Today marks the tenth anniversary of the passing of Hal Finney, a renowned cryptographer and computer scientist who played a pivotal role in the early days of bitcoin. Finney, who passed away in 2014 due to complications from ALS, is recognized for his profound contributions to bitcoin and his insight into the future potential of this nascent technology.
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Today is the 10th anniversary of the passing of Hal Finney.
Finney was the recipient of the first bitcoin transaction in history, receiving 10 twitter.com/hashtag/btc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#btc by Satoshi Nakamoto.
Today we are all running twitter.com/hashtag/bitcoin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#bitcoin image.twitter.com/iRxgwQVNR7
— bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1828803647884632282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 28, 2024
Early in his career, Finney worked as a video game developer before joining PGP Corporation, where he worked on one of the first public-key cryptography programs. His interest in digital privacy led him to the cypherpunks mailing list, where he collaborated with other pioneers in the field. In 2004, Finney created the world's first reusable proof-of-work (RPOW) system, a precursor to the proof-of-work consensus mechanism that underpins bitcoin.
Finney is perhaps best known for his early involvement in bitcoin, however. As one of the first to recognize the revolutionary potential of Satoshi Nakamoto's creation, Finney became an active participant in the project. He is famous for having received the first bitcoin transaction from Nakamoto himself and for having contributed to the development of the protocol. His 2009 tweet, “Running bitcoin,” remains an iconic moment in bitcoin history.
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14 years ago today, cryptographer Hal Finney made the first… twitter.com/hashtag/bitcoin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#bitcoin tweet sometime
Rest in peace Hal image.twitter.com/zsCsKEiGnO
— bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1612775620689408006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 10, 2023
Despite being diagnosed with ALS in 2009, Finney continued to contribute to bitcoin, using eye-tracking software to code even as the disease progressed. His resilience and dedication have left an indelible mark on the world and those interested in bitcoin. “Today I am essentially paralyzed. I am fed through a tube and my breathing is assisted by another tube,” Finney posted on the bitcoin website. bitcoin Discussion Forum March 19, 2013. “It’s been a change, but my life isn’t that bad… I still love programming and it gives me goals… I feel comfortable with my legacy.”
As the community reflects on his legacy, here is one of the only known recorded videos of Finney speaking at the crypto 98 conference, discussing zero-knowledge proofs and shedding light on his pioneering work in cryptographic protocols.
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New video of twitter.com/hashtag/bitcoin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#bitcoin Pioneer Hal Finney unearths a 25-year-old talk about zero-knowledge cryptocurrencies
The first time I heard him speak image.twitter.com/SkGrnae81L
— The bitcoin Historian (@pete_rizzo_) twitter.com/pete_rizzo_/status/1704522067582894293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>September 20, 2023
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