The Difference between a Bitcoin and a Tulip

Over the festive season, the conversation in my household inevitably turned to the phenomenal rise - and fall - in the US dollar price for Bitcoin during December. The roller-coaster ride of the blockchain-based currency has been front-page news for the mainstream media, where it has been both likened to and disassociated from the boom-and-bust of the infamous 1637 Dutch tulip craze.