On 31 October 2008, a person or group using the name Satoshi Nakamoto published a nine-page paper titled *"Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System"* to a cryptography mailing list.
The paper proposed a decentralised digital currency using a proof-of-work blockchain to prevent double-spending without a trusted third party. The Bitcoin network went live on 3 January 2009. Satoshi's identity remains unknown.