You can do the math on what those 10,000 bitcoins would be worth today. Most people stop there and call the story a sad tragedy, a missed opportunity. But there's more to it than that. Someone, somewhere, had to be the first person to take bitcoin for something they actually wanted. Without that exchange, without Laszlo on one side and Jeremy on the other, bitcoin would still be a math experiment running on a few laptops. The actually pizza was never the point. The fact that some exchanged it was.
And since then, every year on May 22, people around the world order pizza, raise a glass to Laszlo, and mark the anniversary. Over sixteen years it's become Bitcoin's weirdest and most beloved holiday: equal parts inside joke, history lesson, and an excuse to spend time with friends and eating pizzas well together.
You don't need to know anything about bitcoin to come, or own any, or have an opinion already formed.
If you've:
Mostly we're here for the pizza, the company, and the small annual reminder that the most important transaction in this whole sixteen-year journey was, of all things, a Papa John's order.
Bitshala is a Bitcoin-focused education initiative where we help developers, designers, and curious builders learn by doing. We run cohorts, clubs, workshops, a hackerspace, and community programs that make it easier for people to explore, contribute to, and build on Bitcoin. Our focus is on hands-on learning, proof-of-work, and growing alongside a community of people who care about open technology, design, and the future of money.
If you'd like to explore more, check us out on:
Heads up: we're ordering pizza based on RSVPs, so if your plans change, please update yours.