Buy Crypto Markets Spot FuturesIOST Earn Event Center Rewards Hub

Every year on May 22, the crypto community celebrates "Pizza Day." But how are cryptocurrency and pizza—two completely different things—related? This article explains Pizza Day, an importantEvery year on May 22, the crypto community celebrates "Pizza Day." But how are cryptocurrency and pizza—two completely different things—related? This article explains Pizza Day, an important

Learn/Market Insights/Hot Topic Analysis/A Beginner'...n and Pizza

A Beginner's Guide to Pizza Day: The Surprising Relationship between Bitcoin and Pizza

Author: MEXC

Beginner

Jul 16, 2025MEXC

#Bitcoin (BTC)#Beginners

EMBER$0.03793+61.06%

XAUT$4,351.37+0.01%

USDC$1.00017--%

The first real-world cryptocurrency transaction

The crypto community commemorates Pizza Day because it was the first time material goods were traded for digital currency. Bitcoin was conceived in 2008, and the bitcoin blockchain came to fruition in 2009. The first time Bitcoin was used to acquire real-world goods—two large Papa John's pizzas—occurred on May 22, 2010.

The person who actually bought the pizzas with Bitcoin was Laszlo Hanyecz, a programmer living in the United States. Hanyecz posted to an internet Bitcoin forum asking if anyone was willing to exchange 10,000 Bitcoin for two pizzas. In the pioneering days of Bitcoin, online forums were important sites for exchanging crypto information. Hanyecz thought that if he made the request there, someone might answer it.

It was Jeremy Sturdivant who answered that request. Sturdivant was a student living in London at the time and ordered pizzas for Hanyecz from a store he found online. Of course, the order was placed with a credit card, but Hanyecz paid Sturdivant in Bitcoin, which is why this day is considered the "first day a real-world item was bought with Bitcoin" (this was before the world's first Bitcoin exchange appeared).

How much does a pizza cost?

At the time Hanyecz bought his pizzas, the price of Bitcoin was approximately $0.0041. Thus, 10,000 BTC was worth approximately $41, a reasonable price for two pizzas.

On May 17, 2023, when this article was written, 1 Bitcoin was worth about $27,000. Meaning 10,000 Bitcoin would be worth about $270 million today. That's an astonishing sum of money in exchange for an extraordinary quantity of pizzas!

The TradingView chart below shows that the price of Bitcoin has been rising quite rapidly, especially since 2020.

Will there ever be a time to buy items with Bitcoin?

Crypto assets are still commonly held for investment purposes, but Bitcoin has not yet achieved widespread acceptance as a payment option for everyday goods and services. Nevertheless, Bitcoin payments are gradually being accepted at an increasing number of stores, including the electronics retailer Bic Camera, which accepts Bitcoin payments.

There are several factors that could prevent the proliferation of crypto payments, one of which being the uncertain legal status of cryptocurrency. However, there are already countries that are trying to overcome this by designating Bitcoin as legal currency. El Salvador and the Central African Republic are two countries that have successfully recognized Bitcoin as legal tender. While the introduction of Bitcoin has not been entirely successful in either country, it paves the way for similar moves to be made in more economically stable regions. Once this happens, we will be one step closer to an era in which buying things with crypto will become commonplace.

Market Opportunity

embercurve Price(EMBER)

$0.03793

$0.03793$0.03793

-6.13%

USD

embercurve (EMBER) Live Price Chart

Hot Crypto Updates

Why Is Coinbase Stock Up? Bitcoin Rally and SEC Crypto Rules Lift COIN

Overview United States digital asset infrastructure leader Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) advanced sharply in recent market sessions, surging roughly 10 percent to lead gains across the financial technology

Author: James Mitchell

2026-08-20

Why Are Crypto Stocks Surging? Coinbase, Strategy and Circle Rally as Bitcoin Breaks $69,000

Overview As Bitcoin (BTC) surged through the 69,000 dollar resistance benchmark, United States listed cryptocurrency equities mounted an explosive rally during the August 19 trading session.

Author: James Mitchell

2026-08-20

Why USDC Growth Is Outpacing Circle Revenue After Q2 2026 Earnings

Overview A stablecoin's circulation grew 19%. Its onchain transaction volume grew 151%. Its issuer's revenue grew 7%. All three numbers come from the same quarterly report, and the gap between them

Author: James Mitchell

2026-08-10

Circle Q2 Earnings Preview: What USDC Growth Means for the Stablecoin Market

Overview When Circle reports second quarter results before the open on August 5, the question is no longer whether it is growing but whether growth has peaked. Consensus calls for roughly $720

Author: James Mitchell

2026-08-03