Technology2010 - 2015
Fact #40 of 99

Bizzare Facts

Bizarre Fact:
The first item purchased with Bitcoin was two pizzas for 10,000 BTC.

Quick Explanation:

In 2010, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 Bitcoin for two Papa John's pizzas, worth about $41 at the time.

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The Full Story:

The seminal moment that established cryptocurrency as a real-world form of currency involves the most mundane of transactions: pizza. On **May 22, 2010**—a date now celebrated by the crypto community as 'Bitcoin Pizza Day'—programmer **Laszlo Hanyecz** made the first documented commercial transaction using Bitcoin.

Hanyecz posted on a message board that he would pay 10,000 Bitcoin to anyone who would order him two large pizzas from Papa John's. The 10,000 BTC was worth about $41 at the time, and a user accepted the offer and ordered the pizzas. Hanyecz proved that Bitcoin could function as a medium of exchange, a critical step beyond simply being a digital asset.

While the transaction was successful, it is now an infamous source of regret: at Bitcoin's peak, that 10,000 BTC was worth hundreds of millions of dollars, making them arguably the most expensive pizzas ever consumed. The story serves as a cautionary tale about the volatile potential of new technologies and the high cost of pioneering a digital future.

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The first item purchased with Bitcoin was two pizzas for 10,000 BTC. - Bizarre Fact | Schoolyard Myths