What was before crypto?

Read the article to find out about the pre-Bitcoin timesEven though we usually assume that crypto has started with Bitcoin, there were other predecessors that helped BTC to appear. The history of cryptocurrency says that the first attempts to create crypto were made 20 years before Bitcoin, let’s find it out!The first alternative means of payment appeared as an attempt to solve the problem of nighttime thefts on gas stations in the Netherlands. Developers offered to avoid paying with cash by linking money to smartcards that were created especially for these stations and their customers. Drivers could use cards instead of cash, and thus the amount of cash was significantly decreased.Another attempt was made by David Chaum, a cryptographer and computer scientist. He believed that in order to develop commerce electronic imitation of regular money was needed. David Chaum developed a way to encrypt information to pass it securely between individuals. It was called “blinded cash.” His invention was in fact an extension of the RSA cryptographic algorithm. David Chaum offered a concept of adding a signature of authenticity. Several years later, he founded DigiCash and put his ideas into practice. Even though DigiCash was not very successful, some of these ideas were used in modern technologies.David Chaum, a cryptographer and computer scientistIn the 1990s, a number of startups appeared. They were trying to achieve goals that were set up by DigiCash. One of the greatest examples is PayPal. It signified a revolution in peer-to-peer payments. It was the first service that provided money transfers without the third party interference, it went straight from one person to another.Flooz.com was a project in the late 90-s that tried to create an electronic currency that could be used uniquely for online trade. Users were supposed to accumulate flooz credits by purchasing something…