Today, the genesis block, also known as the first bitcoin, was mined by Satoshi Nakamoto 14 years ago. Millions of blocks have been mined into the blockchain by bitcoin miners since the currency's creation. It was created as a substitute for centralized fiat money, which bitcoin is decentralized.
History indicates that the first block was mined almost instantly because it had a difficulty of 1. Unlike the vast majority of Bitcoin blocks today, the genesis block was almost certainly mined by a computer using its central processing unit (CPU).
As of June 2022, there were roughly 19.07 million Bitcoins in use. Accordingly, only 1.92 million Bitcoins are available for mining, and more than 90% of all Bitcoins are already in circulation. According to experts, the last bitcoins will be mined by 2140.
We still have a long way to go before we can completely mine the entire bitcoin blockchain. Despite the controversy, bitcoin is still prevailing and gaining global awareness, with the hope of being accepted globally in the coming years.
https://www.blockchain-council.org/cryptocurrency/how-many-bitcoins-are-left/https://learn.bybit.com/crypto/21-million-bitcoin-limit-mined/Interestingly, the block mining process has changed over the years, moving from the CPU to specialized devices called ASICs.
Bitcoin has also faced criticism regarding its volatility, the environmental sustainability of mining, and regulatory issues. While its future is still evolving, the fact that Bitcoin continues to influence the financial and technological world is undeniable.