Before Satoshi Nakamoto announced Bitcoin in 2009, the crypto chain community had formed. Cryptocurrency-savvy software developers and computer engineers were discussing Bitcoin-related developments in forums and taking steps to develop this technology. Among these forums, Bitcointalk.org stood out. The founder of Bitcointalk.org was also the inventor of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. The first purchase with Bitcoin was made as a result of the discussions in this forum. Computer engineer Laszlo Hanyecz, then 28 years old and living in Florida, announced on the forum that he would pay 10,000 Bitcoins for two large pizzas.
Hanyecz’s proposal was met with surprise, as no one had been shopping with Bitcoin until then. Hanyecz said in his post that he “usually has a lot of Bitcoins”, that he will give 10,000 Bitcoins to anyone who orders two pizzas for him, since pizzerias do not accept Bitcoin.
The appraiser sent two pizzas from Papa Jones to Hanyecz’s house. The transaction in question made history as the first transaction in which Bitcoin was used in exchange for physical goods and is still considered a turning point in the history of cryptocurrencies. May 22 is celebrated as Pizza Day in the crypto world. On May 22, some restaurants are giving discounts to customers who eat pizza if they pay with Bitcoin.
The biggest reason behind the global Bitcoin community celebrating this event is that Bitcoin is a technological revolution and the invention of solid money. In 2010, the effects of the 2008 global financial crisis were still very fresh. People began to question the current economic models and policies and the position of money as a savings tool. Bitcoin had become a hope for people in such an environment. For this reason, taking such a step towards the use of Bitcoin in shopping, that is, to become the mainstream, is seen as a turning point. In addition, the celebration of Pizza Day on May 22 every year is valuable to remember the point crypto chain technology has reached today and to see how Bitcoin has stood the test of time.
Does Laszlo Hanyecz regret it?
Let’s turn to Laszlo Hanyecz… The first reaction to Laszlo Hanyecz’s story is to calculate the present value of 10 thousand Bitcoins. Let’s say right now; today it amounts to about 300 million dollars. People also wonder how much money Hanyecz has today. There is no clear data on that. Hanyecz does business with cryptocurrency related software. We have no idea about his assets, but we know he has no regrets.
Stating that he only spent his time to mine the aforementioned 10 thousand Bitcoins, Hanyecz e-mailed with Nakamoto at that time and stated that they talked about the bugs of the software and that he did mining as a hobby. So, Hanyecz was aware that he went down in history when he offered 10,000 Bitcoins for 2 pizzas…
Pointing out that Bitcoin turned into reality in his own eyes when he bought pizza for Bitcoin that day, Hanyecz continues his words as follows:
“I had bought something in real life with a currency that existed on the Internet. Today, people buy millions of things with Bitcoin every day. Also, it didn’t have much value at that time, so if I didn’t do it, someone else would. After all, I didn’t pay $100 million for a pizza, did I? And if I hadn’t taken that step that day, maybe Bitcoin wouldn’t be so popular today.”
Laszlo Hanyecz also says he tries not to think about it, otherwise it could make him lose his mind.
So who has 10 thousand Bitcoins?
Jeremy Sturdivant, then 19, is considering Hanyecz’s offer. In fact, in his statements to the press, Sturdivant states that he never thought that Bitcoin would collapse, but that he never predicted that it could gain this much value.
So, has Sturdivant turned 10 thousand Bitcoin into investment? Answer is no. Sturdivant says he traveled to the USA with his girlfriend with the money he earned from Bitcoin. He says it never even crossed his mind that the money he once received for two pizzas could be strong enough to buy real estate today, or that big companies would automatically accept Bitcoin in their day-to-day transactions.
Today, 33 years old, Sturdivant says, “Although I am deprived of unlimited wealth, I am proud to have contributed to a global phenomenon.”
Sources: The Telegraph, Forbes, Binance, NY Post, Bitcointalk.org
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