Key Insights
Bitcoin Pizza Day on 22 May marks the first recorded instance of Bitcoin being used to purchase a physical good.
Florida-based programmer Laszlo Hanyecz purchased two pizzas for 10,000 BTC in 2010 and forever established Bitcoin's position as more than a mere concept.
Since the pizza transaction, Bitcoin has grown from a digital experiment into a trillion-dollar market.
Major companies and even countries have integrated it into their balance sheets and financial systems.
Despite the present-day value of the 10,000 BTC, Laszlo Hanyecz has no regrets and says that he merely wanted to prove Bitcoin's role as a legitimate form of money.
Every year on 22 May, crypto enthusiasts around the world come together to celebrate Bitcoin Pizza Day, which is one of the strangest and most important moments in Bitcoin’s history.
It marks the first recorded instance of anyone using Bitcoin to buy a real-world item:
Two large pizzas in this case.
At first glance, non-crypto community members might wonder if Bitcoin Pizza Day is some kind of lukewarm inside joke.
However, behind this pizza purchase lies a massive turning point in the history of digital money.
Bitcoin Pizza Day is proof that Bitcoin wasn’t just an idea but something that could be used in everyday life.
The $41 Pizza That Made History
On 22 May in 2010, Florida-based programmer Laszlo Hanyecz took to the BitcoinTalk forum with a simple request:
He wanted someone to order him two large pizzas. In return, he would send them 10,000 Bitcoins.
While this exchange appears massive considering the cryptocurrency’s current price of around $100,000, back then, Bitcoin was still a little-known digital experiment.
Bitcoin had no established market price and wasn’t used for commerce.
Its creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, had launched the network just a year earlier, and most people mining or holding Bitcoin were tech hobbyists who liked the idea of having decentralized digital currency.
A British user named Jeremy Sturdivant, known online as “jercos,” accepted the offer. He ordered two Papa John's pizzas for Hanyecz, worth about $41, and in return, Hanyecz sent him 10,000 BTC.
That single transaction became the first time Bitcoin was exchanged for a physical good.
In that moment, Bitcoin became more than just an idea. It gained real-world utility and a price tag, regardless of how little.
Bitcoin was worth about $0.004 per BTC.
Why Bitcoin Pizza Day Still Matters?
Though the value of 10,000 BTC has since jumped towards billions of dollars, the importance of that transaction isn’t just in the missed fortune.
Bitcoin has grown from a $41 pizza order to a trillion-dollar market in the last 15 years, since its launch in 2010.
The cryptocurrency has a strong digital gold narrative with its fixed supply and resistance to inflation.
In fact, many now view Bitcoin as a store of value, which makes it very similar to gold.
In addition, companies like Tesla, MicroStrategy, and Square have added Bitcoin to their balance sheets.
Even countries like El Salvador are jumping on the train and have adopted it as legal tender.
Today, Bitcoin can be traded on hundreds of exchanges. Developers continue to roll out everything from wallet apps, custodians, and financial tools, all of which have made it easier than ever for everyone to access crypto.
Real-World Uses for Bitcoin in 2025
Bitcoin has moved far beyond pizza and today, it can be used for several use cases, including eCommerce, travel, gaming and more.
Many online retailers accept Bitcoin directly or through services like BitPay and CoinGate.
Websites like Travala let users book hotels, flights and car rentals using BTC, and some gaming platforms allow players to buy items or earn the cryptocurrency through gameplay.
Bitcoin enables fast and cheap international money transfers, which makes it great for sending money across borders.
In most parts of the world, even more people now view Bitcoin as a long-term investment, and even freelancers or contractors sometimes get paid in Bitcoin.
Laszlo Hanyecz on the Pizza Transaction
Despite the current value of those 10,000 BTC, Hanyecz has no regrets.
For him, it wasn’t about getting rich. It was about proving that Bitcoin could work as money.
“If nobody's using it, it doesn't matter if I have it all,” he once said.
Overall, Bitcoin Pizza Day is more than a fun story. It’s a reminder of how big things can sometimes start with small actions.
