Bitcoin was born in 2008 🌍, in the middle of the financial crisis 💥. A certain “Satoshi Nakamoto” (we still don’t know who he is 🤷‍♂️, a person or a group) published a white paper 📄 entitled “Bitcoin: a peer-to-peer electronic currency system”. The idea was simple but revolutionary: to create a decentralized currency 💡, without banks 🏦 or intermediaries.

In January 2009, Satoshi launched the Bitcoin network and mined the very first block 🏗️, called the “Genesis Block”. This block contained a message: “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks” 📰, a direct criticism of the banking system in place.

Bitcoin is based on a technology called blockchain 🔗: a public, transparent and tamper-proof ledger 🛡️. Each transaction is validated by a network of computers (the “miners” ⛏️) that solve complex calculations to secure the system.

At first, few people believed it 🙄. In 2010, a developer bought two pizzas 🍕🍕 for 10,000 bitcoins. Today, this transaction would be worth several hundred million euros 💸. Gradually, Bitcoin attracted the attention of investors 📈, companies 🏢, and even governments 🌐.

But Bitcoin is not just a currency. It is also a philosophy ✨: that of regaining control of your money 💰, safe from political or economic manipulation ⚙️. It paved the way for thousands of other cryptocurrencies and an ecosystem based on decentralization 🌟.

Its history continues to be written every day 📅, between hopes for a freer world 🌍 and criticism of its environmental impact 🌳 or its use in illicit activities 🚫. One thing is certain: Bitcoin marked a turning point in the history of finance 🔥.