# The genesis block

Block 0, mined on 3 January 2009, started the Bitcoin blockchain. Learn about its newspaper headline, its unspendable 50 BTC and how to view it.

Canonical page: https://mybitcoinexplorer.com/learn/genesis-block
Topic: Blocks and the blockchain
Published: 2026-10-29
Updated: 2026-10-30


## The first block
The genesis block is block 0, the first block of the Bitcoin blockchain. Satoshi Nakamoto created it on 3 January 2009. Unlike every other block, it has no previous block, so its "previous block hash" is all zeros. Its data is written directly into the Bitcoin software.

> Diagram: Every block traces back to block 0 — Genesis (0),Block 1,Block 2,Block 3

## The headline
Its [coinbase](https://mybitcoinexplorer.com/learn/coinbase-transaction) contains this text:

~~~
The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks
~~~

It proves the block wasn't made before that day, and it is widely read as a comment on the banking crisis that Bitcoin offered an alternative to.

## The unspendable 50 BTC
The genesis block paid a 50 BTC reward, but because of how the software treats this hardcoded block, its output was never added to the UTXO set. Those coins **can't be spent**, ever.

### Worked example: See it on our node
- [Block 0](/block/0), hash `000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26f`.
- Its single transaction: `4a5e1e4baab89f3a32518a88c31bc87f618f76673e2cc77ab2127b7afdeda33b`.



## Gifts to the genesis address
The genesis block pays to an address starting `1A1zP1eP…`. Over the years people have sent small amounts there as tributes. Those later payments are ordinary outputs, but like the original 50 BTC, nobody is known to control the key.

## Why the headline matters
Embedding a newspaper headline proves the block was made on or after 3 January 2009. It also hints at Satoshi's motivation: building money that doesn't depend on bank bailouts.


## Key takeaways

- The genesis block is block 0, created on 3 January 2009.
- Its coinbase holds a Times headline about bank bailouts.
- Its 50 BTC reward can never be spent.

## Common questions

### Why can't the genesis reward be spent?

The block is hardcoded into the software, and its coinbase output was never added to the database of spendable outputs.

### Why was block 1 mined six days later?

Nobody knows for sure. Block 1 is dated 9 January 2009, when the software was publicly released.

### What is the genesis block hash?

000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26f

### Can the genesis block's coins be spent?

The original 50 BTC reward can't be spent. Gifts sent later to the same address could only be spent by whoever holds its key.

## Related lessons

- [Who created Bitcoin?](https://mybitcoinexplorer.com/learn/who-created-bitcoin)
- [The coinbase transaction](https://mybitcoinexplorer.com/learn/coinbase-transaction)
- [What is the blockchain?](https://mybitcoinexplorer.com/learn/what-is-the-blockchain)
- [Block height](https://mybitcoinexplorer.com/learn/block-height)