On May 22, 2010, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz ordered two pizzas and paid 10,000 BTC — worth about $41 at the time. This day became "Bitcoin Pizza Day," the symbolic starting point of Bitcoin's price history.
Those 10,000 BTC in 2026? Worth over $1 billion. The most expensive pizzas in human history.
Bitcoin Price Milestones
Bitcoin's price journey has been a true rollercoaster:
2009 — Satoshi Nakamoto launches Bitcoin. Price ≈ $0 2010 — First traded at $0.003. Pizza Day ($0.004/BTC) 2011 — Breaks $1, surges to $31, crashes to $2 2013 — First $1,000! Cyprus banking crisis as catalyst 2017 — $20,000! ICO mania and mainstream attention 2018 — Crashes to $3,200. "Bitcoin is dead" declared for the 350th time 2020 — Institutional investors enter post-COVID. Year-end: $29,000 2021 — All-time high $69,000! El Salvador adopts as legal tender 2022 — FTX collapse, drops to $16,000. Crypto winter 2024 — Bitcoin ETF approved! Breaks $100,000 2025–2026 — Fluctuating between $80,000–$120,000
What Drives the Surges and Crashes?
1. Halvings
Every ~4 years, Bitcoin mining rewards halve. Less supply → upward price pressure. Major bull runs followed every halving (2012, 2016, 2020, 2024).
2. Institutional Adoption
From 2020, companies like Tesla and MicroStrategy bought Bitcoin. The 2024 ETF approval opened Wall Street's floodgates.
3. Regulation & Events
China's mining ban (2021) and FTX's collapse (2022) triggered crashes, while ETF approval and El Salvador's adoption fueled rallies.
"What If You Bought $10 Worth in 2010?"
At $0.003/BTC in 2010, $10 would have bought roughly 3,333 BTC.
At $100,000/BTC in 2026? That's $333 million. Ten dollars turning into a third of a billion — one of the highest returns in human history.
Of course, holding through 50%+ crashes (five times!) is psychologically brutal. It's a textbook case of why high returns always come with high risk.
Bitcoin wins on raw returns, but volatility is extreme. It's experienced 50%+ drawdowns more than five times. High reward, high risk — the textbook example.
Think you know Bitcoin's price? Test your crypto instincts with today's price challenge!
