Before the Chain
Proto-cypherpunks, failed digital cash, the hunt for trustless time.
- Cypherpunk seeds 1970s–1990s Crypto rebels invent the primitives: public-key crypto, privacy tools, and a belief that math outlasts kings.
- Digital money false starts E-cash rides high, then meets law enforcement and business reality.
- Hashes and timestamps Merkle trees, hashcash, and timestamping set the stage for immutable ledgers.
- Proof-of-work origins Anti-spam puzzles become economic shields.
- The search for trustless time How to order events without a trusted clockkeeper.
- The list as a character Cypherpunk mailing list: collective brain, anonymity, schisms.