On July 30, 2015, the Ethereum network launched its first live release, known as "Frontier." This marked the beginning of what would later become Ethereum Classic after the 2016 fork.
The Launch
At block 0 (the genesis block), the Ethereum network went live. The Frontier release was intentionally bare-bones, aimed at developers and technical users who wanted to start experimenting with smart contracts.
What Made Ethereum Different
Ethereum introduced revolutionary concepts to blockchain technology:
Smart Contracts
Unlike Bitcoin, which primarily handles value transfers, Ethereum enabled arbitrary computation on the blockchain. Developers could deploy programs (smart contracts) that execute exactly as written.
Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)
The EVM provided a standardized execution environment for smart contracts, ensuring deterministic computation across all nodes.
Turing Completeness
Ethereum's programming capability was Turing complete, meaning developers could implement virtually any computational logic.
The Vision
Created by Vitalik Buterin and a team of co-founders, Ethereum aimed to be a "world computer" - a decentralized platform for applications that run exactly as programmed without downtime, censorship, or third-party interference.
From Ethereum to Ethereum Classic
This same blockchain, launched on July 30, 2015, is the one that Ethereum Classic continues today. After the 2016 DAO fork, those who chose to preserve the original chain without intervention kept this history intact.
The genesis block that was mined on this date remains block 0 on Ethereum Classic, connecting ETC directly to the original Ethereum vision.