Founded in 1988, and recognized by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2009, Pi Day celebrates the mathematical sign pi and fosters an appreciation for math and science.
Not matter how you slice it, March 14 has something for everyone.
The national holiday has been celebrated for decades now, since the late 1980s, thanks to a San Francisco physicist.
Larry Shaw, also known as the "Prince of Pi," is said to have originated the March 14 celebration when staff at the San Francisco Exploratorium marched in circles around the facility before digging into delicious fruit pies.
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WATCH HEREIt would be another 30 years before the United States House would pass a resolution officially recognizing March 14 as National Pi Day.
Pi, of course, symbolizes the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter and equals 3.14 (which is why its celebrated on March 14). The exact value of pi can't be calculated, but that doesn't mean people haven't tried.
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SIGN UP In 2021, according to Guinness World Records, the University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland calculated its value out to more than 62 trillion digits. Apparently, it takes a computer more than 100 days to reach 62,831,853,071,796 digits.
The symbol has a much deeper history dating back over 250 years. In 1706, Welsh mathematician William Jones introduced the symbol before it was later popularized by Leonhard Euler.
Holidays
From gift guides to local events, we're here to help you celebrate in style
The holiday's rich history has served as an opportunity to celebrate math, as well as enjoy a few freebies. Check out some of the restaurants and businesses nationwide will be celebrating one of the "nerdiest" days of the year with deals on actual pie, pizza pie and other delights.
