On what date did the Ethereum blockchain officially launch?

The Ethereum blockchain officially launched on 30 July 2015.

Ethereum’s launch followed the publication of a 2013 proposal and a 2014 crowdsale that helped fund development. The first live version, called Frontier, introduced a blockchain that could run programmable smart contracts as well as transfer digital assets.

Ethereum differed from Bitcoin by presenting itself as a general-purpose platform rather than only a digital payment network. Developers could deploy decentralized applications and create additional tokens using Ethereum’s scripting environment. Ether is the network’s native cryptocurrency and is used to pay transaction fees and computational costs.

The launch date is sometimes confused with other milestones. Ethereum’s white paper appeared in 2013, its crowdsale took place in 2014, and later upgrades changed how the network operated. The 30 July 2015 date specifically marks the creation of Ethereum’s first live blockchain, not the publication of its proposal.