Bitcoin community marks anniversary of Hal Finney's 'Running Bitcoin' post

The Bitcoin community is marking the anniversary of Hal Finney’s January 10, 2009 post saying he was "running the Bitcoin node software," a message now recalled alongside Finney’s role as the recipient of the network’s first Bitcoin transaction.

Finney, born May 4, 1956, pursued a career in computer science and cryptography and was among the first to respond to Satoshi Nakamoto’s Bitcoin whitepaper. Satoshi sent Finney 10 BTC, a sum the article says is valued at over $900,500 at today’s prices.

The first transaction and Finney’s early correspondence with Nakamoto have fuelled ongoing speculation that he might be Satoshi. Finney died in 2014 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at age 58, and his 2009 post is described as a core piece of Bitcoin lore marking the network’s earliest phase.

Debate over Nakamoto’s identity continued after HBO’s 2024 documentary series Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, which claimed to have discovered Nakamoto’s identity and spurred discussion. Supporters point to Finney’s expertise and his status as the first BTC recipient, while others have raised doubts: Laszlo Hanyecz said Satoshi was not familiar with Mac OS, though Finney and his wife owned Mac OS machines according to a 2010 post, and Jameson Lopp in 2023 presented timing evidence he called decisive in arguing Finney was not Satoshi.

Key Topics

Crypto, Hal Finney, Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, Money Electric, Als