Every year on May 22, the cryptocurrency community observes a tradition that is as unconventional as it is historic: Bitcoin Pizza Day.

While it has grown into a day for celebration, pizza parties, and viral memes, the event is rooted in a pivotal moment that shifted the perception of digital assets.

The legend of the 10,000 BTC pizza

On May 22, 2010, a programmer and early Bitcoin developer named Laszlo Hanyecz completed the first real-world commercial transaction using Bitcoin. In a post on the bitcointalk.org forum, Hanyecz offered 10,000 BTC, which was worth roughly $41 at the time, to anyone who would order two large pizzas for him.

This was a peer-to-peer agreement. Hanyecz did not pay the pizza shop directly in cryptocurrency. He reached out to the forum community to find someone willing to purchase the pizzas with fiat currency and have them delivered to his home in exchange for the 10,000 BTC. A fellow enthusiast named Jeremy Sturdivant took him up on the offer. With the delivery of those two pizzas, a benchmark for Bitcoin's utility was established.

Hanyecz did not stop at one order. Having mined over 100,000 BTC in those early days, he continued to use his tokens to order pizzas throughout 2010. He has since stated in interviews that he has no regrets. For him, the value was not in holding onto the digital assets, but in the experience of participating in the very first real-world use of a technology that he helped bring to life.

Those 10,000 Bitcoins would hold an astronomical value in today's market. Instead of focusing on the price tag, the community remembers the event as a successful proof of concept. Hanyecz, who had helped develop early GPU mining technology, was actively testing whether this experimental digital currency could facilitate real-world trade. He succeeded, demonstrating that Bitcoin had transitioned from a theoretical, experimental whitepaper into a functioning medium of exchange.

Every year since, the digital asset industry marks this anniversary as a reminder of our collective journey from niche digital experimentation to global mainstream adoption.

Celebrating the legacy with Toobit's 2026 Pizza Day campaign

To honor this anniversary and the spirit of innovation that drives our community, Toobit is marking the 16th anniversary of this historic trade with a 100,000 USDT Pizza Day celebration.

Running from May 12 to May 25, 2026, this campaign rewards the same pioneering spirit that defined the original 2010 transaction. We have built an ecosystem-wide event that allows traders to claim a slice of the prize pool through activities tailored to various trading styles.

To ensure every trader can find a strategy that fits their goals, we have designed diverse ways to participate in the festivities:

• Slice of surprises: Earn draw chances for guaranteed rewards, including BTC and exclusive Pizza Day merchandise, by completing daily deposit and trading targets.

• The risk-free first bite: For new traders, we provide a safety net for your first BTC spot trade. Hold your BTC for 48 hours, and if the market price drops, Toobit will cover the difference with up to 100 USDT in Trial Funds.

• BTC cashback feast: On the anniversary itself (May 22), futures traders can earn fee rebates delivered as BTC airdrops.

• Pizza party rewards: You can secure additional rewards by following @Toobit_official on X, sharing campaign content, and submitting your entry via the designated social channels. Valid participants can earn 10 USDT, with an extra 10 USDT Bonus for the first 500 early birds.

• DEX+ bonus bites: For those active on our decentralized platform, we have added specific volume milestones to unlock additional token airdrops.

Claim your slice

Bitcoin Pizza Day honors a hungry developer while serving as a massive celebration of community, persistence, and the maturation of a global financial asset. As we celebrate 16 years of ecosystem growth, we invite you to join the festivities, refine your strategy, and take advantage of the rewards we have developed for the occasion.

Join the festivities and start trading today. You can find full campaign requirements on our announcement page.