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Jan 12, 2009 The first Bitcoin transaction
On January 12, 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto sent 10 bitcoins to the cryptographer Hal Finney. It was the first Bitcoin transaction between two people.
- Date
- Jan 12, 2009
- Amount
- 10 BTC
- Block
- 170
What happened
Bitcoin’s software had been released on January 9, and Finney, an early cryptography pioneer, downloaded it the next day and posted a single line on social media: “Running bitcoin.” Two days later he received 10 BTC from Satoshi in block 170.
The transaction proved that the network could move value from one person to another with no bank in between. Finney later became one of the community’s best-remembered early supporters.
Why it mattered
Everything since, from pizza purchases to ETFs, started with one transfer between two people who believed in the idea. More in Bitcoin in 2009.
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