Bitcoin Pizza Day sparks memes May 22

X users spent May 22 posting pizza photos, memes and recycled price calculations for Bitcoin Pizza Day, the annual crypto observance tied to a 2010 purchase of two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoin. The posts on Friday mixed slices, screenshots and jokes about what that amount of bitcoin would be worth now. Several users also reposted the basic origin story: Florida programmer Laszlo Hanyecz’s trade on May 22, 2010. The anniversary has become a recurring fixture of crypto internet culture each year on May 22. ### Why does May 22 keep resurfacing in crypto feeds? May 22, 2010, is the date Hanyecz confirmed that he had received two pizzas in exchange for 10,000 BTC, according to accounts published by Gemini and ThinkMarkets. Those retellings trace the trade back to a May 18, 2010 post on the Bitcointalk forum, where Hanyecz offered 10,000 BTC for two large pizzas. The transaction is widely described as the first documented real-world purchase of a physical good using bitcoin. Gemini said Hanyecz later posted a photo of his family with the pizzas, while ThinkMarkets said the forum user “jercos,” later identified as Jeremy Sturdivant, arranged the order. ### Why is the number 10,000 BTC the part everyone jokes about? (gemini.com) The figure 10,000 BTC has become the shorthand for the day because it compresses the whole story into one number: an early bitcoin payment that looked minor at the time and enormous in retrospect. Gemini said the coins were worth about $41 when the pizzas were delivered, implying a bitcoin price of about $0.004. ThinkMarkets gave the same approximate dollar value for the trade. (gemini.com) Friday’s posts largely followed that script. Users shared pizza pictures, “most expensive pizza” jokes and references to the changing dollar value of those coins, echoing a pattern that has become standard for the anniversary. The social briefing supplied for this story also identified Bitcoin Pizza Day celebrations on X as a live topic on May 22, with users sharing memes and photos marking the date. (gemini.com) ### Who was Laszlo Hanyecz, and what exactly did he ask for? Laszlo Hanyecz was a Florida-based programmer who posted on Bitcointalk that he wanted two large pizzas delivered in exchange for 10,000 BTC. ThinkMarkets said he specified ordinary toppings including onions, peppers, mushrooms and pepperoni, and said he would be happy to have leftovers. (gemini.com) Gemini said the order that arrived four days later included one large cheese pizza and one large supreme pizza from Papa John’s. That detail, along with the date and the bitcoin amount, has helped fix the event in crypto folklore. ### Why did a small 2010 purchase become an annual internet ritual? In 2010, bitcoin was still an obscure project with limited practical use, according to ThinkMarkets and Gemini. (thinkmarkets.com) Both accounts say the pizza purchase came to be treated as proof that bitcoin could be exchanged for tangible goods rather than existing only as software or a niche experiment. (gemini.com) That origin story lends itself to annual reposting because it is simple, visual and numerical: two pizzas, 10,000 BTC, one date. Crypto companies and enthusiasts now use May 22 for promotions, explainers, meetups and social posts, and several corporate campaigns tied to Bitcoin Pizza Day 2026 were published on Friday. (gemini.com) ### What happens after the memes fade? May 22 is the standing date for Bitcoin Pizza Day, and the next visible milestone will be the same anniversary cycle in 2027. In the meantime, the original reference points remain the same: Hanyecz’s May 18, 2010 Bitcointalk offer, the May 22, 2010 confirmation that the pizzas arrived, and the 10,000 BTC figure that users revived again on May 22, 2026. (gemini.com) (markets.businessinsider.com)