--- title: Pi Day 2016: Deals, Celebrations, History description: March 14 is celebrated annually as Pi Day because the date resembles the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter 3.14. canonical: https://time.com/4250116/pi-day-2016/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-14T02:00:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:49:42.095Z og:title: Why Pi Day 2016 Is Extra Special og:description: If you're looking for an excuse to pig out on pie or pie someone og:url: https://time.com/4250116/pi-day-2016/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5bfe982d8d37ae8a/698889ff428a9eb070cd1afd/gettyimages-140891270.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4100 og:image:height: 2306 og:image:alt: 140891270 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Pi Day 2016 Is Extra Special twitter:description: If you're looking for an excuse to pig out on pie or pie someone twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5bfe982d8d37ae8a/698889ff428a9eb070cd1afd/gettyimages-140891270.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Pi Day 2016 Is Special > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=013dfb65-a13b-416b-b68c-4ba7e07bcc88&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Best Deals for National Pi Day [Watch (HLS stream): Best Deals for National Pi Day](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/qhVodrx5.m3u8) (1:02)  _Published 2016-03-14. March 14th is National Pi Day, and some companies are offering deals aimed at making math’s biggest holiday approximately 3.14 times better._  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Mar 14, 2016 2:00 AM UTC March 14th is National Pi Day, and some companies are offering deals aimed at making math’s biggest holiday approximately 3.14 times better.  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Mar 14, 2016 2:00 AM UTC 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 3.14 for short. Archimedes of Syracuse (about 287–212 B.C.) is credited with doing the first calculation of Pi, while British mathematician William Jones came up with the Greek letter and symbol for the figure in 1706 — which was later popularized by Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler, beginning in 1737. Last year’s date — 3.14.2015 — was especially significant because it matched the first four digits after the decimal point. This year, some math lovers have already started calling 3.14.16 [“Rounded Pi Day,”](http://www.teachpi.org/uncategorized/3-14-16-is-upon-us-um-rounded-pi-day/) rounding up those four digits. In honor of this math holiday, expect to see a lot of offers for $3.14 slices of pie and [pizzas](https://www.facebook.com/BlazePizza/photos/a.430001300347026.115993.355317937815363/1270600592953755/?type=3&theater). The [admissions office at MIT](https://decisions.mit.edu/) is famous for handing out decisions on that day, while the Exploratorium in San Francisco has always [thrown a party](http://www.exploratorium.edu/pi/). And because 3.14 is also Albert Einstein’s birthday, [a celebration](http://www.pidayprinceton.com/) takes place in Princeton, N.J., in honor of both Pi Day and the mathematical genius, [who lived in the area.](https://www.princeton.edu/~oktour/virtualtour/korean/Hist01-Einstein.htm) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4250116/pi-day-2016/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4250116/pi-day-2016/"},"headline":"Why Pi Day 2016 Is Special","datePublished":"2016-03-14T02:00:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:49:42.095Z","description":"If you're looking for an excuse to pig out on pie or pie someone","url":"https://time.com/4250116/pi-day-2016/","keywords":["Newsfeed","society"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5bfe982d8d37ae8a/698889ff428a9eb070cd1afd/gettyimages-140891270.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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