Bitcoin Pizza Day: the 10,000 bitcoin pizzas
On May 22, 2010, a programmer paid 10,000 bitcoins for two pizzas.
On May 22, 2010, Florida programmer Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 bitcoins to have two Papa John's pizzas delivered, one of the first known purchases of real goods with bitcoin. May 22 is now celebrated as Bitcoin Pizza Day.
The story
Laszlo Hanyecz posted on the BitcoinTalk forum offering 10,000 BTC to anyone who would get him two large pizzas. A few days later another forum member, Jeremy Sturdivant, ordered two pizzas from Papa John's for about $25 and had them delivered to Laszlo in exchange for the bitcoins. At the time, those 10,000 BTC were worth roughly $40.
It proved a simple but important point: bitcoin could be swapped for something real.
What those bitcoins are worth now
Multiply 10,000 by today's bitcoin price. At $50,000 per bitcoin that's $500 million; at $100,000 it would be $1 billion. Try any price in the unit converter.
Laszlo has said he doesn't regret it: someone had to use bitcoin for it to become money.
Frequently asked questions
When is Bitcoin Pizza Day?
May 22 each year.
How much did the bitcoin pizzas cost?
10,000 BTC, worth about $40 at the time; the pizzas themselves cost about $25.
Where to next
Sources
Written for beginners and checked against the sources listed. Last reviewed October 26, 2026. This page is educational and is not financial, tax or legal advice. How we write and check pages.