Benzinga - Leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) has surged in price in 2024, hitting new all-time highs and passing the $70,000 level in March.
Investors who bought Bitcoin over the years have been rewarded, especially those who bought when the leading cryptocurrency wasn't a huge trending topic. Here's a look back at the first time Bitcoin was mentioned on mainstream television and how much an investment at the time would be worth today.
What Happened: Bitcoin has found itself mentioned in more television shows and movies over the years, including episodes of "South Park," "Silicon Valley," "The Big Bang Theory," the game show "Jeopardy!" and "The Simpsons."
While "The Simpsons" has come to be known for predicting future events and being ahead of the curve, its Dec. 8, 2013, episode that mentioned Bitcoin was not the first mainstream television moment for the leading cryptocurrency.
Instead, it was a 2012 episode of "The Good Wife" that is credited with having the first mainstream mention of Bitcoin.
The episode called "Bitcoin for Dummies" aired on Jan. 15, 2012, on CBS, a unit of Paramount Global (NASDAQ:PARA)(NASDAQ:PARAA).
"Alicia (Julianna Margulies) defends a man who claims to represent the person who created a new online currency against the Treasury Department," the episode's IMDB summary reads.
Jason Biggs guest-starred as Dylan Stack in the episode.
In a scene in Alicia's office, Dylan complains of how long it took a bank to get a cashier's check and change "dollar bills into another piece of paper."
"I went online and I bought one Bitcoin last night," Alicia answers back.
"It's the future," Dylan says.
"Doesn't feel real," Alicia says.
"Real's gonna change, just watch," Dylan says.
Many have praised the show, which aired on CBS from 2009 to 2016, for being ahead of the times and recognizing the power of Bitcoin and how it can be a competitor to traditional banking.
Investors who bought Bitcoin at the time the show aired are likely praising the show for their strong returns over the last 12 years as well.
Related Link: If You Bought $1 Worth Of Bitcoin At Launch, Here’s How Much You’d Have Today
Investing $100 In Bitcoin: At the time the episode of "The Good Wife" aired, Bitcoin was trading at $3.41 according to Documenting Bitcoin on Twitter.
A $100 purchase at the time could have bought 29.3255 BTC.
The $100 investment would be worth $2,139,695.22 today based on a price of $72,963.64 for Bitcoin at the time of writing.
Who knew that watching television could make you a millionaire?
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