3/14 Happy Pi Day

March 14 (3/14) is celebrated annually as Pi Day because the date resembles the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter — 3.14159265359... or, rounded off, 3.1416. 2016, therefore, provided a particularly good reason to celebrate: 3/14/16. The year before (3.14.15) was significant because it matched the first four digits after the decimal point - now we're back to regular old Pi.

Archimedes (wiki) (circa 287–212 B.C.) is credited with doing the first calculation of Pi. British mathematician William Jones came up with the Greek letter and symbol for the figure in 1706, the use of which was later popularized by mathematician Leonhard Euler (wiki), beginning in 1737.

Here's a good general explanation of Pi (kid-oriented, but that makes it straightforward):

And here's what Pi sounds like:

Wednesday links

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879: here's a short bio, video, an explanation of gravitational waves, and the strange post-mortem travels of his brain. Related: Einstein's forgotten inventions.

Why did ancient people drill holes in their heads?

The Quest for a Universal Translator for Old, Obsolete Computer Files.

3.14: Happy Pi Day.

The woman who thought she was married to Napoleon.

Death-Defying 40-ft Vertical Plunges: The High-Diving Horsewomen of Atlantic City.

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include solving crimes with knot analysis, Daylight Saving Time history (including Ben Franklin's proposal), a street-legal jet-powered Volkswagen Beetle, and, for Chuck Norris' 78th birthday, his 5 most badass movies, supercut of Norris's best kicks and a bunch of Norris "facts".

Tuesday links

Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879: here's a short bio, video, an explanation of gravitational waves, and the strange post-mortem saga of his brain.

New Zealand Could Have Been Part of the United States.

Project Habakkuk: Britain’s Secret Ship Made of Ice.

3.14: Happy Pi Day.

National Geographic Infographics, A Pictorial History.

Why Some Cars Have Gas Tank Fillers On The Left Or The Right.

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include Chuck Norris' 77th birthday, Japanese equipment for clearing a path through 60 feet of snow, Daylight Saving Time history (including Ben Franklin's proposal), how Mickey Mouse evades the public domain, and how to make prescription eyeglasses from scratch.