Bitcoin started as a paper authored by bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, titled: “A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” (2008). In it, Satoshi – whose real identity remains unknown at the time of writing in October 2017 – details a system for decentralizing the financial sector, with the aim of giving power back to the people via an entirely digital transaction system (which would later become known as the blockchain). In January 2009, the first block was mined by Satoshi for 50 bitcoin. While still directly involved in the development of bitcoin, Satoshi is rumored to have mined nearly 1 million bitcoin, an amount that would, just eight years later, be worth upwards of $5.8 billion.
How does bitcoin work?
Before getting started using bitcoin, it’s important to understand how the technology works and the reasoning behind it. This will not only save you a few headaches in the long run, but it will give you a greater appreciation of what’s going on behind the scenes.
The Blockchain
Satoshi’s vision for bitcoin began from a very simple concept: We don’t need a centralized agency controlling our money (i.e. the central bank). To accomplish this, bitcoin needs to be maintained by the people using the cryptocurrency, and it does so by using a public ledger, more commonly known as the blockchain. Understanding the blockchain will help you understand the finer points of the currency.
Imagine three people: Alice, Bob and Charlie. They often have to pay money to each other, but to avoid having to make a payment every time they need to, they decide to start keeping a ledger of money owed. At the end of the month, they work out who is owed what and pay them. To avoid having to trust each other with this ledger, they bring on Daryl, a third party who’s been entrusted with maintaining the ledger’s integrity. The ledger might look something like this:
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