<p>Click on <a href="https://blockchain.info/tx/4a5e1e4baab89f3a32518a88c31bc87f618f76673e2cc77ab2127b7afdeda33b" rel="nofollow">the sole transaction</a> in that block (4a5e1e4b...) and click <a href="https://blockchain.info/tx/4a5e1e4baab89f3a32518a88c31bc87f618f76673e2cc77ab2127b7afdeda33b?show_adv=true" rel="nofollow">Show scripts &amp; coinbase</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-20T11:55:25.627Z
how did he do that? I thought OP_RETURN was only added later and that before the only way to do it was to encode data as a fake address in a transaction
smatthewenglish
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-20T12:16:49.323Z
@s.matthew.english: See http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/20721/what-is-the-format-of-the-coinbase-transaction.  Because this is a generation transaction, it has a single input whose script is ignored.  The message takes the place of that script.
Nate Eldredge
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-27T19:13:10.457Z
How can I get it through bitcoin-cli, I've tried `bitcoin-cli getrawtransaction 4a5e1e4baab89f3a32518a88c31bc87f618f76673e2cc77ab2127b7afdeda33b true`, and return an error telling me that this is the genesis block and transaction whin it can't be retrieved.
an offer can't refuse
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-27T23:01:54.123Z
@buzhidao: Yeah, I suspect that you just can't.  This is a special case for backward compatibility: the original release of Bitcoin had a bug where the coinbase transaction of the genesis block was not added to the utxo database, thus making it unspendable.  Every version since had to keep that behavior; otherwise, if Satoshi ever tried to spend those coins, it would cause a hard fork of the blockchain, as some clients would accept the transaction and others would reject it.
Nate Eldredge
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-19T22:08:17.397Z
2016-09-19T22:08:17.397Z
Nate Eldredge
<p><a href="https://blockchain.info/block/000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26f" rel="nofollow">This is the first block</a>, how can I see the message? </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>'The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks'</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-14T17:50:16.720Z
related: [How can one embed custom data in block headers?](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/18/5406)
Murch
<coinbase-transaction><genesis-block>
How can we look at the hidden message in the first block?
smatthewenglish
# How can we look at the hidden message in the first block?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-09-19)

[This is the first block](https://blockchain.info/block/000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26f), how can I see the message?

> 'The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks'

**Tags:** coinbase-transaction, genesis-block

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: related: [How can one embed custom data in block headers?](http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/q/18/5406)  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-09-19. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Click on [the sole transaction](https://blockchain.info/tx/4a5e1e4baab89f3a32518a88c31bc87f618f76673e2cc77ab2127b7afdeda33b) in that block (4a5e1e4b...) and click [Show scripts & coinbase](https://blockchain.info/tx/4a5e1e4baab89f3a32518a88c31bc87f618f76673e2cc77ab2127b7afdeda33b?show_adv=true).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: how did he do that? I thought OP_RETURN was only added later and that before the only way to do it was to encode data as a fake address in a transaction  
> **username_2**: @s.matthew.english: See http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/20721/what-is-the-format-of-the-coinbase-transaction.  Because this is a generation transaction, it has a single input whose script is ignored.  The message takes the place of that script.  
> **username_3**: How can I get it through bitcoin-cli, I've tried `bitcoin-cli getrawtransaction 4a5e1e4baab89f3a32518a88c31bc87f618f76673e2cc77ab2127b7afdeda33b true`, and return an error telling me that this is the genesis block and transaction whin it can't be retrieved.  
> **username_2**: @buzhidao: Yeah, I suspect that you just can't.  This is a special case for backward compatibility: the original release of Bitcoin had a bug where the coinbase transaction of the genesis block was not added to the utxo database, thus making it unspendable.  Every version since had to keep that behavior; otherwise, if Satoshi ever tried to spend those coins, it would cause a hard fork of the blockchain, as some clients would accept the transaction and others would reject it.  

---

