|
|
| Line 17: |
Line 17: |
| | | | |
| | ==History== | | ==History== |
| − | {{main|History}}
| |
| | | | |
| − | A cryptographic system for untraceable payments was first described by David Chaum in 1982.<ref>[http://blog.koehntopp.de/uploads/Chaum.BlindSigForPayment.1982.PDF David Chaum, Blind signatures for untraceable payments], Advances in Cryptology - Crypto '82, Springer-Verlag (1983), 199–203.</ref> In 1990 Chaum extended this system to create the first cryptographic anonymous electronic cash system.,<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Lecture Notes in Computer Science|last1=Chaum|first1=David|last2=Fiat|first2=Amos|last3=Naor|first3=Moni|title=Untraceable Electronic Cash|url=http://blog.koehntopp.de/uploads/chaum_fiat_naor_ecash.pdf}}</ref> which became known as ecash.
| + | In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto published the [https://bitcoinsv.io/bitcoin.pdf the Bitcoin white paper] on The Cryptography Mailing List at metzdowd.com ([https://www.mail-archive.com/search?l=cryptography@metzdowd.com&q=from:%22Satoshi+Nakamoto%22 Satoshi's posts]) describing the Bitcoin protocol. |
| − | <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/2.12/emoney.html|publisher=Wired|title=E-Money (That's What I Want)|date=1994–2012|author=Steven Levy}}</ref> In 1998 [[Wei Dai]] published a description of an anonymous, distributed electronic cash system which he called "b-money".<ref>{{cite web|title=B-Money|url=http://www.weidai.com/bmoney.txt|author=Wei Dai|year=1998}}</ref> Around the same time, Nick Szabo created ''bit gold''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/computing/software/bitcoin-the-cryptoanarchists-answer-to-cash/0|title=Bitcoin: The Cryptoanarchists’ Answer to Cash|publisher=IEEE Spectrum|quote=Around the same time, Nick Szabo, a computer scientist who now blogs about law and the history of money, was one of the first to imagine a new digital currency from the ground up. Although many consider his scheme, which he calls “bit gold,” to be a precursor to Bitcoin}}</ref><ref name="bitgold">{{cite web|title=Bit gold|url=https://unenumerated.blogspot.co.uk/2005/12/bit-gold.html|author=Nick Szabo|quote=My proposal for bit gold is based on computing a string of bits from a string of challenge bits, using functions called variously "client puzzle function," "proof of work function," or "secure benchmark function.". The resulting string of bits is the proof of work.... The last-created string of bit gold provides the challenge bits for the next-created string.}}</ref> Like Bitcoin, ''Bit gold'' was a currency system where users would compete to solve a [[proof of work]] function, with solutions being cryptographically chained together and published via a distributed property title registry. A variant of ''Bit gold'', called ''Reusable Proofs of Work'', was implemented by Hal Finney.<ref name="bitgold"/>
| |
| | | | |
| − | In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto published a [[Bitcoin_white_paper|paper]]<ref name="whitepaper">{{cite web | + | In 2009, the Bitcoin network came into existence on the 3rd of January with the release of the first Bitcoin client, wxBitcoin, and the issuance of the first Bitcoins. Satoshi included a message in the [https://whatsonchain.com/block/000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26f first block] via the coinbase transaction: "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks". |
| − | |last= Nakamoto
| |
| − | |first= Satoshi
| |
| − | |title= Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System
| |
| − | |url= http://www.cs.kent.edu/~JAVED/class-P2P12F/papers-2012/PAPER2012-p2p-bitcoin-satoshinakamoto.pdf
| |
| − | |accessdate = 14 December 2010
| |
| − | |date= 24 May 2009
| |
| − | |postscript=
| |
| − | }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| |
| − | |url= https://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.encryption.general/12588/
| |
| − | |title= Bitcoin P2P e-cash paper
| |
| − | }}</ref> on The Cryptography Mailing list at metzdowd.com<ref>[https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]&q=from:%22Satoshi+Nakamoto%22 Satoshi's posts to Cryptography mailing list]</ref> describing the Bitcoin protocol. | |
| | | | |
| − | The Bitcoin network came into existence on 3 January 2009 with the release of the first Bitcoin client, [[wxBitcoin]], and the issuance of the first Bitcoins.<ref>{{cite web |title=Block 0 – Bitcoin Block Explorer |url=https://blockexplorer.com/block/000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26f }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg10142.html |title=Bitcoin v0.1 released}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://sourceforge.net/news/?group_id=244765 |title=SourceForge.net: Bitcoin}}</ref> | + | In 2010, the initial exchange rates for Bitcoin were set by individuals on the bitcointalk forums. In May, Laszlo Hanyecz purchased two pizzas with 10,000 bitcoins. |
| − | A year after, the initial exchange rates for Bitcoin were set by individuals on the bitcointalk forums.{{Citation needed|date=October 2012}} The most significant transaction involved a 10,000 BTC pizza.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin|url=https://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/mf_bitcoin/|publisher=Wired|accessdate=13 October 2012}}</ref>
| |
| − | Today, the majority of Bitcoin exchanges occur on the [[Bitstamp]] Bitcoin exchange.<ref>{{cite web | title = Exchange volume distribution | work = by market | publisher = [[Bitcoin Charts]] | date = April 15, 2014 | url = https://bitcoincharts.com/charts/volumepie/ | accessdate = 2014-04-15 }}</ref>
| |
| | | | |
| − | In 2011, Wikileaks,<ref>{{cite news | + | In 2012, [https://www.americanbanker.com/news/bitpay-signs-1-000-merchants-to-accept-bitcoin-payments BitPay] reports of having over 1000 merchants accepting Bitcoin under its payment processing service. |
| − | |last= Greenberg
| |
| − | |first= Andy
| |
| − | |url= http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2011/06/14/wikileaks-asks-for-anonymous-bitcoin-donations/
| |
| − | |title= WikiLeaks Asks For Anonymous Bitcoin Donations – Andy Greenberg – The Firewall – Forbes
| |
| − | |publisher= Blogs.forbes.com
| |
| − | |date= 2011-06-14
| |
| − | |accessdate = 2011-06-22
| |
| − | }}</ref> [[Freenet]],<ref>{{cite web
| |
| − | |url= https://freenetproject.org/donate.html
| |
| − | |title= /donate
| |
| − | |publisher= The Freenet Project
| |
| − | |date=
| |
| − | |accessdate = 2011-06-22
| |
| − | }}</ref> Singularity Institute,<ref>[http://singinst.org/donate/ SIAI donation page]</ref> Internet Archive,<ref>[https://www.archive.org/donate/index.php Internet Archive donation page]</ref> Free Software Foundation<ref>[https://my.fsf.org/donate/other/ Other ways to donate]</ref> and others, began [[Receiving_donations_with_bitcoin|to accept donations in Bitcoin]]. The Electronic Frontier Foundation did so for a while but has since stopped, citing concerns about a lack of legal precedent about new currency systems, and because they "generally don't endorse any type of product or service."<ref>{{cite web
| |
| − | |url= https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/06/eff-and-bitcoin
| |
| − | |title= EFF and Bitcoin | Electronic Frontier Foundation
| |
| − | |publisher= Eff.org
| |
| − | |date= 2011-06-14
| |
| − | |accessdate = 2011-06-22
| |
| − | }}</ref> Some small businesses had started to adopt Bitcoin. LaCie, a public company, accepts Bitcoin for its Wuala service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wuala.com/en/bitcoin |title=Secure Online Storage – Backup. Sync. Share. Access Everywhere |publisher=Wuala |date= |accessdate = 2012-01-24}}</ref>
| |
| | | | |
| − | In 2012, BitPay reports of having over 1000 merchants accepting Bitcoin under its payment processing service.<ref>{{cite web|title=BitPay Signs 1,000 Merchants to Accept Bitcoin Payments|url=http://www.americanbanker.com/issues/177_176/bitpay-signs-1000-merchants-to-accept-bitcoin-payments-1052538-1.html|publisher=American Banker|accessdate=12 October 2012}}</ref> | + | In 2014, a criminal platform, “Silk Road”, which used Bitcoin was shut down completely. It showed that after all, Bitcoin is not a place for criminals. |
| | + | |
| | + | In 2017, in order to be able to scale Bitcoin and avoid radical changes, Bitcoin is hard forked to Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Core. In December, the price of Bitcoin reached almost $20,000 per bitcoin. The pizzas purchased in 2010 would be valued at $200 millions. |
| | + | |
| | + | In 2018, in order to scale further and avoid unnecessary changes to the Bitcoin original protocol, Bitcoin Cash is hard forked again to Bitcoin Cash ABC and Bitcoin SV (Satoshi Vision). |
| | + | |
| | + | In 2020, Bitcoin SV delivered the Genesis upgrade that returned Bitcoin to its original protocol, and removed all the limits that were put on the protocol by developers. The power is handed over from developers to miners. |
DISCLAIMER
This article is a an extract from the original https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Bitcoin and has not been checked for correctness or edited.
- Date: 25 September 2019
- Final reviews must be conducted by: 15 October 2019
Review:
May need to be completely dumped
Has anyone read Michael Hudson's new book? He's giving it away for free. Maybe we can incorporate it if it's well written.
Need to either remove references to or add in templates
History ends at 2012 (might need to copy more stuff across from 'what is bitcoin' page
History
In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto published the the Bitcoin white paper on The Cryptography Mailing List at metzdowd.com (Satoshi's posts) describing the Bitcoin protocol.
In 2009, the Bitcoin network came into existence on the 3rd of January with the release of the first Bitcoin client, wxBitcoin, and the issuance of the first Bitcoins. Satoshi included a message in the first block via the coinbase transaction: "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks".
In 2010, the initial exchange rates for Bitcoin were set by individuals on the bitcointalk forums. In May, Laszlo Hanyecz purchased two pizzas with 10,000 bitcoins.
In 2012, BitPay reports of having over 1000 merchants accepting Bitcoin under its payment processing service.
In 2014, a criminal platform, “Silk Road”, which used Bitcoin was shut down completely. It showed that after all, Bitcoin is not a place for criminals.
In 2017, in order to be able to scale Bitcoin and avoid radical changes, Bitcoin is hard forked to Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Core. In December, the price of Bitcoin reached almost $20,000 per bitcoin. The pizzas purchased in 2010 would be valued at $200 millions.
In 2018, in order to scale further and avoid unnecessary changes to the Bitcoin original protocol, Bitcoin Cash is hard forked again to Bitcoin Cash ABC and Bitcoin SV (Satoshi Vision).
In 2020, Bitcoin SV delivered the Genesis upgrade that returned Bitcoin to its original protocol, and removed all the limits that were put on the protocol by developers. The power is handed over from developers to miners.