- As May 22 approaches, the crypto community is gearing up to celebrate the 15th anniversary of this legendary transaction—the first time someone verifiably used BTC to buy something in the real world.
- It sounds almost like a joke now—10,000 BTC for two Papa John’s pizzas.
- It proved that this weird internet money could do something tangible.
Think about the wildest online purchase story you’ve ever heard. Does it involve spending what’s now hundreds of millions of dollars on a couple of pizzas?
Probably not, unless you’re familiar with Bitcoin Pizza Day.
As May 22 approaches, the crypto community is gearing up to celebrate the 15th anniversary of this legendary transaction—the first time someone verifiably used BTC to buy something in the real world.
It sounds almost like a joke now—10,000 BTC for two Papa John’s pizzas.
But back in 2010, it was a groundbreaking moment. It proved that this weird internet money could actually do something tangible.
Fifteen years later, Bitcoin Pizza Day isn’t just a quirky footnote; it’s a yearly reminder of how far cryptocurrencies have come, evolving from a niche experiment into tools with real-world utility for people all over the globe.
“From two pizzas to a global financial movement, crypto’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary—and our community has been the driving force behind it,” said Rachel Conlan, Chief Marketing Officer at Binance.
“This year, we’re marking Bitcoin Pizza Day with the biggest BTC referral giveaway in history—$5 million worth—alongside over 28 local meetups and social activations. It’s our way of honoring how far we’ve come while inviting millions more into the crypto world.”
Bitcoin Pizza Day stories demonstrating real-world crypto utility
To mark the occasion, the crypto exchange Binance recently asked its users to share how crypto has actually been useful in their own lives.
Forget the memes for a second; these stories paint a picture of cryptocurrencies solving everyday problems and creating meaningful moments, showing the practical side that Bitcoin Pizza Day first hinted at.
Take Andy from Vietnam, for example. He ran into a common travel snag in Malaysia: needing to pay a rental deposit without a local bank account.
His plan B was crypto. “I turned to crypto and planned to use Binance to make the payment,” he shared.
As it turned out, the host ended up waiving the fee because Andy promised to take good care of the place.
“While the payment was never completed,” Andy reflected, “it was still a perfect example of how versatile crypto can be in real-life situations!”
Codi, based in Dubai, shared a story about using digital assets for better value while traveling. “In 2023, I paid for a delicious Turkish kebab with USDT while visiting Turkey,” she said.
“It was incredibly convenient, and the exchange rate was much better than what my Dubai bank offered.”
For Codi, using cryptocurrency wasn’t just novel; it made the trip easier and more economical.
“Having crypto as a payment option made the whole trip feel smoother and more flexible—true worry-free travel.”
It’s not always about convenience or necessity, though; sometimes it’s about sentiment.
Mina from Algeria used her first crypto salary, earned when BNB was around $200, for a special purchase.
Thinking back, she said, “The first thing I ever bought with crypto wasn’t pizza—it was my mom’s favorite perfume. There’s something special about using crypto for something you love; it felt exciting, satisfying, and like I was part of something bigger.” She used Binance for the fast, seamless payment, adding, “My only regret? Not starting sooner!”
And then there’s Jimmy from Canada, whose story highlights how early adoption, even accidental, could turn out. Back in late 2012, when Bitcoin was just $13, he needed some BTC not for investment, but necessity.
“I just needed it to buy a textbook on compilers from an online seller who insisted on Bitcoin payment,” he explained. “I bought five whole Bitcoins on Coinbase, used a few to pay for the book, and forgot about the rest.”
It wasn’t until years later, after joining Binance, that he remembered the old account. “It sat untouched for years, and I became an accidental HODLer.”
These stories, from travel fixes to heartfelt gifts and forgotten digital wallets, show crypto’s utility extending far beyond just trading charts.
Why Bitcoin Pizza Day matters for the crypto industry
So, why all the fuss about two pizzas bought 15 years ago? Because that single transaction, initiated by programmer Laszlo Hanyecz on the BitcoinTalk forum, was the moment Bitcoin stepped out of the purely digital realm.
On May 22, 2010, after offering 10,000 BTC for pizza delivery, a fellow enthusiast named Jeremy Sturdivant took him up on it, ordering the pizzas and receiving the Bitcoin.
At the time, those 10,000 BTC were worth maybe $41. Today? Over $970 million!
But the astronomical Bitcoin price difference isn’t the main point. The real significance is that it demonstrated utility. Suddenly, Bitcoin wasn’t just lines of code anymore.
That pizza deal proved it could operate as the peer-to-peer (P2P) electronic cash system Satoshi Nakamoto had described in the original whitepaper.
It served as the first real test case for using crypto to buy actual things, and it definitely got people talking about whether it could catch on and how easy it was to use.
The story also offers a fascinating snapshot of crypto’s early days. Hanyecz, an early miner, reportedly earned his coins when mining rewards were 50 BTC per block.
This means those 10,000 BTC represented validating just 200 blocks, a feat achievable on a regular computer back then.
Contrast that with today’s massive, ASIC-powered mining operations. Sturdivant, the recipient, didn’t “HODL” his way to riches; he reportedly used the BTC for travel and games, reflecting the experimental, currency-like view of Bitcoin at the time.
Bitcoin Pizza Day, which only really gained traction around 2014 as Bitcoin’s price and public awareness grew, serves as an annual benchmark. It reminds the community of crypto’s humble origins and its incredible journey.
It’s a celebration of innovation, a nod to the early believers, and a prompt to keep working on making crypto more accessible and user-friendly—to fulfill the potential that first slice represented.
Hanyecz himself, who later bought pizza again using the Lightning Network in 2018, doesn’t seem to regret it, proud of his role in Bitcoin history.
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