On May 22, 2010, Bitcoin became more than an idea: he became real money. Laszlo Hanyecz, developer and initial contribution of Bitcoin’s Codebase, has published a random offer: “I will pay 10,000 bitcoins for a couple of pizzas”. Five days later, someone took it on it. Two pizzas by Pope John were delivered. A screenshot was published. Bitcoin had entered the real world.
That 10,000 bitcoins, for a value of about $ 41 at the time, is now evaluated at over $ 1.1 billion. And with Bitcoin that hit a new historian of $ 111,999 on the 15th anniversary of the transaction, the history of the “pizza bitcoin” brings more weight than ever.
It wasn’t just about pizza. This was the moment when Bitcoin proved to be a working currency. Until then, he had lived mainly in theory and code, spoken by encryption and extracted from the hobbyists. The post of Hanyecz and the trade that followed, transformed the idea into action. “This transaction made the real bitcoin in my eyes,” he said in an interview of 2019. “At the time he was not worth much. I wouldn’t have spent $ 100 million in pizza, right? But if I hadn’t done it, maybe Bitcoin would not have become so popular.”
During the summer of 2010, Hanyecz continued to use Bitcoin to buy pizzas, finally spending more than $ 79,000 BTC, now the value of almost $ 8.7 billion. While some joked at his own expense, the truth is this: without those first transactions of the real world, Bitcoin would never have demonstrated his case of use. Hanyecz has contributed to moving bitcoin from the margin in functionality.
That inheritance still shapes us today. Bitcoin Pizza Day has become a cultural milestone in the world of cryptocurrencies, with meetings, parties for pizza and educational events that took place globally every 22 May. The day serves as a reminder of how much the technology and importance of daily actions and the impact they have arrived.
Just this week, Fast Food Chain Steak ‘n Shake started to accept Bitcoin through the Lightning network, reporting a growing wave of traditional adoption. What seemed to be experimental once it is becoming part of daily trade.
Bitcoin Pizza Day concerns recognition. A simple transaction has shown that Bitcoin could work and 15 years later, the world is still building on that first bite.