Hal Finney (full name: Harold Thomas Finney II, 1956–2014) was a pioneering American computer scientist, cryptographer, and one of the most important early figures in Bitcoin’s history. He is best known as the recipient of the very first Bitcoin transaction from the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto.
Key facts about Hal Finney and Bitcoin
•Background: Finney was a long-time cypherpunk (a movement focused on privacy and cryptography). He contributed significantly to PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), one of the earliest widely used email encryption tools, and created Reusable Proof of Work (RPOW) in 2004 — an early system that influenced Bitcoin’s proof-of-work mechanism.
•Early involvement: When Satoshi Nakamoto released the Bitcoin whitepaper in October 2008 and the first software in January 2009, Finney was one of the very first people (besides Satoshi) to download and run it.
•Famous post: On January 10 (or 11), 2009, Finney posted the iconic message “Running bitcoin” — often seen as one of the earliest public acknowledgments that the network was live.
•First transaction: On January 12, 2009 (in block 170), Satoshi sent 10 BTC to Finney as a test. This remains the first recorded Bitcoin transaction between two different users. At today’s prices, those 10 BTC would be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
•Contributions: Finney mined some of the earliest blocks (around block 70+), tested the software extensively, reported bugs, and helped stabilize the network in its fragile first weeks/months. He also corresponded directly with Satoshi via email.
Other notable details
•Prediction: Shortly after Bitcoin launched, Finney emailed that if it succeeded, each bitcoin could eventually be worth $10 million (a bold forecast at the time when BTC was essentially worthless).
•Health and legacy: Finney was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2009, shortly after his heavy involvement in Bitcoin. Despite becoming increasingly paralyzed, he remained engaged with the community. He died on August 28, 2014, at age 58. His body was cryopreserved by the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in hopes of future revival.
•Was he Satoshi Nakamoto? This theory has circulated for years due to his deep technical expertise, early involvement, and the fact that he lived near a man named Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto (an unrelated person). However, strong evidence suggests he was not Satoshi:
◦Finney publicly denied it.
◦Timing analysis shows Satoshi sent emails and made transactions while Finney was physically running a race (impossible for the same person).
◦Finney shared emails with Satoshi and spoke admiringly of the creator in his own writings.
Finney is widely respected in the Bitcoin community as a humble, brilliant pioneer who believed in Bitcoin when almost no one else did. Events like the annual “Running Bitcoin Challenge” honor his memory (he was an avid runner before ALS).
If you’re asking because of a specific aspect (e.g., the first transaction details, theories about Satoshi, his RPOW work, or something else), feel free to give more context — I can dive deeper!
Tether, a stablecoin company in El Salvador that has never completed an audit — holds a lien on ALL assets of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s family, including the controlling stake in a Federal Reserve primary dealer.
Lutnick shaped the law that lets Tether fund the Pentagon. A masterpiece of regulatory capture and custodial arbitrage.
Epstein Files meet the financial files.
Story: https://t.co/2LRV8XcFIK
Nice to see Slimeball Brock being exposed. Now who were the MIT devs who profited from Jo Ito’s generosity? Wladimir, Cory and .. Gavin? Big names, big responsibilities…
JEFFREY EPSTEIN HIJACKED BITCOIN AND NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT
Jeffrey Epstein didn't just traffic people. He hijacked Bitcoin.
We found it in the files. Exposed it on The Corbett Report today.
Epstein funded the MIT developers who killed Bitcoin as peer-to-peer cash. His crypto advisor Brock Pierce ran the Bitcoin Foundation into the ground, then handed development funding to MIT where Epstein's money was explicitly earmarked for the core devs. We have the emails.
Epstein invested in Blockstream, the company that only exists if Bitcoin stays throttled at 7 transactions per second. Then his money funded the developers who made that permanent.
Pierce co-founded Tether. A University of Texas study found over 50% of Bitcoin's 2017 price pump came from unbacked Tether printing. The CFTC found only 27 cents backing every dollar of Tether. They manufactured the "digital gold" narrative with fake money.
Tether has never passed an audit. Not once. No firm will even work with them.
Then Howard Lutnick, Epstein's literal next door neighbor who lied under oath about their relationship, invested $600M in Tether through Cantor Fitzgerald. His firm now manages all of Tether's treasury reserves.
Lutnick went from fundraising for Hillary Clinton to chairing Trump's transition team. He installed Bo Hines as White House crypto advisor. Together they pushed the Genius Act, which requires all stablecoins to be backed by US Treasuries, managed by Lutnick's firm.
10 days after the Genius Act passed, Hines quit the White House and became CEO of Tether's US subsidiary.
The Genius Act is not crypto innovation. It is a backdoor CBDC that funds $3 trillion in additional government debt while making Lutnick's firm the biggest beneficiary.
And there is something worse coming. The Clarity Act will tokenize everything you own. Your stocks, 401k, commodities, real estate. All programmable, trackable, seizeable. Combined with legal changes already made in all 50 states since 1994, when the next financial collapse hits, your assets transfer to the four largest banks with a click of a button.
Every player is connected. Every move was coordinated. This is not Big Short 2.0. This is Big Short 2.0 on steroids, pre-planned and run by the same network that already owns the outcome.
@cryptorebel_SV Calvin has been a major source of disgust for ever, and does not get excused for his possible pedo behaviour. Let Greg vent and dribble into his ugly beard.
Back’s / Epstein connection is far more interesting at this point. He was an odd character way back.
@steveinpursuit Nobody could have ever predicted it, except for those of us warning about Adam Back and Howard Lutnick going back for many years:
https://t.co/IzCxQlJIJ4
🤣🤣🤣Brock, you innocent devil you!🤣
DEN- Digital Entertainment Network
“In 1999–2000, allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of underage boys emerged against the founders, specifically regarding parties held in California.” Case dismissed.
hey... @gladstein
So when you met up for a sleepover with Jimmy Song, he was a Venture Partner with Blockchain Capital, right?
If you look at the email below, Brock Pierce wanted to funnel Epstein's money through Crypto Currency Partners LLC.
I guess Crypto Currency Partners LLC was later rebranded as Blockchain Capital. So weird.
Did Jimmy tell you anything at your slumber party that the world would like to know?
Adam Back— lucky man! Epstein liked you👏👏 Which makes me think back-
Which company did Jeffrey and Joi invest in again in 2014 ?🤔
BTW ,Vincent Iozzo was an Italian hacker buddy of JE.
Brock Pierce, Mathew Roszak and Jeffrey Epstein. You won't find a creepier bunch of crypto bros if you search with a magnifying glass. Little wonder they invested in BlueSky. Coincidentally, BlueSky has a huge problem with CSAM.
Probably nothing.
BREAKING: Dave Kleiman, the ex cop who was doing tbe forensic work on Epsteins hard drive who died myateriously .... CSW went and grabbed the drives later! Bro....
@F00261500@Coinspiracy21e8@cryptorebel_SV Also explains CSW references to sex trafficking, sex slavery and perhaps much other information no one took seriously. He may not be the SN.. but he and Dave knew a lot. Nice find.