When people talk about Bitcoin Pizza Day, everyone remembers Laszlo Hanyecz — the guy who paid 10,000 BTC for two Papa John's pizzas on May 22, 2010. Today, that amount would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. But here’s the interesting part: almost no one knows who sold him that pizza and what he did with his reward of 10,000 bitcoins.

The person’s name is Jeremy Sturdivant, online nickname jercos. At that time, he was only 19 years old and was actively hanging out on Bitcoin forums when Laszlo posted his offer — to exchange cryptocurrency for real food. Jeremy didn’t hesitate to agree. Imagine: a young guy in 2010, when hardly anyone knew what bitcoins were, just decided to buy pizza with bitcoins. That was a moment in history.

But here’s the funny part — unlike Laszlo, who became a crypto legend for his “spending,” Jeremy didn’t become a celebrity. He simply spent or exchanged those coins as Bitcoin gained popularity. No FOMO, no regrets. Later in interviews, he explained that at the time, Bitcoin was seen more as an experimental currency rather than a store of value. For him, it was just an opportunity to participate in something new.

Now Jeremy stays in the shadows. He didn’t become famous like Laszlo, but his role in the history of cryptocurrency is much more interesting, if you think about it. He represents those early adopters who believed in Bitcoin’s functionality as a currency, not as an investment asset.

Here’s the point: everyone is fixated on Laszlo’s lost story — that if he hadn’t spent 10,000 BTC on pizza, he’d be a multimillionaire today. But Jeremy’s story reminds us of the other side of the coin. Someone had to accept those coins. Someone had to believe that Bitcoin has value as a medium of exchange. Without people like Jeremy, willing to buy pizza with Bitcoin and accept this currency for goods, crypto would never have become what it is today.

By the way, today, with BTC trading around $80,906 and down 1.74% in the last 24 hours, it’s interesting to remember that once people exchanged these coins for lunch. Both guys — Laszlo and Jeremy — played key roles in demonstrating Bitcoin’s usefulness. Laszlo showed demand, Jeremy showed supply. Without this exchange, the history of cryptocurrency would look very different.

Next time you celebrate Bitcoin Pizza Day, remember not only Laszlo but also Jeremy Sturdivant — the real hero who simply did his part and stayed in the shadows. He bought pizza with bitcoins and became part of the legend, even without trying to become one.