That’s how it started.
This humble post made on the Bitcointalk Forum by Laszlo Hanyecz, a programmer who wanted to buy pizza using bitcoin, would change the world…
You’d think people would be rushing to take 10,000 BTC for a couple of pizzas, right?
This was Laszlo posting 3 days later:
“So nobody wants to buy me pizza? Is the bitcoin amount I’m offering too low?”
Eventually, Laszlo Hanyecz sends 10,000 BTC to Jeremy Sturdivant, who agrees to the transaction. It’s worth about $41 at the time.
Two Papa John’s pizzas show up at his house. History is made with the first real-world bitcoin transaction.
Now, every year, Bitcoiners and the world look back at the most expensive pizza ever bought. If you want to have some fun, you can browse through the original post thread and see people coming back to comment years later.
“Will this eventually become the world’s first million-dollar pizza?”
As of today, it’s now the world’s first billion-dollar pizza.
Today (May 22nd, 2025), those 10,000 bitcoins could buy you…
It took almost 15 years to reach this point. Not long, right?
And as if it wasn’t impressive enough that Bitcoin has reached $1 trillion dollars in value so fast. This event is a good reminder of Bitcoin’s origin story and what makes it so special.
Laszlo buying those two pizzas for 10,000 BTC was the beginning of Bitcoin’s price discovery.
It’s a good reminder that no matter how much institutional and state-level interest Bitcoin draws today, the project started as (and remains) a ground-up movement. No matter how small you may think you are, your contributions to Bitcoin have an impact, just like Laszlo’s did. And no one has to give you permission, either. Trezor Academy is currently working with many local educators in the Global South who are transforming their local communities using Bitcoin.
That’s part of the reason Laszlo doesn’t regret spending those 10,000 bitcoin today…
It’s also why many people still spend their bitcoin today despite the rising price. Actively using Bitcoin will help with adoption and grow the community. At the Trezor office, we have vending machines for staff to buy things like beer using BTC. After all, isn’t using Bitcoin as a replacement for fiat currency sort of the point?!
Let’s not forget Jeremy’s contribution to Bitcoin history!
Surely he kept the 10,000 BTC and rode off into the sunset, right?
Not exactly.
Jeremy (AKA Jercos on the Bitcointalk forum), who was 19 at the time, used the funds to travel with his girlfriend, long before it was worth millions, of course.
“I had no idea how huge it would become…”
You can’t really blame him either, considering this was so early.
Still, like Laszlo, Jeremy doesn’t regret anything, saying he is “proud to have played a part in the global phenomenon.”.
Want to see the original transaction? It’s recorded on the blockchain here!
Using Bitcoin helps grow the network, but securing your coins is just as important. After all, Bitcoin only works if people have true ownership. Self-custody gives you the power to protect your money without relying on anyone else.
Bitcoin Pizza Day isn’t just about price, it’s about how far we’ve come. And part of that journey is learning how to take control of your coins securely…
Trezor emerged from the chaos of online exchanges that just couldn’t keep up. We realized it was time to step up the security game against online attacks and malicious apps.
Our mission? To give you the tools to securely hold your bitcoin and crypto, without compromise. Everything we build is 100% open-source, and easy to use. This is part of our effort to help Bitcoin grow while staying true to its cypherpunk ethos and origin. We want you to be able to save and spend bitcoin securely.
For us, it all started with the Trezor Model One, the original hardware wallet and the world’s first. Simple, proven, and trusted since 2014. We don’t want to brag, but this literally started the hardware wallet industry.
Since day one, you’ve been able to buy a Trezor using bitcoin!
Here are five reasons you might want to consider having more than one:
Discover more reasons why you might want multiple hardware wallets in this blog:
If there’s one thing Bitcoin has taught us, it’s that things can change faster than anyone expects. That’s why securing your bitcoin today is more important than ever.
When the next big shift comes, you’ll want to be ready. And the best way to prepare is with a hardware wallet like Trezor, where your keys, and your future, stay in your hands.
No matter what the price is doing, no matter where the headlines go, we at Trezor, and millions of Bitcoiners around the world are building toward something bigger.
A future where everyone can take control of their money.
Stay secure.
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Stay secure, and see you next time!
What Is Bitcoin Pizza Day? The $1 Billion Pizza That Changed The World was originally published in Trezor Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
