Sixteen years ago today, forum user Laszlo Hanyecz posted an offer that would become crypto folklore: 10,000 BTC for two large pizzas delivered to his home. The transaction, recorded on May 22, 2010, is widely considered the first commercial bitcoin payment. What started as a niche experiment among early adopters is now an annual celebration — and a stark reminder of how far the market has come.
The original post
Hanyecz made the offer on the Bitcoin Talk forum, asking for two pizzas — “maybe with pepperoni, maybe with something else.” A user in England took him up on the deal, ordering from a local Papa John’s and having it delivered to Hanyecz’s address in Jacksonville, Florida. The entire exchange was documented in a thread that still exists. At the time, 10,000 BTC was worth roughly $41. Today, that same amount would be life-changing money.
16 years of value change
The anniversary lands on a Friday this year, and crypto Twitter is already flooded with memes, price charts, and jokes about “the most expensive pizza in history.” Exchanges and payment platforms often run special promos around the date — some offering pizza-themed giveaways or discounts on food delivery paid with crypto. It’s become a sort of unofficial holiday for the industry, equal parts celebration and cautionary tale about timing.
How the community marks the day
Several crypto-friendly restaurants and merchants run Pizza Day specials each year. In 2025, a handful of pizzerias in major cities accepted bitcoin directly for a limited menu. No official list of this year’s participating locations has been released yet, but the pattern suggests more small businesses will join in. The day also prompts the usual round of thinkpieces about bitcoin’s journey from a hobbyist project to a trillion-dollar asset class.
Why it still matters
The Pizza Day story is a cornerstone of bitcoin lore because it shows the first real transfer of value for a physical good. Before that, bitcoin was mostly mined and traded among enthusiasts — there was no mainstream use case. Hanyecz’s transaction proved the concept worked, even if the economics look absurd in hindsight. He’s said in interviews he doesn’t regret it; the pizzas were delicious, and the trade helped bootstrap the ecosystem. Sixteen years later, the community still owes him a slice of gratitude.
The next concrete milestone? Bitcoin’s block reward halving is scheduled for early 2028, and the Pizza Day anniversary will likely keep growing as an annual touchstone. No word yet on whether Hanyecz plans a repeat order this year.
