What is Bitcoin Pizza Day and why is it a digital holiday?

What is Bitcoin Pizza Day?

Bitcoin Pizza Day (also known as Bitcoin Pizza Day) refers to a famous event on May 22, 2010, in which Laszlo Hanyecz traded 10,000 Bitcoins for two Papa John's pizzas. Yes, you read that right – ten thousand Bitcoins for 2 pizzas! At the time, the total value of 10,000 Bitcoins was only $41 (about €35), and if Laszlo had known he could be a billionaire today, he surely would have made a different choice. It was also the first known real-world transaction using Bitcoin.

At that time, Laszlo Hanyecz considered it a good deal. He wanted to get rid of his Bitcoins, as he felt nothing was happening with them. Today, that amount would be worth more than a billion euros. So, in theory, they are the most expensive pizzas ever sold.

You can still read Laszlo’s original post on the Bitcoin forum.

Key Takeaways

• Bitcoin Pizza Day commemorates the first real-world Bitcoin purchase on May 22, 2010: two pizzas for 10,000 BTC.
• At the time, it was only worth $41; today it would be over a billion euros.
• The transaction proved that Bitcoin is more than an experiment—it can truly function as money.
• Today, Bitcoin is used globally for online purchases, international payments, and financial inclusion.
• Bitcoin Pizza Day symbolizes how great innovations often start small—and sometimes with pizza.

The Impact of the Bitcoin Pizza Transaction

Until that moment, Bitcoin was mostly theory. An experiment. A digital idea without proof that it worked as money. But Hanyecz proved you could actually buy something with it. Something tangible. And that made it clear: Bitcoin is not just a speculative toy—it can actually serve as money. That was an important signal to the rest of the world.

A lot has changed since then. Bitcoin is now used for payments across the globe. From pizzas to houses—you can buy almost anything with it. Many shops even support it without you noticing.

From pizza to global payments

What began with two pizzas grew into a global payment network. Today, you can use Bitcoin not only to order food but also to:

• Shop online: More and more stores accept BTC via services like BitPay and Shopify.
• Send money to others:No bank, no borders. Direct from person to person without extra fees for international transfers.
• Make international payments:Faster and often cheaper than through traditional banks.
• Access finance in developing countries:Bitcoin provides an alternative for people without a stable banking system or reliable national currency. Some investors also see it as a hedge against fiat currencies.

Bitcoin is being used in more and more places. Not just to save, but also to pay. In fact, Bitcoin has even been recognized as legal tender in El Salvador.

The symbolism of 10,000 BTC for pizza

Those 10,000 Bitcoins? They’re now priceless. Depending on the exchange rate, we're talking hundreds of millions to even over a billion euros. And yet, many people think that transaction was totally worth it. Sure, it's easy to say that now—but it’s still beautiful to see how much impact that one transaction had on the course of Bitcoin’s history.

Why? Because it showed what Bitcoin could be. It proved that a digital coin can function in the real world. And that sometimes, you have to take a leap—even if you don’t know what the outcome will be.

What can we learn from Bitcoin Pizza Day?

Bitcoin Pizza Day is a reminder. A wink to how it all began—but also a lesson in progress, adoption, and experimentation. It shows how far we’ve come since 2010. And it reminds us that the biggest technological leaps often begin with something small. People will always keep looking for “the next Bitcoin.”

Final thoughts

Bitcoin Pizza Day is much more than a funny story about two very expensive pizzas. It’s a milestone in the history of cryptocurrency. It marks the moment when Bitcoin took its first step into the real world—not as theory, but as functional money.

Laszlo Hanyecz’s decision to spend his 10,000 BTC may have been a “mistake” financially, but historically it was worth its weight in gold. Without that transaction, we might have waited years for proof that Bitcoin could truly matter outside the digital bubble.

Bitcoin Pizza Day reminds us how innovations are born: through people who dare to try, dare to lose—and ultimately go down in history. And who knows? Maybe one day you’ll eat a pizza too, paid with a coin that today is worth nothing.