Hal Finney: the man who started the Bitcoin era – 17 years since the groundbreaking tweet

Seventeen years ago, on January 10, 2009, Hal Finney sent a short but groundbreaking tweet: “Running Bitcoin.” These two words were more than just a social media post—they confirmed that Satoshi Nakamoto’s vision was actually working. On that very day, Hal Finney launched software that would forever change the world of finance.

The Famous Words “Running Bitcoin” – The Beginning of the Digital Revolution

When Hal Finney wrote those words on Twitter, he had no idea he was participating in the founding moment of modern monetary history. Bitcoin was then nothing more than an experiment—software that was supposed to work in theory, but in practice, it was another story. Finney, a renowned cryptographer and one of the earliest technology enthusiasts, decided to test it.

That same day, he became the first person to receive a Bitcoin transaction. Satoshi Nakamoto sent him ten BTC—the first transfer in the network’s history. It was not just a transaction; it was a symbol of the birth of a completely decentralized digital currency network, without intermediaries, banks, or central control.

From the First Transaction to a Global Movement

The significance of this moment is hard to overstate. Hal Finney not only launched the software—he confirmed that the concept of Bitcoin was real and functional. At a time when many doubted whether a decentralized digital currency could succeed, Finney showed that theory was turning into practice.

Over the years, Hal Finney remained active in the Bitcoin community. His involvement and dedication to the technology make him one of the most important figures in the early history of cryptocurrencies. Although his direct participation in the project ended a few years after its inception, his contribution to Bitcoin’s foundations remains undeniable.

Hal Finney’s Legacy Lives On

Today, January 10, 2026, the cryptocurrency world celebrates the seventeenth anniversary of that groundbreaking tweet. Hal Finney, though no longer with us, remains a symbol of the times when Bitcoin was just a dream of a few tech enthusiasts. His words “Running Bitcoin”—written nearly two decades ago—still echo in every transaction, every block, every network that Bitcoin has created.

Now, as Bitcoin has become a global phenomenon, it is worth remembering Hal Finney—the man who first believed in Satoshi Nakamoto’s vision and dared to see if it really worked. The story of Bitcoin begins with that tweet, and its creator deserves the greatest respect and remembrance in the cryptocurrency underground.