Ethereum was first described by Russian-Canadian Vitalik Buterin in a 2013 blog post entitled Ethereum: The Ultimate Smart Contract and Decentralized Application Platform. The goal was to create a 'Turing complete' blockchain. This can be described as a decentralized computer capable of running any type of application, rather than just a decentralized ledger capable of managing programmable money (like Bitcoin).
The official list of founders include Vitalik Buterin, Ansthony Di lorio, Charles Hoskinson, Mihai Alisie, Amir Chetrit, Joseph Lubin, Gavin Wood, and Jeffrey Wilcke, but several of the founders parted ways early on in the project. Notably, Charles Hoskinson went on to found a competing smart contract platform called Cardano. Formal development of the first Ethereum software client began in early 2014 through EthSuisse, a company based in Zug, Switzerland. Ethereum mainet was launched in July, 2015, one year after the crowdsale that funded its development.
Read more: Learn how ETH was initially distributed and why token distribution is important.
Discover the top platforms for buying, selling, and trading cryptocurrencies
Discover the top platforms for buying, selling, and trading cryptocurrencies
Discover the top tools, platforms, and opportunities in the Ethereum space:
Understand Ethereum's key characteristics.
Understand the function and utility of ETH.
Learn how to buy ETH and hold it securely in a digital wallet you control.
Read this article →Learn how to buy ETH and hold it securely in a digital wallet you control.
Learn about the 2014 crowdsale, the initial distribution of ether (ETH), and why it's important.
Read this article →Learn about the 2014 crowdsale, the initial distribution of ether (ETH), and why it's important.
Get the basics on the "software" that runs on decentralized networks.
Read this article →Get the basics on the "software" that runs on decentralized networks.
Learn the basics of the Ethereum token standard, what ERC-20 tokens are used for, and how they work.
Read this article →Learn the basics of the Ethereum token standard, what ERC-20 tokens are used for, and how they work.
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