How to Celebrate Pi Day

Pi Day is, of course, March 14, celebrating the significance of the mathematical constant 3.141592653 … and so on. Interestingly enough, the day is also Einstein’s birthday.

Larry Shaw, a physicist working at the San Francisco Exploratorium, first proposed the holiday in 1988. The inaugural celebration involved staff walking around a circular space followed by consuming various fruit pies. Today, the tradition continues due to pie being a homonym and circular in nature, plus there are tours, a film screening and exhibits on the number.

Princeton University holds an entire weekend’s worth of activities, which include a pie-eating contest and a pizza making competition, as well as a walking tour of Einstein’s old neighborhood. The famous scientist was a resident there for 22 years, and the locals love to show it through the annual Einstein Look-a-Like Contest.

If you’re interested in attending a similar event, check out your local museums and universities. The Salvador Dali Museum, for example, celebrates Pi due to the artist’s love and use of the number in his art. For runners, many organizations, like the Illinois Science Council, host 3.14-mile runs.

For more news about events and information about the number, visit piday.org.