Bitcoin Pizza Day: The Purchase That Changed Bitcoin History

For most of us, May 22nd doesn't evoke anything special. Yet, for the crypto community, this date marks the advent of bitcoin as a real currency of exchange.

May 22nd is a date that most people wouldn't recognize as anything special. But for the crypto community, this day marks the advent of bitcoin as a real currency of exchange.

It was 15 years ago that two pizzas forever changed the course of global financial history. Today, that legendary order is valued at over 1.1 billion dollars.

Ready to discover the most expensive bill in history?

The Purchase That Changed Bitcoin History

May 22, 2010, will be forever etched in crypto history as the day bitcoin went from computer code to real currency.

Laszlo Hanyecz, a passionate developer and contributor to the Bitcoin protocol, posted an announcement on the Bitcointalk forum.

His request was simple: "I'll pay 10,000 bitcoins for some pizzas... maybe 2 large ones, so I have some left for the next day,"

The developer even specified his culinary tastes:

I like things like onions, peppers, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, pepperoni, etc. Just classic ingredients, no weird toppings like fish or anything. I also like classic cheese pizzas, which might be cheaper to make or easier to find.

A few days later, a user accepted the exchange. For 10,000 BTC — about 41 dollars at the time — Hanyecz received two large pizzas from Papa John’s.

This seemingly trivial transaction actually marked a historic turning point: for the first time, bitcoin moved beyond the closed circle of developers to become a real means of payment.

Hanyecz thus turned a technological experiment into tangible money, paving the way for the widespread adoption we see today.

His pizza purchases did not stop on May 22. Between April and August 2010, he spent over 79,000 BTC on various pizzas — a sum now worth nearly 8.7 billion dollars.

A Celebration That Became a Symbol of Crypto Evolution

Fifteen years later, Bitcoin Pizza Day goes beyond mere anecdote. This date has become a key event for the global crypto community.

Every May 22, enthusiasts organize special events, promotions, and gatherings centered around a pizza. This year, the irony of the calendar hits particularly hard. The bitcoin price surpassed $111,800 exactly on the 15th anniversary, paying the greatest possible tribute to this historic transaction.

Hanyecz’s 10,000 BTC are worth 1.1 billion dollars today. Enough to buy more than 70 million pizzas at the current price.

Yet the developer regrets nothing. “This transaction made bitcoin real in my eyes,” he said in 2019.

His philosophy sums up the pioneering spirit of the time: to experiment with a revolutionary technology rather than speculate on its future value. A mindset that paid off for the entire ecosystem.

Today, bitcoin is no longer just for buying pizzas. Satoshi’s invention allows purchasing real estate, vehicles, and even serves as a strategic reserve for some states. The journey since that first purchase reflects growing adoption and market maturity.

In sum, Bitcoin Pizza Day reminds us that the greatest revolutions sometimes arise from the simplest acts. Fifteen years later, this culinary anecdote continues to embody the pioneering spirit that drives the crypto community and bears witness to the progress made by a technology that has become essential.