Bitcoin and cryptocurrency enthusiasts celebrate Bitcoin Pizza Day each year on May 22. This date holds significant importance as it marks the first time Bitcoin was used for a real-world purchase. The event dates back to May 18, 2010, when Bitcoin miner and software programmer, Laszlo Hanyecz, posted on the Bitcointalk.org forum that he was willing to pay 10,000 Bitcoins for two large pizzas.
On May 22, 2010, a forum user named Jeremy Sturdivant accepted the offer and purchased two Papa John’s pizzas for Hanyecz. At the time, the 10,000 Bitcoins Hanyecz transferred to Sturdivant were worth $41. This transaction was the first officially documented instance of a product bought with Bitcoin, marking the first use of cryptocurrency as a payment method in the real world.
The value of Bitcoin has significantly appreciated since then. As of now, 10,000 Bitcoins are worth approximately $700,900,000. In retrospect, the pizzas Hanyecz bought would rank among the most expensive meals ever due to the current Bitcoin value of $27,030 per unit. Therefore, Hanyecz’s pizzas would have effectively cost him over $270.3 million.
Bitcoin Pizza Day has now become a worldwide event. The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, has announced global in-person events to celebrate the day, including a pizza-making contest in Italy and a partnership with a pizza chain in New Zealand to give out rewards. In 2021, Papa John’s, the pizza chain involved in the original Bitcoin transaction, commemorated the occasion by giving away 10,000 slices of pizza.
In Australia, Binance is collaborating with local Web3 groups to host a pizza party. The Melbourne Bitcoin Technology Centre has been celebrating Bitcoin Pizza Day for the past ten years. The event also includes a community gathering at the Canberra Blockchain Centre, which involves distributing pizzas and hosting fun activities. According to Melbourne-based technologist and Bitcoiner, Kieran Nolan, Bitcoin Pizza Day symbolizes the progress made by the community, both locally and globally.
