Hal Finney (computer scientist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hal Finney
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| Born |
Harold Thomas Finney II
May 4, 1956 |
| Died | August 28, 2014 (aged 58) Phoenix, Arizona, US
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| Resting place | Cryopreserved at Alcor Life Extension Foundation |
| Known for | First Bitcoin recipient |
Harold Thomas Finney II (born May 4, 1956 – died August 28, 2014) was an American software developer. He was known for his early work in video games. Later, he became a very important person in the world of cryptography and Bitcoin. He was the first person to receive a Bitcoin transaction from its mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.
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Early Life and School
Hal Finney was born in Coalinga, California, on May 4, 1956. His parents were Virginia and Harold Thomas Finney. His father worked as an engineer in the oil industry.
Hal went to the California Institute of Technology, which is a famous science and engineering school. He earned his degree in engineering in 1979.
Career and Privacy Work
After finishing college, Hal Finney started working on computer games. He helped create several video games. Later, he joined a company called PGP Corporation. He worked there until he retired in 2011.
Hal Finney was a strong supporter of cryptography. This is the science of secure communication. He believed it could protect people's privacy online. In the early 1990s, he was part of a group called cypherpunks. These were people who used cryptography to defend privacy.
He also ran special computer programs called "anonymous remailers." These tools helped people send emails without revealing who they were. This was a big step for online privacy. Hal even held a contest to show how some internet security was not strong enough.
In 2004, before Bitcoin existed, Finney created a system called "reusable proof-of-work." This was a way to prove that someone had done a certain amount of computer work. It was an important idea that later helped in the creation of Bitcoin.
His Role with Bitcoin
Hal Finney was one of the very first people to use Bitcoin. He was excited about it because he believed it could give power to individuals. He felt it could protect people from too much control by governments or big companies.
On January 12, 2009, Hal Finney received the very first Bitcoin transaction. This was sent to him by Bitcoin's creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. For a while, some people wondered if Hal Finney himself was Satoshi Nakamoto. This was because they lived in the same town for a decade. However, Hal Finney always said that he was not Satoshi Nakamoto.
In 2013, Hal shared his story on a Bitcoin online forum. He explained that he was dealing with a serious illness called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This disease slowly made it harder for him to move. Even though it was difficult, he loved programming and kept working on new software. He continued to code until he passed away.
Toward the end of his life, Hal and his wife faced some difficult situations. They received strange phone calls demanding Bitcoin. They also became victims of "swatting." This is a dangerous prank where someone calls emergency services with a fake story. They try to make police rush to a victim's home.
Personal Life
In 2009, Hal Finney shared that he had been diagnosed with ALS. This is a progressive disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It makes muscles weaker over time.
Even with his illness, Hal remained positive. He hoped to keep reading, browsing the internet, and even writing computer code. Before he got sick, Hal was an active runner. He and his wife helped raise money for ALS research. They did this through events like the Santa Barbara International Marathon.
Death
Hal Finney passed away in Phoenix, Arizona, on August 28, 2014. He died due to complications from ALS. After his death, his body was cryopreserved by the Alcor Life Extension Foundation. This means his body was preserved at very low temperatures.
Images for kids
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Hal Finney
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Hal Finney studying math in high school in 1972
