[nly]

They weren't predicting cryptocurrencies in 1994... viable digital cash enabled by cryptography had already been developed, and had a level of "anonymity, privacy and untraceability" that make Bitcoin look like a joke. Even the likes of Microsoft bought-in.

The reason none of them succeeded is that they were generally all built around a central banking model, where an existing financial institution had to act as gatekeeper and point of exchange. Government then, and especially corporations today, really don't want you to have anonymity, privacy or untraceable transactions. Until they can tax it, you're not getting it.

Bitcoin solved this, and only this, problem. Like the electric car, really ubiquitous digital currency, with nice properties, is probably going to take the kind of societal change that could another 100 years.