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๐ Bitcoin Pizza Day – 22nd May
The day 10,000 BTC bought two pizzas — and changed crypto history forever
Every year on 22nd May, the cryptocurrency world celebrates Bitcoin Pizza Day — the anniversary of the first known real-world transaction using Bitcoin. On this day in 2010, a programmer named Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 BTC for two Papa John's pizzas delivered to his home in Jacksonville, Florida.
At the time, 10,000 BTC was worth about $41. Today, those same Bitcoin would be worth over $300 million — making those two pizzas the most expensive meal in human history. What seemed like a small experiment became a legendary milestone, proving that Bitcoin could function as actual money, not just digital code.
๐ The Story of Laszlo Hanyecz
Laszlo Hanyecz was an early Bitcoin miner and developer living in Florida. In early 2010, Bitcoin was barely a year old (launched January 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto). Mining was possible on ordinary home computers — and Hanyecz had accumulated thousands of coins.
- ๐ป His mining method — Hanyecz famously used his GPU (graphics card) to mine Bitcoin, achieving much faster speeds than CPU mining. He is credited with creating the first GPU mining code.
- ๐ 18 May 2010 — Hanyecz posted on the BitcoinTalk forum: "I'll pay 10,000 bitcoins for a couple of pizzas... like two large pizzas so I have some left over for the next day."
- ๐ฐ️ Four days of waiting — Initially, no one took the offer. Some forum members joked that 10,000 BTC was too low; others didn't know how to order pizzas internationally.
- ๐ 22 May 2010 — A British user named "jercos" (Jeremy Sturdivant) accepted the offer. He ordered two large pizzas from Papa John's for ~$25 and received 10,000 BTC in return.
๐ฐ The Math: 10,000 BTC Then vs. Now
๐ธ The Most Expensive Pizza in History ๐ธ
- 22 May 2010 — 10,000 BTC ≈ $41 → Value per BTC: $0.0041
- May 2026 — 10,000 BTC ≈ $300,000,000+ → Value per BTC: ~$30,000+
- Total appreciation — Over 700 million percent
- Per pizza — Each slice is worth over $10 million
Laszlo Hanyecz has no regrets. In multiple interviews, he has stated that he doesn't dwell on the lost value. At the time, Bitcoin had no established price, no exchanges, no real-world use. He was simply excited to prove that Bitcoin could buy something tangible. He went on to spend thousands more BTC on various small purchases. "I didn't feel bad about it," he said. "I felt that it was great that we could do that."
๐ Why Bitcoin Pizza Day Matters
- ๐ First documented real-world transaction — Before May 22, 2010, Bitcoin was purely digital, traded only among enthusiasts. The pizza purchase showed that Bitcoin could function as actual money.
- ๐ช Proof of concept for merchants — If someone would accept Bitcoin for pizza, perhaps others would accept it for other goods and services.
- ๐ Price discovery — The transaction implied a value for Bitcoin (~$0.0041 per BTC), giving early miners a way to think about their holdings.
- ๐ Community milestone — Bitcoin Pizza Day is now celebrated annually as a reminder of crypto's humble, humorous origins.
๐ค What Happened to the Recipient?
Jeremy Sturdivant ("jercos") received 10,000 BTC for ordering $25 worth of pizza. What did he do with them?
- ๐ธ Spent most of them — Sturdivant reportedly used the Bitcoin on small online purchases or sold them when they hit $1 per coin (a 240x return from the pizza price).
- ๐ฎ No millions for him either — Like Hanyecz, Sturdivant did not hold for the long term. Few early adopters could predict Bitcoin's 2020s bull runs.
- ๐ฃ️ His 2013 interview — "It was fun. I don't really think about the 'what if' because it was just an experiment back then."
๐งพ The Original Forum Post (Archived)
Re: Pizza for bitcoins?
From: Laszlo
Date: May 18, 2010, 12:35 PM
"I'll pay 10,000 bitcoins for a couple of pizzas... like two large pizzas so I have some left over for the next day.
You can make the pizzas yourself and bring them to my house or order them for me from a takeout place, but what I'm aiming for is getting food delivered in exchange for bitcoins without having to order it myself.
If you're interested, let me know and we can work out a deal."
─────────────────────────────────
Re: Pizza for bitcoins?
From: jercos
Date: May 22, 2010, 07:21 PM
"I ordered two pizzas for Laszlo. He sent 10,000 BTC. It worked!"
From: Laszlo
Date: May 18, 2010, 12:35 PM
"I'll pay 10,000 bitcoins for a couple of pizzas... like two large pizzas so I have some left over for the next day.
You can make the pizzas yourself and bring them to my house or order them for me from a takeout place, but what I'm aiming for is getting food delivered in exchange for bitcoins without having to order it myself.
If you're interested, let me know and we can work out a deal."
─────────────────────────────────
Re: Pizza for bitcoins?
From: jercos
Date: May 22, 2010, 07:21 PM
"I ordered two pizzas for Laszlo. He sent 10,000 BTC. It worked!"
๐ Bitcoin's Journey Since the Pizza Purchase
- ๐ 2010–2011 — Bitcoin first reached parity with USD ($1 per BTC in February 2011).
- ๐ 2013 — First major bubble: $1,000 per BTC.
- ๐ฅ 2017 — Historic bull run: nearly $20,000 per BTC.
- ๐ 2020–2021 — Institutional adoption: $69,000 all-time high.
- ๐ 2024 — Bitcoin halving; spot ETFs approved in the US.
- ๐ 2026 — Bitcoin remains the largest cryptocurrency by market cap, with millions of daily transactions worldwide.
๐ How Bitcoin Pizza Day Is Celebrated Today
- ๐ Eating pizza — The most common tradition. Crypto enthusiasts worldwide order pizza on May 22.
- ๐ฑ Paying with crypto — Many crypto companies offer pizza discounts or promotions on this day.
- ๐ข Social media memes — #BitcoinPizzaDay #BTC #Pizza trends annually with jokes about "the $300 million pizza."
- ๐ Giveaways and events — Exchanges and crypto projects host pizza-themed contests and airdrops.
- ๐ฆ Institutional acknowledgements — Major crypto firms tweet about Laszlo Hanyecz and the legend.
๐ง Lessons from Bitcoin Pizza Day
- ๐ก Hindsight is 20/20 — No one could predict Bitcoin's future. Laszlo's decision was rational at the time.
- ๐ Early adoption requires risk — The first users of any technology often miss out on later gains, but they enable adoption.
- ๐ค Community matters — The BitcoinTalk forum transaction was a collaborative experiment, not a business deal.
- ๐ Don't take yourself too seriously — Crypto can be technical and intense, but Bitcoin Pizza Day keeps it fun and human.
๐จ Art & Bitcoin Pizza
Artists in the crypto space have created countless tributes: pixel art of two pizzas with Bitcoin logos, animated GIFs of flying pizza slices, NFTs of the original forum post, and physical paintings of Laszlo holding a pizza box. Bitcoin Pizza Day inspires playful, accessible art that welcomes newcomers into the sometimes-intimidating crypto world.
๐ฑ How to Observe 22nd May
- ๐ Order pizza — And if possible, pay with cryptocurrency (via BitPay, Coinbase Commerce, or local crypto-friendly pizzerias).
- ๐ Read the original BitcoinTalk thread — Archived online; it's a fascinating time capsule of early crypto.
- ๐ฐ Calculate your own "pizza math" — How much would YOUR past purchases be worth if you had used crypto instead of fiat?
- ๐ข Share the story — Post about Laszlo Hanyecz with #BitcoinPizzaDay
- ๐ง Learn about Bitcoin basics — If you're new to crypto, use this day as an entry point (blockchain, wallets, keys, decentralization).
- ๐ธ Donate to open-source crypto projects — Laszlo's spirit lives on in volunteer developers maintaining Bitcoin and other networks.
๐ Laszlo Hanyecz Today
Laszlo Hanyecz is still active in the crypto space. He lives in Florida, continues to develop software, and occasionally speaks at crypto conferences. He remains humble about his historic transaction. In a 2023 interview, he joked that he still orders pizza — but now pays with fiat currency. "I don't think I'll ever do the Bitcoin pizza thing again," he laughed. "It's just too expensive."
๐งญ A Message for the Future
On this 22nd May, remember that every revolutionary technology starts as an experiment. Bitcoin was digital code worth nothing until someone decided to trade it for something real — two greasy pizzas delivered to a door in Florida. That small act of faith, playfulness, and community built the foundation for an asset class worth trillions. So eat a slice, smile at the absurdity, and ask yourself: what seemingly small experiment today might change the world tomorrow?
๐ HODL the pizza. HODL the dream. ๐
๐ฟ Read more ๐ CRA Arts Blog
๐จ Shutterstock: craarts
▶️ YouTube: CRA Arts Channel
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