Nowadays, Bitcoin reigns as the most valuable cryptocurrencyHowever, in its early days, around 2009 and 2010, it lacked the prestige it enjoys today and was viewed as a curiosity of little importance. As a result, the first Bitcoin transactions were made at ridiculously low prices. What an irony! Those pioneers sold their precious coins for insignificant sums, little imagining the fortune they would eventually amass.
When did Bitcoin appear? The blockchain protocol was unveiled by Satoshi Nakamoto, and the first Bitcoins began to circulate in 2009. But in those early years of the cryptocurrency, no one was willing to pay much money for the “virtual coins”. Bitcoin was a novelty known only among a closed group of programmers, who seemed to be entertained by this new financial technology.
Satoshi Nakamoto and the early users of Bitcoin
As you might expect, the first exchanges and purchases with Bitcoin were made among the group of programmers who exchanged chats and ideas with Satoshi Nakamoto. In the middle of programmers' forums, this guy — whose supposed nickname is Satoshi Nakamoto — shared with some prominent computer scientists such as Hal Finney (who was the first to receive Bitcoins), Wei Dai, Adam Black, Nick Azabo and Laszlo HanyeczThis group was the first to transact with this cryptocurrency.
El January 3, 2009 The first blockchain with a reward of 50 Bitcoins is created. Nakamoto had disclosed the characteristics of this technology in the “White book", which he shared on such web forums. Hal Finney had already designed some financial monetary methods, but Nakamoto was the one who finally concretized the "blockchain" (although he didn't call it that).
The truth is that Satoshi Nakamoto disappears after Bitcoin begins to spread. His true identity was never known, only that he was a web forum user who exchanged ideas with other computer scientists. It is known that Some people exchanged emails and chats with Nakamoto y Hal Finney (died in 2014) was the first to receive Bitcoins: specifically 10 BTC, as of January 12, 2009.
Among those who interacted with the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto is Laszlo HanyeczAnd he's the one behind the first Bitcoin transaction in history. Laszlo Hanyecz bought pizzas with his Bitcoins in 2010!
Who is Lazlo Hanyecz?
It is a American programmerIt is known that he was in the forums in which Satoshi Nakamoto intervened and, for that reason, he decided use your computer to mine some Bitcoins. In this way, he was among the first people to obtain this cryptocurrency.
What was Lazlo Hanyecz doing with Bitcoins? On He collected: in a short time he came to have thousands of these virtual coinsHe mined them for fun, with the passion of someone using a new technology for the first time. But beyond accumulating them, he couldn't get anything particularly useful from the Bitcoins. So, he wanted to get some use out of the cryptos and traded them with a guy named Jeremy sturdivantThe latter also interacted in technology forums.
10.000 Bitcoins in exchange for two pizzas
That was the deal between Lazlo Hanyecz and Jeremy Sturdivant. It happened during the May 22th 2010Lazlo Hanyecz offered to send Sturdivant 10.000 BTC in exchange for Sturdivant paying $41 to a pizzeria and delivering two large pizzas to Hanyecz's home. Ten thousand bitcoins for $41!
That was the cheapest transaction in history. Lazlo Hanyecz never imagined that those 10 BTC would soon become a fortune.Jeremy Sturdivant, for his part, was the big winner with this transaction. He invested only $41 and in return received a digital asset that multiplied its value. Regarding this, Sturdivant stated that he used that money to travel the world with his family. He also confessed that he spent the Bitcoins in a short time, unaware that these digital currencies would multiply their value even further.
Meanwhile, Lazlo Hanyecz has taken this anecdote with humor. He has posted a thread of stories on his social media titled: “Now I am poor"; in which he narrates how he let go 10.000 Bitcoins in exchange for two $2 pizzas.
Hanyecz says he has no regrets, as the pizzas were "delicious" and he's now part of cryptocurrency history. Still, he never passes up an opportunity to share his digital wallet address and ask for "Bitcoin donations," hoping to recover the BTC he lost.
May 22nd is Pizza Day.
Was the May 22th 2010 when Lazlo Hanyecz gave up his 10.000 Bitcoins in exchange for two pizzas worth $41. This anecdote has gone viral, sparked jokes, and sparked an unexpected celebration. Now, Every May 22nd, Pizza Day is celebrated.. A date during which promotions are made and new pizza flavors are launched on the market, with new ingredients. During that The story of Lazlo Hanyecz is always remembered on this date.Many laugh and comment that he made the cheapest and most ridiculous transaction in history.
He certainly lost a lot of money, not even suspecting that 10.000 Bitcoins would turn into a fortune. But he's had some benefits in return. For example, on May 22nd, many pizzerias send him free pizzas, and he's also become the publicity star for that date.Buy your pizza and pay for it with Bitcoins!"It's a great day," says Hanyecz in a TV and online commercial. People laugh when they see it, and the truth is, the ad has been a huge success. Thousands of pizzas are sold on that date!
