May 22 is one of the most memorable dates in the history of cryptocurrencies. On this day, 12 years ago, the first actual commodity-money transaction took place using bitcoin. A miner named Laszlo Hanets offered 10,000 BTC for delivering him a couple of pizzas.
Thanks to this precedent, there is an unofficial holiday in the crypto world - Bitcoin Pizza Day. It is a day when everyone realizes how much progress the industry has made and how it all began.
At that time, transactions in the bitcoin network between the first enthusiasts were already being made, but no one had used bitcoin as payment for physical goods before. Such “generosity” of Laszlo was due to it and the cheap price of bitcoin.
Attentive readers may have noticed that Laszlo made his legendary post on the Bitcoin Talk forum on May 18th. But, given that he received his pizza only four days later, May 22 is considered Bitcoin Pizza Day.
Surprisingly, these were the days when there were no mass user mobile applications (like Uber) yet. Therefore, one of the possible “pizza contractors”, who was not in the United States, was afraid that an American pizzeria might take his call for a prank.
Laszlo emphasized that it was not that he was hungry, it was the precedent itself: “It would be interesting if I could say that I paid for pizza with bitcoins.”
Within a few months, the cost of 10,000 BTC spent on pizza rose to $600 and then to $2,600. But even those jokers who came to gloat over Laszlo could not imagine that this number of coins could cost even $ 700 million, as it was at the peak of the market in the autumn of 2021.
Everyone can find the legendary transaction in the blockchain explorer. Even a commission of 0.99 BTC, at today’s rate, is equal to the cost of a brand new Volkswagen.
Interesting facts about Laszlo Hanets:
