On June 8, 2018, Arweave’s very first block was mined. Stored inside Block Zero are 314 data entries from early community members, ranging from simple test messages to poems, prayers, jokes, and reflections on the future of the internet. Much like Bitcoin’s famous “Chancellor on brink” message, these first words form a cultural time capsule, capturing the voices, humor, and hopes of the people who believed in permanent data storage before the network had even begun.
From messages to loved ones and societal hopes, to warnings of scams and creative expressions, the timestamped snapshot perfectly captures a moment in time and a wide range of emotions that make up the human experience. Exploring these inscriptions offers a glimpse into the mindset of Arweave’s earliest supporters as they laid the cultural foundations for what is now the permaweb.
Arweave’s Genesis Block
Block Zero, otherwise known as the Genesis Block, sits at the foundation of the Arweave network. Mined on June 8, 2018, at 8:59:57 PM UTC, it contains 822 transactions, 314 of which are data transactions. These inscriptions were part of an early “kickstarter” style effort, where individuals posted messages in anticipation of Arweave’s launch. Each entry is permanently preserved, forming the very first layer of the ever-expanding permaweb. Alongside the block hash and timestamp, these early transactions mark the moment Arweave transitioned from an idea into a functioning network.
See more at viewblock.io/arweave/block/0
Like a digital guestbook, Block Zero captures what people felt compelled to write when given the chance to inscribe something permanently, offering a rare snapshot of both technical experimentation and raw human expression.
The First Words on the Permaweb
There are different types of messages contained in Block Zero, many of which are beautiful, heartfelt messages to loved ones and unborn children. Several refer to Archain, the project’s original name until it changed to Arweave in February 2018. Scattered among them are lines from great thinkers like Marcus Aurelius and George Orwell, poems, prayers, and small creative experiments in text art.
Below is a short selection of Genesis Block entries, presented in chronological order as stored in the block. Each message is preceded by its unique transaction hash.
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Ah6I8y8q0jb15KXjn0PyNfe7FR3v2xobg09Lfj7n1Mo
I love you Kelsey. Here's to a world where our future children can live in peace and prosperity.
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ydvI6weQPIRj2hcNg4RPqzDpFOhqiTc9iDqQ-fUUl4I
Fantastic idea son! Loving the digital adventures you are taking me on! Love always your proud mum X…
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UYoJMT0QxMtB6ctUB-9iQlcx6fF8R3s8ahM4_iF4wiQ
Think Not what the Internet can do for you, Think what You can do for the Intenet.
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KPNGfBMOznCXZwOVvCXHRR6sVJx1akVkmXTV98lCMKY
An uncensored web is integral to our political survival.
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96Ijx5TWSxZmZaDH1pteGHFjIYY0aHmGWNHiMYeSYIM
transparency and integrity are the salvation of humanity.
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Beyond their sentimentality, these inscriptions reveal the spirit of an early community that saw digital permanence as more than a technological achievement. It’s the same spirit that would take Arweave to unexpected heights seven years later.
Permanent Human Stories Across Space and Time
On January 15, 2025, Arweave’s first block was encoded in synthetic DNA by Iridia and sent to the Moon aboard a LifeShip lunar lander. Encased within a small metal pyramid, this molecular archive is designed to last for millennia, protected from Earth’s weather, atmosphere, and geological change.
What began as the genesis of a decentralized storage network on Earth now joins the stars, preserving Arweave’s earliest messages in a permanent archive that transcends both time and planetary boundaries.
You can read more about Block Zero’s space mission in this press release: Arweave Goes to the Moon: Genesis Block to Be Preserved on Lunar Surface.
How to Explore Block Zero
If you’d like to explore the contents of Block Zero, or any other block on Arweave, you can do so by visiting viewblock.io/arweave/blocks, clicking on the “Height” link, and viewing the details within each hash. This method offers a good technical overview, including timestamps, miner addresses, and fees paid, but it can be laborious to read data from individual transactions, especially in blocks as large as Block Zero. So with the help of aoDevBot, we designed the Arweave Block Reader, a simple app that combines and exports multiple text data items from within a single block. Simply enter the desired block number, let the app do its magic, and you can download all the data in a single text file in no time.
Give it a try on Block Zero, then explore the blockweave to find more hidden gems. Hint: Block 82 is definitely worth looking at.
Ensuring Our Stories Endure
These early messages form an emotional counterpart to Arweave’s technical genesis. They’re digital artifacts of the hopes, humor, and voices of the network’s first believers. Though they exist as bits and bytes stored across the world, these words carry emotion, convey intention, and have the power to touch people across space and time.
The permaweb is a time capsule for things that truly matter. As humanity begins to share its timeline alongside exponential intelligence, documenting what makes us human has never been more vital. If you have something important to share or a cultural moment worth remembering, store it permanently on Arweave.