Crypto Giggle
Ahh, it’s that time of year again…. Spring is hanging on by a thread, Summer is around the corner and many of us are counting the days until a Memorial Day reprieve from the grind. May is known for many things, but here in the crypto-verse when we think of the month of May, we think of Bitcoin Pizza Day.
Once a year, on May 22nd, many Bitcoin enthusiasts celebrate the first mainstream Bitcoin transaction when a fella named Laszlo bought two fresh pizza pies indirectly from Papa John’s for the price of 10,000 Bitcoins. You read that right, ten thousand Bitcoins changed hands in 2010 over pizza. Now before you recommend the insane asylum for ol’ Laszlo, you should know there’s more to the story… much more.
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#1 Bitcoin Pizza Day is Saturday the 11th of May
You may be thinking that spending 10k Bitcoins on a carbohydrate-filled meal is a something only the Joker from the Dark Knight would do, similar to him literally lighting millions of dollars on fire. But that's not why we celebrate Bitcoin Pizza Day; it's not about Laszlo Hanyecz misfortune*, it's about the fact that he is directly responsible for the first real word adoption of Bitcoin as digital cash.
And while that amount of Bitcoin spent on the pies is now worth hundreds of millions of dollars, at the time, that amount of BTC was quite literally pocket change. Or more like those strange, rare U.S. coins your grandpa used to give you for Christmas - you have to find someone to even accept it!
*while many would consider it a misfortune, Laszlo says he has no regrets about his purchase. Chances are, he would have never held this long anyway, and honestly neither would would you or I. Be real!
#2 How Bitcoin Pizza Day Originally Went Down
Traditional message boards may seem like an antiquated way to communicate on the internet, especially with sites like Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, Telegram and Discord, but one of the original places to talk about Bitcoin and crypto is/was BitcoinTalk.org.
Back in 2010, the man of the hour Laszlo Hanyecz penned the post you see above which states in gist that he was willing to pay 10k Bitcoin for a couple of Pizzas. Containing that he likes toppings such as onions, peppers and sausage, but "no weird fish topping".
Fellow user "Jercos" was able to oblige Laszlo and facilitate the swap by ordering from a Jacksonville Papa John's, which was local to Laszlo.
While Laszlo is listed as the first buyer of goods with Bitcoin, just as impactful was Jercos who became known as the first seller of goods for Bitcoin.
#3 Jacksonville Papa John’s Delivers The First Pizza Paid in BTC
If you are ever in the Jacksonville area, be sure to stop by the Papa John's and see the plaque that was made in honor of the store being the facilitator of the first Bitcoin transaction for goods or services.
This Twitter user took a picture of the sign and even picked up a slice and was sure to let us know he paid cash (and not Bitcoin).
The Papa John's in question is located on Atlantic Boulevard in Jacksonville, Florida.
#4 We Love Bitcoin Pizza Day
Well known Bitcoin fan and entrepreneur "Pomp" decided to step it up a notch and proclaimed that if his tweet received 5,000 likes then he would fly to NYC and throw a massive pizza party in honor of the crypto holiday.
At the time of this writing, the tweet has passed the threshold and then some. It's time to put up or shut up Pomp. (We know he's good for it!)
If you are in the NYC area, follow his feed and stop by for a free slice in honor of Bitcoin and Laszlo!
#5 Laszlo On Twitter
While Laszlo is technically on social media, he doesn't seem to be very active. His Twitter account has three tweets in three years and I don't think anyone could blame him for being a bit bashful.
That being said, he does list a BTC address for anyone who wishes to donate to him, citing that he is, "poor now".
We checked the the blockchain and it appears to this date Laszlo has received 0.201 Bitcoin to his donation address. While it's certainly not hundreds of millions, we hope Laszlo is doing well.
Laszlo, we salute you and your fearless actions that led to the first mainstream use of Bitcoin as digital cash.
In your honor we will order a couple of pies and eat them in honor of you and Bitcoin...om nom nom.
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