So for those of you who do not know, today is world Bitcoin Pizza Day. It is the day we celebrate the first bitcoin commercial transaction. That transaction cost 10,000 BTC which was valued at $38,000,000 the last time I checked the market.
On May 22, 2002, Hanyeecz, who happens to be an early miner and a contemporary of the infamous bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, bought two pizzas with 10,000 BTC and it is celebrated across the globe as Bitcoin Pizza Day.
The very first time I heard the story I was bewildered. I certainly would be kicking myself if I sold bitcoin at that rate for just two pizzas. Well in Hanyeecz's defence the coin was still in its experimental stage and many thought it would not amount to anything.
However, today bitcoin has gone mainstream. The coin is currently trading above $38,000 and given its speculative nature, many predict it would surpass its all-time-high sooner or later.
Back to Hanyeecz. I can't begin to imagine the stigma that comes with being the guy who threw ten thousand bitcoin away for just two pizzas. People still make fun of him till today.
Fortunately, Hanyeecz has taken it in his stride. He even mentioned not being perturbed about that amount of bitcoin for pizzas.
The truth is, if you've been in this crypto game long enough chances are you might have been the pizza guy yourself--I have. You've either sold at the bottom or done something silly with an airdrop. It is bound to happen at some point.
The lesson for most people would be never to sell their crypto holdings. However, after a brief research on the bitcoin-pizza story, I will tilt towards living without any regret and not letting one bad experience define who you are.
From the interviews I watched where Hanyeecz was present, he did not look like a guy who was beating himself up because he sold 10,000 BTC for almost nothing. He has gone to do other things with his life and has a celebration in his name.
I will remember him not as the pizza guy but the guy who made the first crypto-based commercial transaction. Today I can have a shot at a decent life because someone dared to use this technology for something useful. Cheers!
