3.14

Today is the day that gets math nerds — I mean “aficionados” — all excited. It’s Pi Day!

It’s celebrated on March 14 because the first three numbers if pi are 3.14. Then the next million numbers are 1592653597932384626433832795028841971 … oh, never mind. If you really want to know the first million digits, here you go.

If you’re like me and not a math person, here’s the longest name for a place in the world. It’s 85 letters long and in New Zealand.

99 Years

When I was a kid I took home a book from the library that I didn’t check out. I think there’s another word for that. It was a book of the best cartoons of the year, some of them from the Post. I never remembered to bring it back, and since this was almost 50 years ago I have no idea what happened to it (I’ve moved a few times).

I thought of that book when reading about the copy of Home-Made Toys for Girls and Boys by A. Neely Hall that was returned to the Ocean County Library in Tom’s River, New Jersey. It was checked out in 1926 by the grandfather of the woman who returned it.

The fine? $18,000! Thankfully they don’t impose fines anymore.

Seven39

Here’s an idea that is half-funny/half-genius: a social media site that is open for only three hours a day. You can post and read other posts, but only from 7:39 p.m. to 10:39 p.m. ET.

Headline of the Week

“Scottish Kebab Pie Crowned UK ‘Pie of Pies’“

RIP Pamela Bach, Fred Stolle, Gwen McCrae, D’Wayne Wiggins, Betty Bonney, and Art Schallock

Pamela Bach was an actress who appeared on Baywatch (with her former husband David Hasselhoff), The Young and the Restless, Sirens, and other shows. She died last week at the age of 62.

Fred Stolle was an Australian tennis player who won two Grand Slam singles titles and several doubles titles. He died last week at the age of 86.

Gwen McCrae had a hit in the ’70s with “Rockin’ Chair.” She died last week at the age of 81.

D’Wayne Wiggins was the co-lead singer and guitarist for the R&B group Tony! Toni! Tone! He died last week at the age of 64.

Betty Bonney sang the 1940s song “Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio” with the Les Brown Band. She died in January at the age of 100.

Uploaded to YouTube by Les Brown – Topic

Jessie Mahaffey survived when torpedoes capsized the U.S.S. Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor and a year later survived an attack on the U.S.S. Northampton. He died earlier this month at the age of 102.

Art Schallock was the oldest living major league baseball player. He died last week at the age of 100.

This Week in History

The Great Blizzard of ’88 (March 12, 1888)

It is also known as The Great White Hurricane.

First Gold Single — “Catch a Falling Star” (March 14, 1958)

It was sung by Perry Como, with background vocals by the Ray Charles Singers. Four months later, the Recording Industry Association of America gave the first Gold Album award to the soundtrack to Oklahoma!

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: Sun-Maid Raisins (March 13, 1920)

There’s a lot of talk in this ad about some amazing raisin pie you can make with Sun-Maid raisins, but there’s no recipe.

Pie Day

People also have pies on March 14, because they may not like math but they do like baking.

Here’s a recipe for Curtis Stone’s Grandma’s Cottage Pie, and here’s one for a Healthier Pecan Pie. The Pioneer Woman has a Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie, while Food Network has a Deep-Dish Snickers Pie. Sally’s Baking Addiction has a recipe for a Homemade Coconut Cream Pie (if you want to pretend to be Maryann from Gilligan’s Island), and Delish has a Strawberry Cheesecake Pie.

Oh, hey! I found the recipe for the Sun-Maid Raisin Pie!

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

March Madness Begins (March 16)

Here’s the full schedule, if you’re into college basketball.

St. Patrick’s Day (March 17)

Here’s “How America Invented St. Patrick’s Day,” from the March/April 2017 issue of the Post.

Spring Begins (March 20)

It begins at 5:01 a.m. EDT, to be precise.