Holidays are, obviously, something to look forward to. And aside from the official ones, people around the world have created more, from the serious (National Poultry Day, Astronomy Day), to the middling (No Socks Day, Lost and Found Day), to the downright weird (Annoy Squidward Day, Plan Your Epitaph Day).
For cryptocurrency enthusiasts, there are holidays dedicated to Bitcoin. Today, May 22, is Bitcoin Pizza Day, which marks the day in 2010 when a man from Florida, Laszlo Hanyecz, agreed to pay 10,000 Bitcoin for the delivery of two Papa John’s pizzas.
At that time, those Bitcoins were worth about $41. And though Mr Hanyecz never regretted his decision – it was “incredibly cool” to trade them for pizzas, he said – that amount is now worth, as of Wednesday’s price, more than $1 billion. Ouch.
Bitcoin Pizza Day is one holiday out of dozens dedicated to the cryptocurrency in a year, with websites dedicated to them. Here, we picked out some of the most interesting ones from each month. We reckon these are more of milestones than holidays, since, apparently, it's work as usual.
Also today, Bitcoin surpassed $110,000 for the first time, heading towards another record high. The cryptocurrency climbed as much as 2.2 per cent in early Asian trading on Thursday to hit $110,707, before paring gains, according to Bloomberg.
January 19, 2019: Lightning Torch Day
January is quite eventful for Bitcoin: creator Satoshi Nakamoto – the name used by the unknown person or group behind the currency – started Bitcoin's ledger on January 3 and the crypto was released on January 9, but Lightning Torch Day was on January 19.
On that day, a Twitter user, hodlonaut, began a promotional test of the payment protocol Lightning Network by sending 100,000 satoshis (the smallest unit of the currency, worth about 0.001 Bitcoin) to a trusted recipient. As part of the test, each recipient was asked to add 10,000 satoshis – $0.34 at the time – to send to the next trusted recipient.
That “lightning torch” payment chain reached notable personalities including Lightning Labs boss Elizabeth Stark, Litecoin creator Charlie Lee, Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey and then-Binance chief Changpeng Zhao.
February 19, 2021: Trillion-Dollar Day
This was the day that Bitcoin's market capitalisation hit the $1 trillion mark, a remarkable achievement for the highly volatile, pessimism-inducing asset. That has only grown exponentially since: as of Thursday, its market cap is sitting at more than $2.21 trillion.
There's also another pizza day in this month – eight years after his first pizza Bitcoin purchase, Mr Hanyecz was back at it with the first real-world Bitcoin purchase, this time over the Lightning Network.
March 3, 2017: Gold Parity Day
The date Bitcoin's price caught up to the price of gold, with both at about $1,200 is known as Gold Parity Day.
Bitcoin – and crypto in general – are being touted as the next safe-haven asset after gold, which is a famous hedge against inflation and economic volatility. Since this day, gold, at its recent peak, has tripled in value, while Bitcoin has rocketed nearly 8,500 per cent.
Also worth noting in this month is April 28, when Bitcoin's market cap crossed the billion-dollar mark.
April 23, 2011: Satoshi Nakamoto disappears (and his birthday)
Satoshi Nakamoto – the pseudonymous creator of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency Bitcoin – sent out a final private post to Bitcoin developer Mike Hearn that said the token was “in good hands”, and that he/she/they has/have moved on to other endeavours, four months after he/she/they were last seen online.
Satoshi Nakamoto's birthday was also in this month, on April 5, 1975, according his/her/their P2P Foundation profile.
May 2, 2013: Bitcoin ATM Day
The very first Bitcoin automated teller machine was installed at Waves, a coffee shop in Vancouver, Canada. It had a built-in palm scanner, which was designed to prevent users from processing more than C$3,000 in a day.
Europe got its first Bitcoin ATM in December 2013, while the US waited until February 2014.
As of May, there are 38,299 Bitcoin ATMs around the world, according to Statista Research.
June 9, 2021: 'Bitcoin Legalised in El Salvador Day'
El Salvador's parliament voted to make Bitcoin legal tender in the Central American nation, marking a significant milestone. Its first real-world use would come 90 days later on September 7.
The only other country where the cryptocurrency is legal tender is the Central African Republic, where it was approved in 2022. Making crypto legal tender is difficult, given all the uncertainty and scepticism.
The country most likely legalise Bitcoin next is Paraguay, according to a poll on CoinMarketCap. The UAE, in that same study, is listed as the ninth most likely.
July 9, 2016: The second halve
On this day, the second Bitcoin halving happened. Halving involves a change in the token’s underlying blockchain technology that is designed to reduce the rate at which new Bitcoins are created. The block reward dropped from 25 Bitcoin to 12.5 Bitcoin per block.
Halving – which takes place every four years – has long been touted as a positive catalyst for cryptocurrency prices since it reduces supply of new tokens from the blockchain.
The third halving happened on March 14, 2024; the fourth is expected in 2028.
August 1, 2017: Bitcoin Independence Day
August 1, 2017, marked the end of the Blocksize Wars, which was a technical debate on the scaling of the Bitcoin blockchain.
It was a heated argument on several issues, including on who should control the Bitcoin protocol, how much value should be decentralised and the longer-term plan for the Bitcoin market.
The endgame came when Bitcoin users “demonstrated their independence from miner control” by deploying a software upgrade that bypassed miners who were not co-operating, essentially sending a message that users, not miners or companies, controlled Bitcoin rules.
September 2, 2014: Opendime makes its debut
This day marked the launch of Opendime, a Bitcoin bearer instrument.
According to Investopedia, a bearer instrument, or bearer bond, is a type of fixed-income security issued in physical form to the purchaser in which no ownership information is recorded.
Or, as capital markets firm CoinShares explains, whoever controls the private keys assigned to the coins is the effective owner of the Bitcoin.
October 31, 2008: Bitcoin Whitepaper Day
This is the day Satoshi Nakamoto revealed the Bitcoin whitepaper to the world through a cryptography mailing list.
In it, Satoshi Nakamoto touted Bitcoin's “several important properties”, pointing out that double-spending is prevented by peer-to-peer networks; that it has no mint or other trusted parties; that participants can be anonymous; and several other technical aspects that boiled down to the ultimate point: cryptocurrencies are safer than traditional forms of finance.
It was probably the ultimate successful pitch, considering how crypto proponents ran with it and the market exploded.
November 28, 2013: Haters in Disbelief Day
The day Bitcoin broke the $1,000 mark – confounding the critics as it was a feat that, at the time, wasn't thought possible.
Now, with Bitcoin having breezed past $100,000, we wonder where all the haters are (there are no statistics for Bitcoin converts).
December 13, 2010: La Fuga – Satoshi Nakamoto signs off
This was the day Satoshi Nakamoto marked his/her/their final online appearance, last being active at 4.45pm ET, a day after the Bitcoin creator sent a final public message.
This further fuelled speculation on Satoshi Nakamoto's true identity; there are also a number of others who are suspected to be the creator of Bitcoin. One thing is certain: when that identity is revealed, it will be on this list.
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES
June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24
July 8: New Zealand v Lions
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Fiorentina v Torino (8pm)
Hellas Verona v Roma (10.45pm)
Sunday
Parma v Napoli (2.30pm)
Genoa v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (8pm)
Juventus v Sampdoria (10.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Bologna (10.45om)
Playing September 30
Benevento v Inter Milan (8pm)
Udinese v Spezia (8pm)
Lazio v Atalanta (10.45pm)
MO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreators%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Ramy%20Youssef%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Amer%2C%20Teresa%20Ruiz%2C%20Omar%20Elba%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
MATCH INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)
