No, really!

Today’s date, expressed in purely mathematical terms, is ‘3/3/09’. And, as most of us will recall, three is the square root of nine. That makes it Square Root Day!

“[Square Root] days are like calendar comets. You wait and wait and wait for them, then they brighten up your day and — poof — they’re gone,” Ron Gordon, the Redwood City, CA, teacher who started it all, told reporters.

Gordon says his daughter’s ‘official’ Square Root Day MySpace page has attracted hundreds of visitors who have reported their plans to celebrate Square Root Day in a variety of ways, many of which involve food. Some were planning to carve root vegetables into squares. Others were planning to serve cakes and other dishes made in the shape of the square root sign.

Square Root Day is not an annual event, or even a regular occurrence. In fact, the last one happened on Ground Hog Day in 2004 (2/2/04), and the next one won’t come around until April 4, 2016 (4/4/16).

So party hearty today, square root fans! It’s going to be a long wait for the next one…

2 Responses to Happy ‘Square Root Day’


  1. Fred
    Mar 04, 2009

    But wait, that’s not all: Today is the only day of the year whose month and date is a complete sentence phonetically, albeit in the imperative case.

    So march forth and enjoy the day.

    Also upcoming:

    March 14, pi day
    May 4 Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you)


  2. Maggie James
    Mar 04, 2009

    Enjoy March 4th?

    I’m already consumed with the challenge of figuring out what kind of pie to bake for the 14!

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