It’s probably no surprise to anyone with even a basic knowledge of mathematics that the International Day of Mathematics is observed on March 14th. After all, the date 3/14 corresponds to the numerical value of the mathematical constant pi (3.14). This holiday is organized and led by the International Mathematical Union and is supported by numerous other mathematical regional and international organizations.

The holiday has been observed since 2019 and is a day that spreads the word about the importance of mathematics around the world. Mathematics is something that can improve people’s quality of life and help solve current and future problems.

The History of the International Day of Mathematics

During the 205th session of UNESCO’s Executive Board, the International Day of Mathematics was first proposed. It was then adopted by UNESCO’s General Conference in November 2019.

The following year, this holiday was celebrated for the first time on March 14th. Its initial theme was “Mathematics is Everywhere,” and every year since then, a new theme has been chosen for the holiday’s celebrations to focus on a particular aspect of mathematics.

Some Pretty Interesting Math Facts

Okay, before you run off, we would like to present you and everyone else reading this article today with some pretty interesting facts about math. You really didn’t think that we’d just gloss over the math in a holiday article dedicated to the International Day of Mathematics, did you? Of course not. So grab a beverage, pull up a chair, and let’s go over the following math facts.

• The Old Norse term “hundrath,” which means 120, eventually became “hundred” in English and came to mean 100.
• If you assemble 24 random people in a room, there’s a 50% chance that two people will share the same month and day of birth.
• Every odd number has an “e” in it.
• The temperature of -40 degrees is the same in both Fahrenheit and Celsius.
• The symbol used for division (÷) is called an obelus.

Observing the International Day of Mathematics

This holiday is usually celebrated with activities and events all over the world. Some of these are organized by UNESCO, and some are organized by scientific and educational organizations.

This holiday can also be observed by people in a number of different ways. People can participate in math competitions, teach some math to others, or simply spread the love of math throughout the world using the hashtag #InternationalDayOfMathematics.