Among the many holidays in the cryptocurrency world, Bitcoin Pizza Day stands out, filled with wonderful colors. Every year on May 22, Bitcoin enthusiasts around the globe celebrate this special day in various ways, and its origin can be traced back to a story that happened 15 years ago.

In 2008, the subprime mortgage crisis erupted in the United States and quickly evolved into a global financial crisis, shaking the traditional financial system. It was at this time that Satoshi Nakamoto released the Bitcoin white paper, giving birth to the concept of a decentralized digital currency. On January 3, 2009, Satoshi successfully mined the genesis block, and Bitcoin officially came into existence. However, for a long time after its birth, Bitcoin was known only within a small circle of cryptography geeks and tech enthusiasts, with little awareness from the outside world, and it was not circulated in the market.

On May 18, 2010, a programmer from Florida named Laszlo Hanyecz posted a special message on the Bitcoin forum BitcoinTalk. He wrote: 'I would like to spend 10,000 Bitcoins to buy two pizzas, preferably large ones, so I can save some for tomorrow. The seller can make it themselves or help me order out, but I just want to pay with Bitcoin. I like toppings like onions, peppers, sausage, mushrooms, etc., but let’s skip the weird fish pizza.' At that time, Bitcoin had only been born for a little over a year, and the concept of trading had not yet formed; the public's recognition of its value was almost zero. After Laszlo's post, only a few users initially responded, some couldn't help him buy pizza because they were outside the U.S.; others joked that ordering food online with a credit card was more convenient and questioned the need for such trouble. Laszlo replied that he just thought it was very cool to be able to buy pizza with Bitcoin.

Until May 22, when a 19-year-old boy from California named Jeremy Sturdivant (forum ID: Jercos) responded to Laszlo. Jeremy was also an early Bitcoin participant who had been involved since 2009 and had mined a few thousand himself. He accepted Laszlo's proposal, bought two Papa John's pizzas, and sent them to Laszlo. In exchange, Laszlo transferred 10,000 Bitcoins to Jeremy as agreed and excitedly shared on the forum: 'I successfully traded 10,000 Bitcoins for two pizzas, thanks Jercos!' along with a photo of the pizza.

This seemingly simple transaction was extremely significant. It was the first recorded physical transaction in the real world since Bitcoin's inception, marking a critical step for Bitcoin from the virtual code world towards real-world applications, as it was the first time it was endowed with actual purchasing power and quantifiable value. At that time, 10,000 Bitcoins were worth about $30 - $40, but as Bitcoin's price skyrocketed, according to today’s market, these 10,000 Bitcoins are valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, which is why these two pizzas have been humorously dubbed 'the most expensive pizzas in history.'

To commemorate this groundbreaking event, the Bitcoin community designated May 22 each year as 'Bitcoin Pizza Day.' Since then, on this day, Bitcoin enthusiasts around the world hold various celebrations, some gathering to eat pizza and share Bitcoin knowledge and investment experiences; others engage in online discussions, reviewing the development of Bitcoin and looking forward to the future of digital currency. Bitcoin Pizza Day not only commemorates the early development of Bitcoin but also symbolizes the beginning of the application of digital currency in the real world, carrying the cryptocurrency community's expectations for more innovations and breakthroughs in the future.#比特币突破11万美元 #币安Alpha上新