In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, as the world reeled from the collapse of banks and the loss of faith in traditional financial institutions, a mysterious figure named Satoshi Nakamoto appeared. No one knew if Satoshi was a person or a group of people, but on January 3, 2009, they introduced a revolutionary idea: Bitcoin.
It began simply enough — a whitepaper titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. It outlined a vision for a decentralized currency that didn’t rely on any central authority, like banks or governments. Instead, Bitcoin would use cryptographic techniques to secure transactions, making it impossible for anyone to control or manipulate the currency.