In 2005 a student sold a million pixels for a million dollars. Here is the full story of the Million Dollar Homepage and how it inspired The Global Wall.
In August 2005, a 21-year-old student named Alex Tew had a simple idea to pay for university: sell a web page made of one million pixels, at $1 per pixel, in blocks of 10x10.
The Million Dollar Homepage went viral. Businesses and individuals rushed to claim their pixels, drawn by the novelty and the permanence of the idea. By January 2006, the final 1,000 pixels were auctioned on eBay, and the page had earned $1,037,100.
It became a case study in internet marketing, virality, and the power of a simple, original idea.
The homepage proved that people value permanence and scarcity online. Once the pixels were gone, they were gone -- and everyone who bought early became part of internet history.
That core idea -- own a permanent piece of a shared canvas -- is timeless. It is exactly why it still resonates two decades later.
The Global Wall reimagines the concept for today: a larger 1.2-million-pixel canvas, instant logo uploads, secure Stripe checkout, a clickable brand directory, and a mobile-first design. The spirit is the same -- claim your permanent spot before it is gone -- but the experience is built for the modern web.
Whether you are a startup, a creator, or a small business, you can own your piece of the wall from just $1.
Buy permanent pixel space on The Global Wall