YOU’RE ARRESTING ME FOR WHAT, OFFICER?
ANOTHER SLICE OF PI(E) THE SWEETEST WAYS TO CELEBRATE PI DAY
Behind every crazy law is an even crazier story. Like every state in the union, Alabama has its fair share of strange and nonsensical laws, and although the contexts in which many of the laws were created have passed on, the laws remain a part of our state’s legal code. These three laws are far from the only strange laws in Alabama, but they’re definitely some of the strangest out there. NO ICE CREAM IN THE BACK POCKET Of all the places to set your ice cream cone down, in your back pocket probably isn’t the first place you’d think of. That’s all well and good, because it’s illegal anyway. While the origin of the law is certainly up for debate, one source says the law was made to stop horse thieving. Apparently, horse thieves would put ice cream in their back pockets to make it look like the horses they were stealing followed them willingly away from their owners. NO WEARING FAKE MUSTACHES IN CHURCH Fake mustaches in the streets? Go nuts. Fake mustaches in church? Go to jail. This is a silly law about a silly prop, and while its exact origins are unknown, the reasoning against wearing fake mustaches in church was apparently that it would cause disrespectful laughter. So, to any churchgoers unable to grow a beard, sorry — guess you’ll just have to stick with what God gave you. 3 CRAZY, ACTUAL LAWS IN ALABAMA
Break out your calculators and grab your aprons because it’s almost Pi Day! This holiday has gained popularity among mathematicians and bakers alike — two groups that rarely overlap. Pi Day is March 14, which when written numerically is 3-14, the first three digits of the mathematical constant pi. Pi is special because it’s used to calculate the circumference of a circle. This might not sound like a big deal, but pi is used in engineering, construction, GPS, motors, power generation, and even television! If we hadn’t calculated pi, none of these achievements would be possible. Pi is pretty important, and it’s definitely worth celebrating! Here are two ways you can get in on the fun. LEARN TO RECITE PI Pi has fascinated mathematicians for centuries because it’s an irrational number, meaning the digits go on forever. If you want to try your hand at memorizing some of the numbers, here are the first 50 decimal digits of pi (with spaces, so they’re easier to remember!). To make things simple, we often round pi up to 3.14, but many people have challenged themselves to memorize and recite as many digits as possible. In the Guinness Book of World Records, the record is currently held by Rajveer Meena, who recited pi to the 70,000th digit on March 21, 2015. And he did it all while blindfolded! EAT SOME PIE Another popular way to enjoy Pi Day is to bake and eat pie. This dessert is perfect because it’s both a homophone (same pronunciation as “pi” but with a different spelling and meaning) and a circle. Challenge your friends to a pie-baking contest, or buy your favorite pie from the store and have a pie- eating contest. And, while this may be a controversial stance, we believe pizza pie deserves a place in Pi Day celebrations, too. 3.14159 26535 89793 23846 26433 83279 50288 41971 69399 37510
NO BEAR WRESTLING MATCHES
For an activity that sounds like it came straight out of the frontier days of yore, this law was actually enacted
relatively recently — in 1996. Bear wrestling was a popular spectacle among Alabamans, and at many a moderated match, men would step into the ring and pit their strength against these mighty beasts. Then, two Alabama congressmen made the sport illegal, citing reasons of animal
cruelty. Now, if anyone in Alabama wants to wrestle a bear, they’ll just have to find their own in the wilderness.
Here’s to Pi Day: the tastiest, nerdiest holiday of the year!
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