First Bitcoin Transaction Celebrates its 15th Anniversary
Fifteen years ago, on January 12, 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin known under a pseudonym, carried out the first transaction of the digital currency.
He sent 10 BTC to Hal Finney, a well-known cryptographer who had worked for years at PGP Corporation developing encryption products. Finney was also known for being a pioneer of the anonymous remailer and a member of the early cypherpunk mailing list.
Nearly six months before his passing in August 2014, Finney shared his first experience with what would become known as the “digital gold” of Bitcoin.
“When Satoshi released the software, I immediately got involved. I believe I was the first person, other than Satoshi, to launch Bitcoin. I mined around 70 blocks and became the first recipient of a Bitcoin transaction.”
Finney played a significant role in the history and development of digital gold. He was also one of the first individuals to make predictions about the future value of Bitcoin.
Based on his estimates of the total global household wealth of around $100-300 trillion, Finney believed that the value of one BTC would eventually reach approximately $10 million.
