Happy Bitcoin Pizza Day! What You Should Know About the 10,000 BTC Pizza Story

Today, on Friday, the 22nd, marks 16 years since Bitcoin entered everyday commerce through a pizza order. In 2010, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz from Florida purchased two Papa John’s pizzas for 10,000 BTC. It might have been a small deal then, at around $41. 

Today, that much is valued at over $772 million. This anniversary now serves as a reminder to traders about how far digital money has come around the world since that momentous day.

What You Should Know About Bitcoin Pizza Day

On May 22nd, Bitcoin Pizza Day is celebrated by crypto users and online communities. It recalls the first recognised commercial transaction to be made with Bitcoin. Hanyecz then posted to the Bitcointalk forum, stating that he wanted 10,000 coins in exchange for two pizzas. One other user accepted the invite and made arrangements to have the delivery made to his house in Jacksonville.

The buyer wasn’t there at Papa John’s on Bitcoin. Instead the forum user paid regular money for the pizzas. Then, Hanyecz sent the agreed-upon amount of bitcoins to finish the transaction. This deal set the price as a reference point for Bitcoin. It also demonstrated that it was possible to trade with people you don’t know.

How Two Pizzas Became Crypto History

The deal was significant because at the time Bitcoin was a small experiment. The majority of activity was from forum members, miners and coders. No spot bitcoin ETFs, big custody companies, or publicly traded companies had coins. Bitcoin’s orders for pizza demonstrated that it wasn’t confined to computer screens to enter regular life.

10,000 BTC FOR TWO PIZZAS

On this day in 2010, Laszlo Hanyecz made history by paying 10,000 Bitcoin for two pizzas.

That’s now worth roughly $775,000,000.

The most expensive meal ever eaten.

Happy Bitcoin Pizza Day. 🍕 pic.twitter.com/DNgysfacmZ

— That Martini Guy ₿ (@MartiniGuyYT) May 22, 2026

Hanyecz helped Bitcoin’s technical growth. According to early accounts he had done important work in the field of GPU mining. That was the change that enabled the miners to use graphics cards rather than regular computer processors. It improved the speed of mining and demonstrated the ability of the network to dynamically change.

The pizza story evolved into a yearly tradition over time. Every May, supporters post jokes, price comparisons and pictures. Bitcoin has had significant value fluctuations throughout market cycles.

Why the Story Still Matters Today

The BTC price has hovered around $77,000 on this anniversary. That makes the 10,000 BTC pizza order worth more than $772 million today. This number is constantly changing, as crypto prices fluctuate throughout the day.

Risk, patience and early adoption are also themes of the story. Hanyecz has stated that the transaction was a good deal at the time, since there was not a lot of bitcoin use at the time. If not for early days expenditures, Bitcoin could have been just a technical curiosity. The pizzas were used to see if they would accept it as payment.

Bitcoin has now spread to the markets, institutions and regulated investment products around the world, 16 years later. However, Pizza Day undoubtedly is one of its most obvious origin stories. It displays the influence that a relaxed dinner had in establishing a financial experiment. For many believers, the order was not a mistake. It was the first time that this was the case regarding the real economy of Bitcoin.