I had forgotten about this – in 2014, two MIT students began a project where they gifted .3 BTC (which at the time equlaed $100) to students. Did any or many hodl their Bitcoin?

2014 MIT Bitcoin Giveaway Project: The Holders, Sellers, and Sushi Buyers

“In late October 2014, the two executives commenced the enrollment process. In order to receive the BTC, students had to fill out a questionnaire and review educational materials. They then had to set up their own crypto wallet, which at the time “was hard enough to discourage participation,” Rubin told BeInCrypto.

Despite these small hurdles, 70% of the total students (around 3,108) participated and got $100 worth of BTC when it was trading at $336. This equated to nearly 0.3 BTC each.

When asked about the reception to this project, Rubin asserted, ‘Pretty much everyone was excited to have the chance to get some Bitcoin and experiment with it. We had conferences and hackathons that summer that were very well attended, and the energy on campus was palpable when the actual airdrop was ready. Some people ignored it, of course, but in general, people I talked to were excited about it.’

Rubin included his thoughts on the sentiment at the time:

‘Giving students access to cryptocurrencies is analogous to providing them with internet access at the dawn of the internet era. When the distribution happens this fall, it will make the MIT campus the first place in the world where it will be possible to assume widespread access to Bitcoin.’”

https://beincrypto.com/2014-mit-bitcoin-giveaway-project-holders-sellers-sushi-buyers/