In May 2010, a purchase was held that went down in the history of Bitcoin.
Raised by enthusiasts, BTC began to gain strength as an alternative to the financial system.
We are often not entirely aware of the magnitude of certain events until, over time, they begin to be summoned in books, forums and conversations on the Internet. This is how the story works: time puts everything in the place it deserves.
One of those seemingly insignificant moments, but that ended up marking a before and after, happened on May 22, 2010. That day gave rise to a tradition that today the Bitcoiners celebrated with enormous appreciation: the Bitcoin Pizza Day, a date that worships the value of the HODL, to the long -term mentality that BTC has taught us since then.
It was that day when Laszlo Hanchez closed a deal to succumb to the charms of an irresistible meal: pizza, that wonder that we owe to Neapolitan cuisine and that today we enjoy in infinite variants, available in hundreds of restaurants in our cities.
Without imagining it, they had posted an offer that would be immortalized at the Bitcointalk forum: I was willing to pay 10,000 BTC who would buy and send two pizzas. Thus another key protagonist of the story entered the scene: Jeremy Sturdivant, who used his credit card to order the food at a Papa John’s branch.
At that time, Jeremy Sturdivant – known in Bitcointalk as “Jercos” – was a university student in California who was already beginning to be interested in Bitcoin. Although, years later, in an interview, told that those 10,000 BTC did not have a significant value for him. In fact, He revealed that he used them to cover the expenses of a trip through the United States with his girlfriend of that moment.
In that same talk, Sturdivant admitted that, having known what would happen in the future of course that he would have acted otherwise, although he acknowledged that this perspective can be applied to many events of life …
In 2018, “Jercos”, which he was barely 19, declared that “he would never have imagined that this amount of BTC would have a purchasing power comparable to that of real estate property, nor that large companies would come to accept Bitcoin automatically for daily transactions.” He also pointed out that, although no merit could be attributed to the success of the creation of Satoshi Nakamoto, he was proud to have had, even if it is a small participation in a project that ended up becoming a global phenomenon.
Although Sturdivant was not an activist linked to Bitcoin or anything like that, His willingness to accept Hanject’s offer helped validate BTC as a means of exchange. Its history resonates in the community because it represents the camaraderie of those first days.
In social networks, many celebrate it as an “anonymous hero” of Bitcoin Pizza Day: someone who, without seeking fame, contributed to a historical moment. And although “Jercos” has never defined himself as a hero, he has implied that he understands that life, sometimes, has a strange sense of humor.
«If I had treated that money as an investment, I could have kept it a little more time. I really only saw it as something just for both parties, of low risk and, well, who does not like pizza? »
Jeremy Sturdivant, engineer.
At the time of transaction by the pizzas, Bitcoin had an approximate value of $ 0.0041 (USD); that is, the Laszlo Han are paid some USD 41. Adjusted to current values, Both Hanunch and Sturdivant exchanged what would be more than 1,000 million dollars todaywith BTC currently quoting around $ 110,000.
Even so, both have pointed out in the past that they do not load with great regrets, especially Laszlo, who has been emphatic in which Do not regret it at all.
Bitcoin over the years
After that simple but emblematic purchase, the adoption of Bitcoin began to accelerate promoted by a community of enthusiasts and developers who saw it as a viable alternative to the traditional financial system.
By 2020, the BTC narrative as “digital gold” had already consolidated, capturing the attention of institutional investors. Companies like PayPal They started accepting payments in BTC, while funds like Grayscale They accumulated hundreds of thousands of units.
Indeed, there was an increasingly bigger confidence in Bitcoin’s proposal: Your scarcity, limited to 21 million unitsand its potential to preserve value against the expansive monetary policies of the central banks.
The boldest step in the history of Bitcoin arrived in 2021, when El Salvador, led by President Nayib Bukele, became the first country in the world to declare BTC legal tender currency. The measure sought to boost financial inclusion and lower the sending of remittances, through a so -called Bitcoin law that forced businesses to accept payments in BTC next to the dollar.
Although adoption in the Central American country has faced obstacles, the Salvadoran government has insisted that its strategy is long term and will not give up. Today, El Salvador maintains a reserve of More than 6,000 BTC.
On the other hand, Bitcoin’s institutionalization made a significant leap with the focus of companies such as Strategy, which since 2020 began acquiring BTC as a reserve asset. By 2025, the aforementioned company already accumulates more than 500,000 unitspositioning itself as the largest corporate holder in the world of this asset.
This year has also added an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that established the creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve in the United States, with the coins seized of illegal cases.
Today, 15 years after the first documented payment with Bitcoin, The Bitcoin Pizza Day reminds us that every great revolution begins with small acts. What was at the time a casual transaction between two people, now symbolizes the beginning of a new financial era. Beyond the current value of those 10,000 BTC, what endures is the story of how a pizza marked the beginning of a decentralized economy that continues to challenge paradigms.
