kopipe: Does the article give the identity of the first owners of the domain? (I do not have a membership for WSJ and do not plan to).

kingpin4321: I do not consider btc just as a financial tool to eventually make money but mostly as a technological breakthrough.
It is way more fascinating for being what it is than for his intrinsic/market value...
Previous attempts as Hcash (1997) or bitgold (1998) using PoW are also precursors to what is btc and probably have strongly influenced its creation.

If you believe it doesn't matters to know who are the great scientists that have shaped this world, this very own opinion is up to you.