On May 22, 2010, a man made history by purchasing two pizzas with Bitcoin, the world’s first digital currency. Known for its colorful and often quirky stories, Florida adds another fascinating chapter to its collection: the creation of Bitcoin Pizza Day. This celebration marks a significant milestone in the evolution of cryptocurrency, forever changing the way we think about money and transactions!
Similar to Bitcoin’s White Paper Birthday, BTC’s Official Mint Day, and Satoshi’s Birthday, Bitcoin Pizza Day has become a part of FinTech folklore. Some argue this day is celebrated not just for the purchase but for the astonishing rise in BTC’s value since then.
Today, with Bitcoin trading near $70,000, those two Papa John’s pizzas would be valued at over $700 million. Fourteen years ago, they cost a mere $41. This historic transaction is now celebrated annually as Bitcoin Pizza Day on May 22, marking the cryptocurrency’s incredible journey and evolution.
The Full Story of The Most Expensive Pizza Ever
Fourteen years ago, on this fateful day, a programmer by the name of Laszlo Hanyecz agreed to pay 10,000 Bitcoins for two delivered Papa John’s pizzas. The transaction was orchestrated on the Bitcoin talk forum, where Hanyecz reached out for help. “I’ll pay 10,000 Bitcoins for a couple of pizzas… like maybe two large ones, so I have some leftover for the next day,” Hanyecz wrote. “I like having leftover pizza to nibble on later.”
Jeremy Sturdivant, a 19-year-old known as Jercos on the Bitcoin forum, accepted the offer. He ordered pizza from Papa John’s, collected the order, and delivered it to Hanyecz’s house in return for 10,000 Bitcoins. Sturdivant got an incredible deal; he only paid $25 for the pizzas, while 10,000 Bitcoins were worth around $41 in 2010.
Since that historical day, Hanyecz’s pizzas have become the most expensive pies in history! Just nine months later, Bitcoin reached parity with the U.S. dollar, making the two pizzas worth $10,000. By 2015—the fifth anniversary of Bitcoin Pizza Day—the pizzas were valued at $2.4 million. Today, with Bitcoin around $70k, those pizzas would be worth an eye-watering $700 million. The pizzas are long gone, but the story of the first Bitcoin transaction lives on in a global celebration.
“Oh The Sorrow”, No Coiners Will Claim
Despite the astronomical rise in Bitcoin’s value, Hanyecz is surprisingly zen about his deal. “It wasn’t like Bitcoins had any value back then, so the idea of trading them for a pizza was incredibly cool,” he told the New York Times.
