It was one of the most-significant events in U.S. history, and it all began with a water-powered sawmill. In 1848 Swiss immigrant John Sutter was building the structure along the American River in Coloma, California. On January 24, his carpenter, James W. Marshall, found something that made his “heart thump”—flakes of #gold in a streambed. The two men hoped to keep the discovery a secret, but word soon began to spread.

When will the #Bitcoin fever start, or has it started yet?