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36 articles
Adam Back
The author of Hashcash, a proof-of-work predecessor explicitly cited in Bitcoin’s white paper.
learn / 2 min readBitcoin Mining and Proof of Work
Miners propose blocks by searching for qualifying hashes. Other nodes check that those blocks obey the rules.
history / 1 min readBitcoin Pizza Day
In May 2010, a public forum offer turned 10,000 bitcoin into two pizzas—and left a record anyone can read.
learn / 2 min readBitcoin Privacy: What the Ledger Reveals
Bitcoin addresses are not names, but a public transaction history can still reveal relationships and activity.
learn / 2 min readBitcoin Transaction Fees
Understand fee rates, virtual bytes, and why a larger payment does not necessarily cost more to send.
learn / 2 min readBitcoin Upgrades, BIPs, and Forks
How proposals, software releases, and consensus changes fit together—and why a BIP number is not a network-wide approval.
history / 2 min readBitcoin’s First Halving
At block 210,000 on November 28, 2012, Bitcoin’s permitted block subsidy fell from 50 BTC to 25 BTC.
learn / 2 min readConfirmations and Reorganizations
What a confirmation count measures, why blocks can be replaced, and why no count guarantees absolute finality.
people / 1 min readGavin Andresen
An early developer whose faucet and published correspondence document Bitcoin’s transition beyond its creator.
people / 2 min readHal Finney
A cryptographer, an early Bitcoin tester, and the recipient of the first transfer described in his own account.
learn / 2 min readHow Bitcoin Multisig Works
A spending policy can require signatures from several keys. Understand a 2-of-3 example and the recovery trade-offs.
learn / 2 min readHow the Bitcoin Blockchain Works
A chain of blocks makes edits detectable. Proof of work and independent validation make agreement on a history possible.
learn / 2 min readHow the Lightning Network Works
Payment channels move repeated updates off the base chain, with a different set of liquidity and operational trade-offs.
people / 1 min readLaszlo Hanyecz
The participant behind a public experiment in exchanging bitcoin for dinner.
people / 2 min readNick Szabo
The writer behind bit gold and early work on smart contracts—two useful starting points for Bitcoin’s intellectual history.
people / 2 min readPieter Wuille
A contributor whose published work includes hierarchical wallets, SegWit, Taproot, and output descriptors.
learn / 2 min readPrivate Keys, Public Keys, and Wallets
A wallet manages the information used to receive and spend bitcoin. The coins themselves remain part of the public transaction record.
learn / 2 min readRecovery Phrases and Wallet Backups
How mnemonic words relate to wallet keys, why passphrases matter, and why some recoveries need additional information.
people / 2 min readSatoshi Nakamoto
The name attached to Bitcoin’s white paper, first software release, and early correspondence.
history / 2 min readSegWit Activation
At block 481,824 in August 2017, new witness rules changed Bitcoin’s transaction format and capacity accounting.
history / 2 min readSilk Road and Bitcoin’s Public Ledger
The marketplace, its 2013 closure, and the distinction between pseudonymous payments and anonymity.
history / 1 min readTaproot Activation
Bitcoin’s November 2021 upgrade introduced new spending paths built around Schnorr signatures and script commitments.
history / 2 min readThe Bitcoin Faucet
In June 2010, Gavin Andresen offered free bitcoin so more people could try the software.
learn / 2 min readThe Bitcoin Halving, Explained
A block-height rule reduces new issuance in steps. Explore the calculation without confusing it with a price forecast.
history / 2 min readThe Bitcoin White Paper
A nine-page proposal, announced on October 31, 2008, set out a peer-to-peer electronic cash system.
history / 2 min readThe Collapse of Mt. Gox
The exchange’s February 2014 failure exposed the gap between a customer balance and control of bitcoin.
history / 2 min readThe First Bitcoin Software Release
On January 8, 2009 UTC, Satoshi announced Bitcoin v0.1: experimental software people could actually run.
history / 1 min readThe First Bitcoin Transfer
A ten-bitcoin test payment, an early collaborator, and the difference between ledger data and personal testimony.
history / 2 min readThe Fourth Bitcoin Halving
At block 840,000 in April 2024, Bitcoin’s permitted block subsidy fell from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC.
history / 2 min readThe Genesis Block
On January 3, 2009, Bitcoin’s first block recorded a newspaper headline. Here is what its data tells us—and what it does not.
history / 2 min readThe March 2013 Chain Split
A database compatibility problem caused Bitcoin software versions to disagree about a block at height 225,430.
history / 2 min readThe U.S. Spot Bitcoin ETP Approvals
On January 10, 2024, the SEC approved exchange rule changes allowing spot bitcoin investment products to list and trade.
people / 1 min readWei Dai
The author of b-money, an earlier digital-money proposal cited in the Bitcoin white paper.
learn / 2 min readWhat Is a Bitcoin Node?
Independent validation is the important part. Keeping every historical block forever is optional.
learn / 2 min readWhat Is a UTXO?
Understand Bitcoin’s transaction model by following one output into a payment, change, and a fee.
learn / 2 min readWhat Is Bitcoin?
A starting point for understanding digital money, a shared transaction history, and the rules that connect them.
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