***Well, I made it back from @Steemfest 3 - what an experience! There's just too much to tell in a single post, so I'll make more in the coming days.. For now, I just want to share a special history lesson that we were shown about the origins of our blockchain.***

I didn't realise until I arrived that Krakow is the original, legendary home of the blockchain! While some of the details have been lost over the years due to corroded hard drives and water erosion, we still have enough evidence to tell the story.

It all began when some ancient witnesses decided to start mining blocks of salt using their only their bare hands and also.. some of their... erm.. non-bare hands. 

![ancient witnesses.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/ura-soul/sSpeH40u-ancient20witnesses.jpg)

Of course, back then, they weren't called witnesses because there was nothing to witness.. except.. the mining of the precious salt blocks.. soon though, they realised that mining alone was not enough - they needed to use their blocks for more than just filling up the space in their expensive mining storage areas.

![salt king.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/ura-soul/pFljCl8c-salt20king.jpg)

Legend has it that a local man called Ed looked at all the mining of salt blocks and came up with an idea to use them to make cool things happen. It wasn't long before making cool stuff happen was accepted as the true purpose of the block mining and in celebration it was decided that Ed would be the first King of the world's first block mine.

![salty supper.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/ura-soul/7SoDP99B-salty20supper.jpg)

The early block miners came together to decide on what kind of cool stuff would happen with the blocks they made. Some wanted to let those with the most salt decide, while other wanted everyone to have an equal say. Their arguments are the reason why today we say that people are 'salty' when they are upset over little things, such as *not being able to pay for food to put salt on*.

![salt chamber.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/ura-soul/aWD0HxKq-salt20chamber.jpg)

Over the years, the mining process and the *cool stuff happenation process* became greatly refined - so that everyone could get paid to make cool stuff out of salt in exactly the way that they wanted. Of course, they were paid with salt too, but since they thought this was itself pretty cool, this was just seen as more evidence of their success at making cool stuff happen.

In fact, they paid each other so much from their salt blocks that eventually salt became the accepted form of payment for everything and that's where we get the word '**sal**ary' from today.

![mine stage.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/ura-soul/jSxZw206-mine20stage.jpg)

Today, of course, our world is completely different. We no longer mine blocks to make cool stuff happen and we only use salt to make boring food taste like the ocean. Our modern blocks are not made of salt but of a combination of tiny electricity and magic. 

However, rumor has it that on certain times of the year, the descendants of these early miners can be seen lowering themselves into the depth of king Ed's salt mine to remember their humble origins and to celebrate the discovery of the process of turning technically uncool blocks into pretty cool stuff!

THE END
<br/>
<sub>*Disclaimer: The coolness of any particular stuff that might happen on a blockchain is not guaranteed - your mileage may vary.*</sub>
<br/>
![urasoul steemfest 3.jpg](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/ura-soul/9MF6pp22-ura-soul20steemfest203.jpg)

Thanks to everyone who helped make @Steemfest 3 so exciting.. I can't possibly name everyone - but you know who you are! Special shout out to @roelandp, @bitshares, @blocktrades, @andrarchy and @ned!

Wishing you well,
Ura Soul
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