Good morning, it’s Thursday.
Thanks to the unexpected smash hit “Oppenheimer”, the history of the development of the nuclear weapon that ended WW II is now well known among the movie-going public.
Perhaps less apparent, at least in this particular telling, was the role played by Albert Einstein, who, contrary to popular belief, did not directly work on a nuclear bomb. His equation, E=mc2, does EXPLAIN the energy released in an atomic bomb, but does NOT provide a roadmap on how to build one.
Einstein was a pacifist, and his relationship with nuclear weapons was complicated, to say the least. The German physicist, widely held to be one of the greatest and most influential scientists ever, was born on this day in 1879.
It’s fitting, perhaps, that today also happens to be National Pi Day, celebrating what is arguably one of the most significant symbols in math, physics, and statistics.
To be clear, though, Einstein did not discover Pi.
The first calculation of Pi (AKA π) was done many, MANY years before Einstein was on the scene. That credit for determining the modern definition of Pi – 22/7 or 3.14 – goes to Archimedes of Syracuse (287–212 BC), one of the greatest mathematicians of his time, though the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians all understood the concept of Pi, as did the Greeks and the Chinese.
When today’s date is written like this – 3.14 – it matches the initial three digits of Pi, the symbol that addresses the ratio between the circumference and diameter of a circle (the line segment that bisects the circle’s origin and whose endpoints lie on its perimeter).
The symbol π is widely believed to have been introduced into common use by William Jones, a British mathematician, in the 1700s.
It was further popularized by a Swiss mathematician named Leonhard Euler, though he is best known for inventing the functional notation, f(x), and for developing the trigonometric functions that represent sine, cosine, and tangent. (Ugh, freshman math is coming back to haunt me).
Pi is a platonic concept, which in numerical terms can be approached but never reached. Scientists have used high-performance computers to calculate Pi more than 100 trillion digits beyond its decimal point, according to a 2022 Google report, though only a tiny fraction of those are used in most calculations.
It should be noted, also, that Guinness World Records considers the most accurate value for Pi to be more than 62 trillion digits (62,831,853,071,796 to be precise), which was calculated in August 2021 by the University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland.
Pi Day has been recognized by Congress, and in 2019, designated by UNESCO as the International Day of Mathematics. Apparently, though, the tradition of observing this day started in San Francisco, CA at the Exploratorium, which was founded by Frank Oppenheimer, a physicist and professor.
He also just so happened to be the younger brother of the aforementioned “father of the atomic bomb,” J. Robert Oppenheimer.
You see? Everything really IS connected.
Though this day has a mathematical focus, lots of general interest folks are getting in on the action, offering deals on all things “pie” related – both savory (pizza) and sweet.
It will be a great day for eating your pie outside. Though skies will be largely cloudy, temperatures will be in the low-to-mid 60s.
In the headlines…
In a capital where Republicans and Democrats agree on virtually nothing, it was notable when the House overwhelmingly declared that TikTok poses such a grave risk to national security that it must be forced to sell its U.S. operations to a non-Chinese owner.
Although a bill that would ban TikTok from U.S. app stores unless Chinese company ByteDance divests itself from the company passed the House with broad bipartisan support, seven of the votes against it came from New York City Democrats.
Israel has accused President Joe Biden of attempting to overthrow Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as the rift between the two allies deepens.
Biden will consider conditioning military aid to Israel if the country moves forward with a large-scale invasion of Rafah, according to four U.S. officials with knowledge of internal administration thinking.
Canada’s government pledged this week to make equal contributions to groups supporting either Israeli or Palestinian women who have been sexually abused during the continuing war in the Gaza Strip.
President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority intends to appoint Muhammad Mustafa, a close economic adviser, as prime minister in the coming days, according to two Palestinian officials, a EU diplomat and a fourth person with knowledge of the matter.
The president started a two-day swing through Wisconsin and Michigan in Milwaukee yesterday as he tried to shore up a Democratic “blue wall” and build momentum for his reelection campaign after a fiery State of the Union address last week.
Biden announced in Milwaukee, WI, a $3.3 billion investment “to reconnect and rebuild” neighborhoods that were damaged and cut up by a century of transit projects planned with little regard for disadvantaged communities.
Biden plans to express concern over Nippon Steel’s proposed $14.9 billion purchase of U.S. Steel, a person familiar with the matter said, pushing the U.S. company’s stock nearly 13% lower on bets the deal could face greater political opposition.
Syracuse University is in the running to become the home of Biden’s presidential library.
Vice President Kamala Harris plans to meet with abortion providers and staff members today in the Twin Cities, a visit that is believed to be the first stop by a president or vice president to an abortion clinic.
Democrats’ bill to create federal protections for in vitro fertilization services is getting its first Republican co-sponsor: New York Rep. Marc Molinaro, who said he’s “troubled” by the Alabama ruling and has had “personal experience” with IVF.
Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, will go on trial for gun-related charges on June 3, a federal judge ruled.
The judge overseeing the Georgia election interference case dismissed some of the charges against former President Donald Trump, but many other counts in the indictment remain.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee wrote in an order that six of the counts in the indictment must be quashed, including three against Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to announce a running mate for his independent presidential campaign on March 26 in Oakland, California, his campaign said.
Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary student in Oklahoma who died a day after a physical altercation in a high school girls’ bathroom, died as a result of suicide, according to an autopsy report released yesterday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul joined the co-hosts of the daytime talk show “The View” yesterday, where she spoke about public safety as it relates to transportation, congestion pricing and immigration.
Hochul suggested on the popular TV program that her former boss Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not give her advance notice before he announced his resignation in the summer of 2021. Members of Cuomo’s inner circle promptly disputed Hochul’s account.
Cuomo slammed his successor’s decision to deploy the National Guard to New York City subway stations — arguing instead for more police officers to patrol underground.
“Lifelong New Yorker” and actor Whoopi Goldberg gave Hochul an on-air earful over the Empire State’s controversial congestion pricing toll plan.
The release of the Legislature’s counter budget proposals to Hochul’s $233 billion spending plan started the next stage of budget negotiations in Albany, and lawmakers are bracing for their toughest fight yet this session: reaching a deal on housing.
Housing is again the talk of the state budget, with a potential deal to enact a new tax break for developers in return to building affordable apartments in New York City.
The state Assembly this week passed a bill that would expand the state’s ban of the controversial drilling process to extract natural gas to include a newer practice that uses carbon dioxide to extract methane and circumvents the current policy.
Albany lawmakers are killing Mayor Eric Adams’ hopes of getting an extension of his control over New York City public schools included in the state budget. He will instead have to hope the Legislature passes an extension outside of the budget before June 30.
Speaker Adrienne Adams delivered her third State of the City address at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, offering a vision for the future of New York City that drew attention to some familiar areas of focus.
Speaker Adams ramped up her challenge to the mayor as she laid out her legislative plan for the year — including boosting oversight of City Hall.
Adams also unveiled a slate of proposals to make New York City more affordable and family-friendly, urging local officials to “get back to basics” and “make government work” for all New Yorkers.
Adams announced an effort to help hire New Yorkers for important but unfilled city jobs. As of September 2023, there were over 20,000 vacant municipal jobs, according to Council data.
Mayor Adams said that New Yorkers refer to the Big Apple as “The Port-Au-Prince of America,” a dubious claim that was later flagged on X for being untrue.
The elected officials behind a legal push to block Mayor Adams’ administration from housing migrants at Floyd Bennett Field voiced outrage after learning their court challenge had been quietly dismissed a week earlier.
New York City’s population declined again last year, according to new census estimates. But city officials said that those figures did not fully account for the growing number of migrants, which would have resulted in a minimal drop being reported.
Median rents in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Northwest Queens hit record highs in February as New Yorkers grapple with an ongoing affordability crisis, a new report found.
Brooklyn Councilwoman Susan Zhuang’s office recently used official city email accounts to solicit donations for a private non-profit group with reported ties to China’s government — actions that appear to run counter to local ethics laws.
Staten Island residents say they are being “inundated” with a growing number of battery storage facilities looking to develop in the borough.
Wynn Resorts unveiled art renderings for a massive $12 billion complex the casino giant hopes to build on Hudson Yards, a former graveyard for LIRR trains on the West Side of Manhattan.
MTA boss Janno Lieber is facing fire after he accused a group combating antisemitism of launching a “cyber attack” after the group complained about unauthorized Israel-bashing ads posted on subway trains.
Jakeba Dockery says in a notice of claim that graphic photos of her husband, MTA worker Richard Henderson, after he was shot on a No. 3 train were shared online in violation of New York’s civil rights law.
The United Airlines NYC Half Marathon will bring roughly 25,000 runners to New York City this Sunday, though it won’t conflict with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
A New York state trooper was acquitted of manslaughter charges in the killing of an unarmed man in downtown Buffalo after a high-speed highway chase.
A law firm found Saratoga Springs school officials repeatedly rehired two nationally renowned cross-country and track and field coaches despite complaints over three decades concerning overtraining and other issues related to treatment of student-athletes.
An Albany firefighter lost his bid to have the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reinstate his discrimination case against the city for rescinding a promotion in 2019.
The City of Albany unveiled its new 911 communications dispatch center.
Developers have partially completed a business park in Stillwater near computer chipmaker GlobalFoundries’ manufacturing facility, and are accepting tenants, while others prepare for an approved housing project in the same area.
Hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer Plug Power has been awarded $75.7 million in two grants from the U.S. Department of Energy to refine and expand its manufacturing output at factories it operates both here in the Capital Region and in Rochester.
A Bethlehem Central High School graduate is being remembered as an adventurous skateboarder-turned-outdoorsman who was carving out a life as an avalanche expert when he died last Thursday in a rock climbing accident in the Cascade Mountains.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
