  Bitcoin is the first decentralized peer-to-peer (P2P) electronic currency. It
was created in November 2008 by Satoshi Nakamoto. Nakamoto released the first
implementation of the protocol in an open source client software and the
genesis of bitcoins began on January 9th 2009. The Bitcoin protocol is based on
clever ideas which solve a form of the Byzantine Generals Problem and sets the
foundation for Decentralized Trust Protocols. Still in its infancy, the
currency and the protocol have the potential to disrupt the international
financial system and other sectors where business is based on trusted third
parties. The security of the bitcoin protocol relies on strong cryptography and
one way hashing algorithms.
