The set of articles that follow provide a foundation for understanding the world of blockchains and cryptocurrencies in the most concise, correct format I could procure. They are geared towards technical readers with little to no context of this world, but I still find them useful even as a reader with a lot of context. I refer to these articles often when elaborating on the incredible applications of ZK in the ZKWorld section. While not perfectly accurate, the articles intend to follow the chronology of problems and solutions arising in blockchain:
101: Sending Money using a Distributed Network (Bitcoin, 2008)
102: Research & Improvement on Consensus Mechanisms (Litecoin, Tendermint, PoS)
103: Sending Money between Blockchains (CEXs, Coinbase, Cosmos, Bridges)