Bitcoin's first transaction: ten thousand coins for two pizzas

On May 18, 2010, a user with the nickname Laszlo posted a bounty on the Bitcoin forum, stating that he was willing to exchange 10,000 Bitcoins for two large pizzas. This action did not cause much of a stir at the time, as Bitcoin had just been introduced, and people were still quite unfamiliar with this digital cryptocurrency, let alone the concept of trading.

On May 22, Laszlo finally got his wish and successfully purchased two pizzas with 10,000 Bitcoins. He shared the good news on the forum and attached a photo of the pizzas. This transaction became the first real transaction in the history of Bitcoin, marking the beginning of Bitcoin's capability as a currency for transactions. To commemorate this milestone event, May 22 is designated as "Bitcoin Pizza Day."

As a programmer, Laszlo was one of the earliest people to come into contact with Bitcoin and was a pioneer in mining with visible cards. It is reported that he quickly mined tens of thousands of Bitcoins. According to data from blockchain explorers, Laszlo's wallet saw a significant influx of funds starting in May 2010, with the monthly balance reaching a high of 20,962 Bitcoins. In June, his wallet balance even set a historical record of 43,854 Bitcoins.

Regarding this seemingly "loss" transaction, Laszlo stated that he does not regret it. In an interview, he explained: "I wanted to buy pizza with Bitcoin because for me, it was free pizza. I wrote this program and mined Bitcoin, feeling like I won the internet that day. I got the pizza by contributing to open source projects. Typically, hobbies cost time and money, but in this case, my hobby bought me dinner."

As the value of Bitcoin soared, the value of this transaction also rose accordingly. However, Laszlo maintained a positive attitude throughout. He stated that he was quite happy at the time, after all, he could enjoy free pizza with just a graphics card. In fact, after completing the first transaction, Laszlo continued to use Bitcoin for payments frequently, and it is estimated that he spent about 100,000 Bitcoins in total.

The person who made a deal with Laszlo was a 19-year-old boy from California named Jeremy Sturdivant. Jeremy started getting involved with Bitcoin in 2009 and mined a few thousand coins himself. He was also an early consumer of Bitcoin, frequently using it for payments online or offline. According to him, he used those ten thousand Bitcoins for traveling with his girlfriend.

Years later, Jeremy admitted in an interview that he did not foresee such a significant appreciation potential for Bitcoin at that time. Nevertheless, he does not regret spending those Bitcoins, believing that the transaction brought him an income of $400, appreciating tenfold, and remains a good deal.

Laszlo has always kept a low profile and does not have social media accounts. He stated that he prefers to treat Bitcoin as a hobby rather than a profession. "I have a normal job and will not work full-time with Bitcoin. I don’t want it to become my responsibility and profession. I am happy to be involved to this extent."

Although Laszlo's "pizza transaction" has become a classic case in the history of Bitcoin, his contributions to the Bitcoin community go far beyond that. He made significant contributions to Bitcoin Core on MacOS and GPU mining. Every year on May 22, the Bitcoin community commemorates this profoundly meaningful transaction, making this day unforgettable and delicious.