate): [Effect of media coverage on the exchange rate?](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/12125/4975)
unor
<history><news-coverage>
What article started the Bitcoin bubble?
ThePiachu
# What article started the Bitcoin bubble?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-05-05)

As I heard the Bitcoin bubble started around April 2011 due to an article on Bitcoin in some news website. What article started the Bitcoin bubble?

**Tags:** history, news-coverage

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: This question is speculative. Fun discussion, but not really answerable.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 When asking this question I thought the answer would be more straightforward...  
> **username_2**: See also (not a duplicate): [Effect of media coverage on the exchange rate?](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/12125/4975)  

---

## 6 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2012-06-15. Score: 3

Press inquiries to me really picked up after [the Forbes article](http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2011/0509/technology-psilocybin-bitcoins-gavin-andresen-crypto-currency.html) came out in the print edition of that magazine. I think that "mainstream press" mention started the publicity avalanche that fueled the bubble, although I'm a pattern-matching monkey like everybody else so take my opinion with a big grain of salt.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2012-05-05. Score: 2

There were events that coincided with Bitcoin's rapid ascent, but not necessarily does that mean those events caused the bubble.

Jason Calacanis' "[Most dangerous open source project ever](http://www.launch.co/blog/l019-bitcoin-p2p-currency-the-most-dangerous-project-weve-ev.html)" post was one such time where the price spiked at the same time.

Jerry Brito's article raised some good attention and subsequent coverage in Forbes didn't hurt either.

* <http://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Press#April>

The real catalyst that got things started in Spring 2011 though was February's [Security Now podcast](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCzsCmhkjMM) with Steve Gibson.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: A question related to "where the price spiked at the same time": http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/12125/4975  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2012-05-06. Score: 1

I thought it was "[Underground Website Lets You Buy Any Drug Imaginable](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/06/silkroad/)" in [wired.com](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/06/silkroad/)'s "[Threat Level](http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/)" on June 1, 2011 that triggered the bubble. The bubble really started [just after that date](http://bitcoincharts.com/charts/mtgoxUSD#ig6-hourzczsg2011-05-25zeg2011-06-12ztgSzm1g10zm2g25).

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: That was also my impression. Not a positive spin, but certainly an engaging one.  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2012-05-14. Score: 1

they started spamming Bitcoin-threads on 4chan's technology board. then the bitcoin prices started to rise. after the spike no one ever mentioned bitcoins again on 4chan. /job done/

personally i think they reached currency speculators through 4chan (they also talk about finance, financing options and how much money they make through trading) and as a currency speculator, you know the weak spots of money.


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2012-05-10. Score: 0

This was a big one that probably didnt start it, but fueled it and kept it going, <http://falkvinge.net/2011/05/29/why-im-putting-all-my-savings-into-bitcoin/>


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2012-05-05. Score: 0

[A Slashdotting of BitcoinJ](http://news.slashdot.org/story/11/03/23/0210207/google-engineer-releases-open-source-bitcoin-client) is the first time that I personally saw Bitcoin mentioned anywhere ... and with a Google Engineer behind it.


---

