Bitcoin Life

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The Story of Bitcoin
No one knows who Satoshi Nakamoto is. It could be a man, a woman or even a group of people. Satoshi Nakamoto only ever spoke on crypto forums and through emails.

In late 2008, Nakamoto published the Bitcoin whitepaper. This was a description of what Bitcoin is and how it works. It became the model for how other cryptocurrencies were designed in the future.

On January 12, 2009, Satoshi Nakamoto made the first Bitcoin transaction. They sent 10 BTC to a coder named Hal Finney. By 2011, Satoshi Nakamoto was gone. What they left behind was the world’s first cryptocurrency.

Bitcoin became more popular amongst users who saw how important it could become. In April 2011, one Bitcoin was worth one US Dollar (USD).

By December 2017, one Bitcoin was worth more than twenty thousand US Dollars! Today, the price of a single Bitcoin is 7,576.24 US Dollars. Which is still a pretty good return, right?

INTERESTING FACT
In 2010, a programmer bought two pizzas for 10,000 BTC in one of the first real-world bitcoin transactions. Today, 10,000 BTC is equal to roughly $38.1 million - a big price to pay for satisfying hunger pangs.

2 pizzas exchanged to 10000 Bitcoins
So, Bitcoin has succeeded where other digital cash systems failed. But why? What is cryptocurrency doing differently? The thing that makes cryptocurrency different from fiat currencies and other attempts at digital cash is blockchain technology. Let’s find out how it works…

What is Blockchain?
All cryptocurrencies use distributed ledger technology (DLT) to remove third parties from their systems. DLTs are shared databases where transaction information is recorded. The DLT that most cryptocurrencies use is called blockchain technology. The first blockchain was designed by Satoshi Nakamoto for Bitcoin.

A blockchain is a database of every transaction that has ever happened using a particular cryptocurrency. Groups of information called blocks are added to the database one by one and form a very long list. So, a blockchain is a linear chain of blocks! Once information is added to the blockchain, it can’t be deleted or changed. It stays on the blockchain forever and everyone can see it.

The whole database is stored on a network of thousands of computers called nodes. New information can only be added to the blockchain if more than half of the nodes agree that it is valid and correct. This is called consensus. The idea of consensus is one of the big differences between cryptocurrency and normal banking.

At a normal bank, transaction data is stored inside the bank. Bank staff makes sure that no invalid transactions are made. This is called verification. Let’s use an example;

George owes 10 USD to both Michael and Jackson. Unfortunately, George only has 10 USD in his account. He decides to try to send 10 USD to Michael and 10 USD to Jackson at the same time. The bank’s staff notice that George is trying to send money that he doesn’t have. They stop the transaction from happening.

The bank stopped George from double spending which is a kind of fraud. Banks spend millions of dollars to stop double spending from happening. What is cryptocurrency doing about double spending and how do cryptocurrencies verify transactions? Remember, they don’t have stuff as the bank does!

How Does Blockchain Work?
How does blockchain network work

Cryptocurrency transactions are verified in a process called mining. So, what is cryptocurrency mining and how does it work?