The 5 Weirdest Crypto Stories of 2021. It has been a year of adventure for some blockchain enthusiasts and stakeholders.
New Years Special
In 2021, crypto market cap shot 286% year over year, lifting the $ 2.17 trillion industry into the stratosphere.
However, with this massive wealth accumulation comes an explosion of strange stories across the field. From the suspicious deaths of multiple crypto evangelists and crypto scams involving hacked Twitter accounts by heads of state to sponsored NFT sales by celebrities that were many bombed at auction, 2021 is indeed a wild year for crypto cyberspace . Without further ado, let’s take a look at the weirdest stories that have captivated blockchain enthusiasts this year.
No. 1. The death of John McAfee
On June 23, John McAfee, crypto evangelist and eponymous founder of the anti-virus software company McAfee, was found dead in his cell in Spain during a suicide attempt – apparently by hanging. The United States, one of the few countries with a nationality tax system – that is, Americans are taxed on their worldwide income regardless of their country of residence – tried to graduate McAfee because they failed to pay its income taxes. Profits from 2014 to 2018 and reportedly reported no income for its crypto projects. McAfee was arrested in Spain pending US charges of tax evasion. In 2018, McAfee allegedly charged $ 105,000 per tweet to promote Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) on social media.
Today is John’s 76th birthday. As we continue to wait for news from the court, I would like to share some of my fondest memories of John. In honor of John, you can have any photos you may have taken or share with him by yourself #JohnMcAfeeDidNotKillHimself & #JusticeForJohnMcAfee. pic.twitter.com/5iEQCTi7zx
– Janice McAfee (@theemrsmcafee) September 18, 2021
# 2. Prime Minister of India appears to be tweeting about a BTC scam
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Twitter account was hacked again in December, with scammers claiming India had accepted BTC as its national currency and made 500 BTC available for immediate distribution. The public and Modi’s 73.4 million followers were able to see the short tweet before it was removed. Last year, a cybercriminal group called “John Wick” hacked the Prime Minister’s Twitter account and posted a notice urging his followers to donate cryptocurrency.
There are several theories as to why Modi became the target of these Bitcoin scam hacks. One motive could be revenge for the ongoing Bitcoin scandal in the Indian state of Karnataka. According to Indian media reports, Karnataka police and government officials reportedly received BTC 12,900 in bribes from hacker Srikrishna Ramesh, who was arrested in previous years for hacking three cryptocurrency exchanges and websites. When Prime Minister Karnataka asked Basavaraj Bommai about the matter during his November meeting with Modi, the Prime Minister allegedly denied the matter. India is currently facing a turbulent regulatory environment regarding the state of cryptocurrencies in the country.
Narendra Modi’s deleted bitcoin tweet | Source: India Today / Twitter
No. 3. Constitutional “Reverse Uno” -DAO
Back in November, a group of private investors formed a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) with the intention of pooling funds to acquire the final privately held first edition of the U.S. law at a public auction organized by Sotheby’s. The Constitution DAO raised $ 49 million through ether (ETH) donations from 17,437 attendees. On the day of the auction, however, Ken Griffin, CEO of Citadel, which owns the hedge fund, emptied the Gamestop stock to the displeasure of many retail investors who promoted the stock.
ConstitutionDAO dissolved shortly afterwards and reimbursed the parties involved. While “proletarian” investors only have their chains to lose, it is clear that “bourgeois” investors are not so easily tied up.
with brake,
We have just sent out the final round of refunds to those who contributed directly to the juice dispenser after the auction. If, after the auction and before our announced closing date on December 6th, you have made a contribution, you will receive your reimbursement now. https://t.co/g7u2ENSoYE
– ConstitutionDAO (,) (@ConstitutionDAO) December 11, 2021
No. 4. Elon, Tesla and Bitcoin
Cryptocurrencies have had a wild roller coaster ride this year, possibly due in part to Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Promote digital meme currencies like Dogecoin (DOGE) and other than that, Musk’s indecisive approach to Tesla’s introduction of Bitcoin made and wiped out many fortunes.
In March, Musk roused investors after announcing that Tesla would accept BTC as payment to consumers for the purchase of their electric cars. Two months later, the bullish momentum reversed and became a full market trend after Musk abandoned the plan, citing environmental concerns with network mining. Then in October, Tesla announced that it would reconsider the inclusion of BTC as a payment method. For all of this, however, Musk is better known as the ace that leads retail investors and crypto enthusiasts through the storms of the capital markets. He has just been named Person of the Year by Time Magazine.
Tesla and Bitcoin pic.twitter.com/YSswJmVZhP
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 12, 2021
No. 5. Tupac Shakur’s Unsold NFT
For 29 years, the former hip-hop journalist Lawrence “Loupy D” Dotson kept a series of photos by the famous rapper Tupac Shakur. The photos were taken at the release party of the rapper’s debut album “2Pacalypse Now” in 1992 and announced as an indelible token (NFT) at a public auction in November of that year. In an interview with Cointelegraph, Loupy D said, “I also go to photo exhibitions, museums, in all kinds of ways. NFT isn’t just about the asset itself, it’s the story behind it. I knew I had to get my story out there. ”
The OpenSea auction has already received a lot of media coverage, including from RollingStone and Fortune.com. The auction continued for a week. However, not a single one of the 18 Tupac Photo NFTs was sold out. To his dismay, Loupy D removed her from the platform and opened her up for private investigations. However, to be fair, the photographer may have asked too much as each NFT piece has a minimum bid of 25 ETH ($ 100,000). Earlier this year, another artist asked for 200 ETH (then $ 1 million) for a photo of Tupac Shakur that was taken 14 days before his death during a drive-by photo shoot. That NFT was not sold despite the price drop to 10 ETH. Is it just too much to ask, or has Tupac’s popularity waned? You are the judge.
Rub, #tupac #nfts not auctioned #open seabut as they say #tmc
Click the link in the profile for more information. https://t.co/QvPaMbDawQ pic.twitter.com/p8mc2MRSlc– Loupy D (@loupyd) November 30, 2021