On May 22, 2010, a programmer from Florida spent 10,000 bitcoin on two pizzas. It was the first real purchase ever paid in Bitcoin: from that day, the digital currency became, for the first time, money.
01 · The story
Laszlo Hanyecz was a programmer from Florida, one of the first to contribute to the Bitcoin codebase: among other things, we owe him the Mac port. In May 2010 he had a simple question: what good is a digital currency if you can't buy anything with it?
So, on May 18, he wrote on the BitcoinTalk forum: he would pay 10,000 bitcoin to anyone who delivered two large pizzas to his door. Four days later, on May 22, the user «jercos» accepted: he ordered two pizzas with his credit card and received the bitcoin in exchange. The pizzas arrived, and the transaction was recorded on the blockchain forever.
It wasn't the first bitcoin exchange, but it was the first time the currency bought a real-world good from a stranger, with no intermediary. Since then, May 22 has been Bitcoin Pizza Day, celebrated every year by enthusiasts around the world.
10,000 BTC
The price of the pizzas
Laszlo Hanyecz paid for two large pizzas with 10,000 bitcoin: about $41 at the time, spent on home delivery.
May 22, 2010
The exact date
The day Bitcoin first left the digital world and bought something physical: celebrated every year ever since.
Millions of €
What they'd be worth today
At today's price, those 10,000 bitcoin are worth millions of euros: the most expensive pizzas in history, they say.
02 · Why it matters
01
Until then, bitcoin was only traded among enthusiasts on forums. With the pizzas, for the first time someone accepted the new currency as real payment: if two pizzas could be bought, Bitcoin could be money.
02
Laszlo posted the offer on the forum and another user, «jercos», accepted: he bought the pizzas with a credit card and received the bitcoin. There was no price list: the value was decided by an agreement between two people.
03
Every May 22, the community celebrates by buying a pizza (with bitcoin, when possible), sharing photos and remembering how it all started. It's Bitcoin's most beloved celebration, alongside the halving.
03 · How to celebrate
Some delivery services and restaurants accept crypto payments: the perfect tribute to Laszlo. Alternatively, buy a pizza and save the sats — the «slices» you won't eat.
Pizza Day is the easiest way to explain Bitcoin to someone who doesn't know it: a pizza, a forum, an agreement between strangers. No bank involved.
Try the game: how much would Laszlo's pizzas be worth today? Compare that with what $41 from 2010 would be worth now: the difference explains why many believe in scarcely issued money.
🍕 Fun fact: every year on May 22, the community repeats the gesture — some buy a pizza paying with bitcoin and share the photo with the hashtag #BitcoinPizzaDay. If you want to try it, our guide shows you how to get started safely: read how keys and wallets work.
04 · Frequently asked questions
No. He has always said, light-heartedly, that he's happy with his role: those pizzas proved to the world that Bitcoin could work as money, and he's a legend of the community. He repeated the purchase several times in 2010.
Jeremy Sturdivant, an 18-year-old from the forum: he accepted the offer, bought the two pizzas with his card and had them delivered to Laszlo's house. In exchange he received the 10,000 bitcoin, which he spent soon after on travel and everyday expenses — when they were still worth very little.
Just a few cents each: 10,000 BTC was worth about $41, the cost of the two delivered pizzas. The first exchange rate published on BitcoinMarket dates back to April 2010, at just over $0.003 per bitcoin.