Imagine: it's 2010-2011, Bitcoin is a technical curiosity known by a few geeks. One Bitcoin is worth barely a few cents, and mining or buying it is complicated for the general public.
This is where **Gavin Andresen** comes in, an American developer who would later become the chosen successor by Satoshi Nakamoto to maintain the Bitcoin code. To boost adoption, he creates the very first "Bitcoin Faucet": a simple website accessible at **freebitcoins.appspot.com**.
The principle? You enter your Bitcoin address, solve a captcha (to prove you're not a robot), and voila: **5 BTC** credited for free to your wallet. And you could do it every day!
"The famous Bitcoin Faucet by Gavin Andresen in 2010-2011"
Gavin financed the site with his own Bitcoins (he had bought 10,000 for $50!) and donations from the community. In total, he distributed about **19,700 BTC**. At the time, it was worth almost nothing. Today, in December 2025, those 5 BTC per person would represent a small fortune (over âŹ500,000 according to the current rate).
The faucet operated until 2012-2013, with rewards that gradually decreased (down to fractions of BTC) as the price rose.
This initiative allowed thousands of people to discover Bitcoin by actually trying it out. Many lost their private keys or sold too early, but some early hodlers must be smiling today.
A funny anecdote that illustrates the time: no one took it seriously, and many regret not clicking more often!
The Bitcoin Faucet remains a symbol of the innocent and generous beginnings of crypto. Proof that the best opportunities sometimes go unnoticed when they are "too good to be true". đ
Subscribe to Sharing đ„đ
