When 18th-century mathematics teacher William Jones applied Greek letter Pi as the symbol for 3.14, he never could have foreseen it symbolizing a day to celebrate baking.
Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter – approximately equal to 3.14159, or 3.14 for short. Being an irrational number, its decimal neither ends nor settles into a repeating pattern. You know the old joke: Don’t talk to Pi – he’ll go on forever.
Because the mathematical value of Pi begins 3.14, March 14 is considered International Pi Day. From there, it’s a natural leap to its homophone “pie,” making March 14 a day celebrated by mathematicians and pie lovers alike.
What’s America’s Favorite Pie?
Martha Stewart Living partnered with ThinkGeek.com in 2015 for a survey of pastry fans across the country to discover the favorite pie of every state. The answer couldn’t be more all-American: apple. It was the top answer in 25 of the 50 states.In Tennessee, apple and cherry pie tied for No. 1. Apple was the top choice in Georgia, but chocolate cream pie was the winner in Alabama.— Martha Stewart Living
An impromptu poll of Facebook users asking their favorite pies received answers all over the map. But a common thread among them was memories with which those pies were associated.