The first real transaction in Bitcoin history: 10,000 coins for two pizzas

On May 18, 2010, a user with the username Laszlo posted a bounty thread on the Bitcoin forum. He stated that he was willing to exchange 10,000 Bitcoins for two large pizzas, which the seller could either make themselves or order for him. This seemingly ordinary post became an important milestone in the development of Bitcoin.

At that time, Bitcoin had just been introduced, and most people were still unfamiliar with this "digital cryptocurrency" that existed on the internet, let alone using it for actual transactions. Therefore, Laszlo's post initially did not generate much response. It wasn't until four days later, on May 22, that he successfully completed this transaction and shared a photo of the pizza he received on the forum. This day is also known as "Bitcoin Pizza Day."

This transaction is of significant historical importance as it marks the first time Bitcoin was used for actual commodity trading, proving Bitcoin's practical use as a currency. At that time, 10,000 Bitcoins were worth about $30, and Lazslo's reason for conducting this "experiment" was partly because mining was relatively easy at that time. As a programmer, he was one of the earliest individuals to come into contact with Bitcoin and reportedly mined tens of thousands of Bitcoins shortly thereafter.

In an interview, Laszlo explained why he bought pizza with Bitcoin: "For me, it was free pizza. I wrote this program and mined Bitcoin, and I felt like I won the internet that day. I got dinner by contributing to open-source projects. Usually, hobbies cost time and money, but in this case, my hobby bought me dinner."

With the surge in Bitcoin's value, this transaction has attracted widespread attention. However, Laszlo stated that he does not regret it and did not lose sleep over it. He believes that the time back then was quite happy, after all, he could enjoy free pizza with a graphics card. In fact, after completing the first transaction, Laszlo began to use Bitcoin for payments frequently, estimating that he spent around 100,000 Bitcoins in total.

The person who made the transaction with Laszlo was a 19-year-old Californian named Jeremy Sturdivant. He started getting involved with Bitcoin in 2009 and mined several thousand coins himself. Jeremy stated that he used the 10,000 Bitcoins for traveling with his girlfriend. In an interview in 2018, he admitted that he did not anticipate the significant appreciation potential of Bitcoin at that time, but he does not regret spending those Bitcoins.

For many years, Laszlo has kept a low profile and has not opened social media accounts. He still participates as a Bitcoin enthusiast and has stated that he does not want to turn Bitcoin into his profession or responsibility. "I have a normal job and won't work full-time on Bitcoin. I'm happy to be involved to this extent."

This seemingly simple pizza transaction not only paved the way for the practical application of Bitcoin but also became an interesting and important chapter in the history of cryptocurrency development. Every year on May 22, the cryptocurrency community commemorates this special day, reflecting on the long journey of Bitcoin from its inception to widespread adoption.