The Complete Monero Timeline
The Complete Monero Timeline
A comprehensive history of the world's leading privacy cryptocurrency
Most of the info was source for this post from here: GetMonero Roadmap
The rest was from my own explanations.
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[b]2014: The Genesis Year[/b]
April 2014 - Launched on Bitcointalk
Monero was first introduced to the world on the Bitcointalk forum as a cryptocurrency project. This marked the beginning of what would become the most important privacy-focused digital currency. The launch occurred when pseudonymous developer "thankful_for_today" forked Bytecoin to create BitMonero.
April 2014 - Renamed from Bitmonero to Monero
The cryptocurrency was initially called "BitMonero" but the community quickly renamed it to simply "Monero," which means "coin" in Esperanto. This name change represented the community's desire to distance itself from the original developer and establish its own identity. Seven community members, led by Riccardo Spagni (fluffypony), took control of the project after disagreeing with thankful_for_today's direction.
September 2014 - Recovered from Spam Attack
A sophisticated attack caused the Monero network to fork for 30 minutes, creating a critical situation for the young cryptocurrency. The attack was quickly identified and patched by the development team, demonstrating their ability to respond to threats. This incident highlighted both the vulnerabilities of new networks and the competence of Monero's developers.
September 2014 - Monero Research Lab Papers 1, 2, and 3 Published
The Monero Research Lab (MRL) was established and published its first three research papers, laying the scientific foundation for future privacy improvements. These papers reviewed the CryptoNote whitepaper and began identifying potential weaknesses and improvements. This marked the beginning of Monero's research-driven approach to development that would set it apart from other cryptocurrencies.
December 2014 - Version 0.8.8.6 Released
This early release included 594 commits over 35 weeks by 11 contributors, representing substantial foundational work. Key features included payment IDs, Electrum-style mnemonics, multi-language word lists, testnet launch, DNS resolver support, per-kb transaction fees, and encrypted JSON wallet format. The release demonstrated the team's commitment to building robust infrastructure from the ground up.
A comprehensive history of the world's leading privacy cryptocurrency
Most of the info was source for this post from here: GetMonero Roadmap
The rest was from my own explanations.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
[b]2014: The Genesis Year[/b]
April 2014 - Launched on Bitcointalk
Monero was first introduced to the world on the Bitcointalk forum as a cryptocurrency project. This marked the beginning of what would become the most important privacy-focused digital currency. The launch occurred when pseudonymous developer "thankful_for_today" forked Bytecoin to create BitMonero.
April 2014 - Renamed from Bitmonero to Monero
The cryptocurrency was initially called "BitMonero" but the community quickly renamed it to simply "Monero," which means "coin" in Esperanto. This name change represented the community's desire to distance itself from the original developer and establish its own identity. Seven community members, led by Riccardo Spagni (fluffypony), took control of the project after disagreeing with thankful_for_today's direction.
September 2014 - Recovered from Spam Attack
A sophisticated attack caused the Monero network to fork for 30 minutes, creating a critical situation for the young cryptocurrency. The attack was quickly identified and patched by the development team, demonstrating their ability to respond to threats. This incident highlighted both the vulnerabilities of new networks and the competence of Monero's developers.
September 2014 - Monero Research Lab Papers 1, 2, and 3 Published
The Monero Research Lab (MRL) was established and published its first three research papers, laying the scientific foundation for future privacy improvements. These papers reviewed the CryptoNote whitepaper and began identifying potential weaknesses and improvements. This marked the beginning of Monero's research-driven approach to development that would set it apart from other cryptocurrencies.
December 2014 - Version 0.8.8.6 Released
This early release included 594 commits over 35 weeks by 11 contributors, representing substantial foundational work. Key features included payment IDs, Electrum-style mnemonics, multi-language word lists, testnet launch, DNS resolver support, per-kb transaction fees, and encrypted JSON wallet format. The release demonstrated the team's commitment to building robust infrastructure from the ground up.
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[b]2015: The Research & Development Year[/b]
January 2015 - Monero Research Lab Paper 4 Published
MRL-0004 "Improving Obfuscation in the CryptoNote Protocol" identified critical blockchain analysis vulnerabilities that could degrade Monero's privacy. The paper recommended implementing a minimum ring size of 3, later increasing to 5, to prevent chain reaction attacks. This research directly influenced network upgrades and established Monero's scientific approach to privacy enhancement.
[b]2015: The Research & Development Year[/b]
January 2015 - Monero Research Lab Paper 4 Published
MRL-0004 "Improving Obfuscation in the CryptoNote Protocol" identified critical blockchain analysis vulnerabilities that could degrade Monero's privacy. The paper recommended implementing a minimum ring size of 3, later increasing to 5, to prevent chain reaction attacks. This research directly influenced network upgrades and established Monero's scientific approach to privacy enhancement.
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[b]2016: Database Revolution & RingCT Foundation[/b]
January 2016 - 0.9.0 Hydrogen Helix Released
This monumental release replaced the in-memory database with LMDB backend, dramatically improving sync speeds to "bittorrent speeds." The release represented 922 commits from 9 contributors over 18 months and was considered the biggest release in Monero's history at the time. Users could now sync the entire blockchain in minutes rather than hours, making Monero much more practical to use.
February 2016 - Monero Research Lab Paper 5 Published
MRL-0005 "Ring Signature Confidential Transactions" introduced the theoretical framework for hiding transaction amounts using Pedersen commitments. This paper built upon Greg Maxwell's Confidential Transactions work and adapted it for Monero's ring signature system. The research laid the foundation for RingCT implementation, which would complete Monero's privacy trifecta.
[b]2016: Database Revolution & RingCT Foundation[/b]
January 2016 - 0.9.0 Hydrogen Helix Released
This monumental release replaced the in-memory database with LMDB backend, dramatically improving sync speeds to "bittorrent speeds." The release represented 922 commits from 9 contributors over 18 months and was considered the biggest release in Monero's history at the time. Users could now sync the entire blockchain in minutes rather than hours, making Monero much more practical to use.
February 2016 - Monero Research Lab Paper 5 Published
MRL-0005 "Ring Signature Confidential Transactions" introduced the theoretical framework for hiding transaction amounts using Pedersen commitments. This paper built upon Greg Maxwell's Confidential Transactions work and adapted it for Monero's ring signature system. The research laid the foundation for RingCT implementation, which would complete Monero's privacy trifecta.
Edited: Sep 18 23:49
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March 2016 - Network Upgrade: Minimum Ring Size of 3 Required
Following MRL-0004 recommendations, the network was upgraded to require a minimum ring size of 3 on all transactions. This meant every transaction had to include at least 2 decoy outputs, significantly improving privacy by making transactions indistinguishable. The upgrade eliminated the vulnerability of zero-decoy transactions that could enable blockchain analysis attacks.
September 2016 - 0.10.0 Wolfram Warptangent Released
This major release added initial RingCT implementation (available on testnet) and was named after contributor Warptangent who passed away in March 2016. The release featured massive blockchain database performance improvements developed by Warptangent and completed by Howard "hyc" Chu. This version prepared the network for the eventual deployment of amount-hiding transactions.
September 2016 - Network Upgrade: Split Coinbase into Denominations
The network was upgraded to split newly mined coins (coinbase) into standard denominations rather than single large amounts. This change improved privacy by making mined coins indistinguishable from regular transactions when spent. The upgrade also prepared the network infrastructure for more complex transaction types.
Following MRL-0004 recommendations, the network was upgraded to require a minimum ring size of 3 on all transactions. This meant every transaction had to include at least 2 decoy outputs, significantly improving privacy by making transactions indistinguishable. The upgrade eliminated the vulnerability of zero-decoy transactions that could enable blockchain analysis attacks.
September 2016 - 0.10.0 Wolfram Warptangent Released
This major release added initial RingCT implementation (available on testnet) and was named after contributor Warptangent who passed away in March 2016. The release featured massive blockchain database performance improvements developed by Warptangent and completed by Howard "hyc" Chu. This version prepared the network for the eventual deployment of amount-hiding transactions.
September 2016 - Network Upgrade: Split Coinbase into Denominations
The network was upgraded to split newly mined coins (coinbase) into standard denominations rather than single large amounts. This change improved privacy by making mined coins indistinguishable from regular transactions when spent. The upgrade also prepared the network infrastructure for more complex transaction types.
Edited: Sep 18 23:50
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December 2016 - 0.10.1 Wolfram Warptangent Released
This point release included consensus-changing fixes to the RingCT implementation and various critical bug fixes. The release ensured RingCT would work properly when enabled on mainnet. Multiple security audits and testing had identified issues that were resolved in this version.
December 2016 - Official GUI Beta 1 Released
The first beta version of Monero's graphical user interface was released, making the cryptocurrency accessible to non-technical users. Prior to this, users had to use command-line tools, which limited adoption to technically skilled individuals. The GUI represented a major step toward mainstream usability while maintaining full security and privacy features.
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This point release included consensus-changing fixes to the RingCT implementation and various critical bug fixes. The release ensured RingCT would work properly when enabled on mainnet. Multiple security audits and testing had identified issues that were resolved in this version.
December 2016 - Official GUI Beta 1 Released
The first beta version of Monero's graphical user interface was released, making the cryptocurrency accessible to non-technical users. Prior to this, users had to use command-line tools, which limited adoption to technically skilled individuals. The GUI represented a major step toward mainstream usability while maintaining full security and privacy features.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
Edited: Sep 19 00:52
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[b]2017: The Privacy Breakthrough[/b]
January 2017 - Network Upgrade: RingCT Transactions Enabled
Ring Confidential Transactions were enabled in block #1220516, allowing users to hide transaction amounts for the first time. This completed Monero's privacy trifecta by concealing amounts alongside sender/receiver privacy through ring signatures and stealth addresses. RingCT transactions became optional initially, with mandatory adoption planned for later.
February 2017 - 0.10.2 Released: Critical Vulnerability Patched
A critical security vulnerability was discovered and immediately patched in this emergency release. The update included massive efficiency improvements to RingCT validation code, making the new transaction type much faster to process. This demonstrated the team's commitment to security and their ability to respond rapidly to threats.
March 2017 - 0.10.3.1 Wolfram Warptangent Released
This point release continued improvements and optimizations to the codebase following the RingCT implementation. Various bug fixes and performance enhancements were included to ensure network stability. The release maintained backward compatibility while preparing for future upgrades.
January 2017 - Network Upgrade: RingCT Transactions Enabled
Ring Confidential Transactions were enabled in block #1220516, allowing users to hide transaction amounts for the first time. This completed Monero's privacy trifecta by concealing amounts alongside sender/receiver privacy through ring signatures and stealth addresses. RingCT transactions became optional initially, with mandatory adoption planned for later.
February 2017 - 0.10.2 Released: Critical Vulnerability Patched
A critical security vulnerability was discovered and immediately patched in this emergency release. The update included massive efficiency improvements to RingCT validation code, making the new transaction type much faster to process. This demonstrated the team's commitment to security and their ability to respond rapidly to threats.
March 2017 - 0.10.3.1 Wolfram Warptangent Released
This point release continued improvements and optimizations to the codebase following the RingCT implementation. Various bug fixes and performance enhancements were included to ensure network stability. The release maintained backward compatibility while preparing for future upgrades.
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[b]2018: Efficiency Revolution & ASIC Resistance[/b]
March 2018 - 0.12.0.0 Lithium Luna Released
The Lithium Luna release series began with this major version update including protocol improvements and optimizations. This release continued Monero's tradition of regular major upgrades to maintain security and add features. Various performance enhancements and code quality improvements were included throughout the codebase.
[b]2018: Efficiency Revolution & ASIC Resistance[/b]
March 2018 - 0.12.0.0 Lithium Luna Released
The Lithium Luna release series began with this major version update including protocol improvements and optimizations. This release continued Monero's tradition of regular major upgrades to maintain security and add features. Various performance enhancements and code quality improvements were included throughout the codebase.
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December 2018 - Monero Messaging System (MMS) Implementation
The Monero Messaging System was implemented to automate multisig wallet information exchange between parties. This system made multi-signature wallets much easier to use by handling the complex communication required between multiple signers. MMS significantly improved the user experience for businesses and organizations using multisig security.
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[b]2019: Mining Decentralization & Network Improvements[/b]
February 2019 - Getmonero.org Localization in German
German language support was added to the official website, making Monero accessible to German-speaking users. This expansion continued the internationalization efforts to reach privacy-conscious users worldwide. Community translators ensured technical accuracy while making content understandable for local audiences.
The Monero Messaging System was implemented to automate multisig wallet information exchange between parties. This system made multi-signature wallets much easier to use by handling the complex communication required between multiple signers. MMS significantly improved the user experience for businesses and organizations using multisig security.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
[b]2019: Mining Decentralization & Network Improvements[/b]
February 2019 - Getmonero.org Localization in German
German language support was added to the official website, making Monero accessible to German-speaking users. This expansion continued the internationalization efforts to reach privacy-conscious users worldwide. Community translators ensured technical accuracy while making content understandable for local audiences.
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July 2019 - Trezor Model T Support Added
Integration with Trezor Model T hardware wallets provided another secure cold storage option for Monero users. Hardware wallet support was crucial for users storing significant amounts who needed maximum security. The Trezor integration complemented existing Ledger support to give users multiple hardware options.
July 2019 - Ledger Nano X Support Added
Support for the newer Ledger Nano X hardware wallet was implemented, providing enhanced features over the earlier Nano S model. Users could now take advantage of Bluetooth connectivity and larger storage capacity for managing Monero. Multiple hardware wallet options gave users flexibility in choosing their preferred security approach.
July 2019 - Tor & I2P CLI Wallet Integration
Direct integration of Tor and I2P anonymity networks into the command-line wallet enhanced user privacy by hiding IP addresses. Users no longer needed separate software to route their Monero traffic through anonymity networks. This integration made advanced privacy features more accessible to average users.
July 2019 - Multisig Messaging System Enhanced
The Multisig Messaging System received improvements to make multi-signature wallets even easier to use. Enhanced automation reduced the complexity of coordinating between multiple signers. These improvements made multisig more practical for businesses and organizations requiring shared control over funds.
Integration with Trezor Model T hardware wallets provided another secure cold storage option for Monero users. Hardware wallet support was crucial for users storing significant amounts who needed maximum security. The Trezor integration complemented existing Ledger support to give users multiple hardware options.
July 2019 - Ledger Nano X Support Added
Support for the newer Ledger Nano X hardware wallet was implemented, providing enhanced features over the earlier Nano S model. Users could now take advantage of Bluetooth connectivity and larger storage capacity for managing Monero. Multiple hardware wallet options gave users flexibility in choosing their preferred security approach.
July 2019 - Tor & I2P CLI Wallet Integration
Direct integration of Tor and I2P anonymity networks into the command-line wallet enhanced user privacy by hiding IP addresses. Users no longer needed separate software to route their Monero traffic through anonymity networks. This integration made advanced privacy features more accessible to average users.
July 2019 - Multisig Messaging System Enhanced
The Multisig Messaging System received improvements to make multi-signature wallets even easier to use. Enhanced automation reduced the complexity of coordinating between multiple signers. These improvements made multisig more practical for businesses and organizations requiring shared control over funds.
Edited: Sep 19 00:50
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November 2019 - GUI Automatic Remote Node Discovery
The graphical interface gained the ability to automatically discover and connect to reliable remote nodes when users didn't want to run their own. This feature made Monero much more accessible to users who couldn't or didn't want to sync the full blockchain. Automatic node discovery balanced convenience with privacy by selecting trustworthy remote services.
November 2019 - RandomX Proof of Work Implemented
RandomX replaced CryptoNightR as Monero's proof-of-work algorithm, representing the most significant mining change in the project's history. RandomX was specifically designed to be ASIC-resistant by requiring miners to essentially build a complete CPU to create specialized hardware. The algorithm leveled the playing field between consumer hardware and specialized mining equipment, promoting true decentralization.
The graphical interface gained the ability to automatically discover and connect to reliable remote nodes when users didn't want to run their own. This feature made Monero much more accessible to users who couldn't or didn't want to sync the full blockchain. Automatic node discovery balanced convenience with privacy by selecting trustworthy remote services.
November 2019 - RandomX Proof of Work Implemented
RandomX replaced CryptoNightR as Monero's proof-of-work algorithm, representing the most significant mining change in the project's history. RandomX was specifically designed to be ASIC-resistant by requiring miners to essentially build a complete CPU to create specialized hardware. The algorithm leveled the playing field between consumer hardware and specialized mining equipment, promoting true decentralization.
Edited: Sep 19 00:42
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