Jamie Redman
Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto Turns 48 Today, Coinciding With the Anniversary of FDR’s US Gold Ban
According to the P2P Foundation forum, the mysterious creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, has ostensibly turned 48 today on April 5, 2023. More than 14 years ago, Nakamoto introduced Bitcoin to the forum members, noting that the inventor “developed a new open-source P2P e-cash system called Bitcoin.”
The Significance of April 5 in the History of the U.S. Monetary System and Its Connection to Bitcoin’s Creator
Just over 14 years ago, Satoshi Nakamoto registered with the P2P Foundation forum to share information about Bitcoin. According to Nakamoto’s P2P Foundation page, the mysterious creator chose a birthday of April 5, 1975. In addition to revealing the birthday date, Nakamoto identified as male and claimed to be from Japan. Other than those sparse details, no additional information about Nakamoto can be gathered from the P2P Foundation forum. If the registered April 5, 1975, birthday is factual, Nakamoto would have turned 48 years old today.
On Wednesday, cryptocurrency proponents discussed the relevance of Nakamoto’s alleged birthday and why Bitcoin’s creator may have chosen that specific date on the Reddit forum r/cryptocurrency. The Redditor who started the discussion explains how many Bitcoiners believe that April 5 was chosen because it was the day U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt confiscated gold from Americans and banned its ownership.
Ratified in 1933, Executive Order 6102, signed by FDR, forbade “the hoarding of gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates within the continental United States.” The ban on gold ownership in the U.S. wasn’t repealed until December 31, 1974. Interestingly, Nakamoto’s birth year followed the repeal by one year. The Redditor u/KAX1107, who published the r/cryptocurrency post, explained:
1975 is the year U.S. citizens were allowed to own and trade gold again, after Nixon unilaterally dissolved the existing Bretton Woods system and canceled the convertibility of the U.S. dollar to gold in 1971, introducing the ‘paper standard.’ Nixon said this measure would be ‘temporary,’ but he lied. 52 years later, here we are.
u/KAX1107 is not the first, nor the only person to believe in the connections between the dates Nakamoto chose. Many other Bitcoin supporters wholeheartedly believe that the date Nakamoto chose was for this very reason. Bitcoin supporters have been celebrating Nakamoto’s alleged birthday for years, and many continue to support the gold confiscation theory. Several theories attached to Nakamoto’s pseudonymous identity have emerged over the years, and it is widely assumed that Bitcoin’s creator left a number of secret Easter eggs in his messages.
After registering with the P2P Foundation forum, Nakamoto used it for one purpose: spreading the message about Bitcoin’s benefits and the latest software. On February 11, 2009, 14 years ago, Nakamoto wrote, “I’ve developed a new open source P2P e-cash system called Bitcoin. It’s completely decentralized, with no central server or trusted parties, because everything is based on crypto proof instead of trust. Give it a try, or take a look at the screenshots and design paper.”
What do you think about the theory that Satoshi Nakamoto chose his alleged birthday based on its connection to the U.S. gold ban? Do you believe there is any significance to this coincidence, or is it simply a fun coincidence? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
