On May 18, 2010, a Florida programmer named Laszlo Hanyecz posted a curious offer on the Bitcointalk forum. He wanted two pizzas delivered to his house. In exchange, he would pay 10,000 BTC. At the time, that amount carried a market value of roughly $41. Four days later, a forum user named Jeremy Sturdivant accepted the deal.
Sturdivant ordered the pizzas from a local Papa John’s. He paid in fiat and acrranged the delivery to Hanyecz’s home in Jacksonville. Hanyecz then sent the 10,000 BTC to complete his side of the trade. As a result, May 22, 2010 became the date of the first widely documented commercial Bitcoin transaction. Guinness World Records later certified the event as the first commercial Bitcoin purchase.
16 years ago, Laszlo Hanyecz, a Floridian programmer, bought 2 Papa John's pizzas for 10,000 $BTC. Today, those pizzas would be valued at over $774M today.
— CoinGecko (@coingecko) May 22, 2026
Happy #Bitcoin Pizza Day, everyone! 🍕 pic.twitter.com/YlFnFgsSBX
Why the Pizza Order Mattered
The transaction was small, but its symbolism quickly grew. Before that night, Bitcoin lived only as an experiment among cryptographers and cypherpunks. However, Hanyecz wanted to prove the asset could function as actual money. As a result, the pizza exchange gave Bitcoin its first real price reference outside of the early miner community. Additionally, it established the precedent that BTC could move from a wallet to a merchant in exchange for goods.
Industry observers still cite that night as the moment Bitcoin earned its commercial debut. Notably, Hanyecz has said in interviews that he does not regret the purchase. In his view, the test mattered more than the long-term cost. Importantly, the trade gave Bitcoin’s early community a shared cultural reference point. The industry still celebrates that point every year.
What 10,000 BTC Is Worth Today
The financial math behind Bitcoin Pizza Day shifts every year, and 2026 is no exception. Bitcoin traded near $76,862 on May 22, 2026, according to live market data from CoinGecko. At that level, the original 10,000 BTC carry a value of roughly $768 million. In contrast, the same coins were worth about $41 in 2010. Therefore, the cost of those two pizzas, measured in opportunity, sits firmly in nine-figure territory.
Coverage from Yahoo Finance noted the 10,000 BTC stash lost about $328 million in value this past year. However, the figure still illustrates the sharp price appreciation since the original trade. Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s total market cap holds near $1.54 trillion. Additionally, the network’s circulating supply now stands at roughly 20.03 million BTC out of a 21 million cap.
16 years ago today, Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 Bitcoin for two Papa John's pizzas.
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) May 22, 2026
Today, 10k $BTC is worth over $775,000,000. pic.twitter.com/HBkqsmpmD7
How Bitcoin Has Grown Since 2010
Bitcoin’s path since 2010 reflects a steady move from internet curiosity to global financial asset. In September 2021, El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as legal tender. Then in January 2024, U.S. regulators approved the first spot Bitcoin ETFs. As a result, mainstream investors gained brokerage-level access without managing private keys. Additionally, retirement platforms and wealth managers began offering exposure for the first time.
Corporate adoption followed a similar arc. For example, MicroStrategy built one of the largest corporate Bitcoin treasuries in the world. Meanwhile, asset managers like BlackRock and Fidelity launched products that quickly attracted billions in inflows. In contrast to the niche project of 2010, Bitcoin sits in hedge funds, pensions, and sovereign reserves. Notably, the recent passage of the U.S. CLARITY Act has further clarified regulatory expectations for digital assets.
Bitcoin Pizza Day 2026 Celebrations
The crypto community treats May 22 as one of its few shared holidays. This year, PizzaDAO returned with its sixth annual Global Pizza Party. Notably, the event expanded to more than 460 cities, including Honolulu, Philadelphia, London, Anchorage, and San Diego. In addition, Unchained and Bitcoin Park partnered on a national tour for “The New Rules of Bitcoin.” Screenings ran in ten U.S. cities, from Fort Worth to Nashville to Lexington.
Smaller meetups also marked the date in cities across the country. For instance, the Monadnock Decentralized Currency Network gathered at a local pizza shop in Keene, New Hampshire. Meanwhile, CryptoMondays New Orleans hosted a Pizza Day Party at The Nieux Society. Exchanges joined in as well, with Phemex running a $200,000 TradFi Pizza Day Festival through June 1. As a result, the celebration carried both cultural and financial weight again this year.
The Lasting Legacy of Two Pizzas
Bitcoin Pizza Day endures because it captures Bitcoin’s journey in a single, human story. A developer wanted dinner. A volunteer accepted the offer. As a result, an experimental currency carried out its first commercial use case. Today, that same currency anchors trillion-dollar markets, public company balance sheets, and national reserves.
The day also functions as a yearly reminder of what early conviction can produce. Importantly, it shows that adoption rarely arrives in a single dramatic moment. Instead, it accumulates through small, sometimes ordinary decisions. Each year, the community returns to the story. Each year, the numbers reveal a new chapter of Bitcoin’s growth.
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