The Genesis Block included the famous message:

“The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.”

It wasn’t added using OP_RETURN—because OP_RETURN didn’t exist. Satoshi embedded it directly into the coinbase field of the first transaction, bypassing any “standard limits.” There were no relay filters. No mempool rules. Just raw, intentional protocol use.

Satoshi used Bitcoin not just to launch sound money, but to leave a permanent, political statement—anchored forever on-chain.

That’s the origin of Bitcoin’s identity as a historic, permissionless ledger of truth—not just a payment network.