David Chaum's brainchild, eCash, was like the secret handshake of online money. It put the "crypto" in cryptocurrency, making digital money a private affair.

Chaum's next big thing, DigiCash, flirted with banks but ended up a wallflower. The tech was there, but the world just wasn't ready for cyberbucks.

The term "cryptocurrency" is born, and Wei Dai becomes a crypto celeb. His decentralised ideas are now the bread and butter of modern cryptocurrencies.

The financial world takes a tumble, and people start eyeing up decentralised alternatives. Satoshi Nakamoto gets inspired and Bitcoin's genesis block is born.