The π Through Time
A journey through mathematical history
1900 BC
Babylonians approximate π as 3.125
The earliest known calculation of π appears in the Rhind Papyrus.
250 BC
Archimedes' calculation
Used polygons to prove that 3.1408 < π < 3.1429.
480 AD
Zu Chongzhi's fraction
Chinese mathematician calculated π ≈ 355/113 (accurate to 6 decimal places).
1706
π symbol introduced
Welsh mathematician William Jones first used the Greek letter π.
1761
π proven irrational
Johann Lambert proved π cannot be expressed as a simple fraction.
1882
π proven transcendental
Ferdinand von Lindemann proved π cannot be a root of any algebraic equation.
1988
First Pi Day
Larry Shaw organized the first official celebration at San Francisco's Exploratorium.
2019
31.4 trillion digits
Google calculated π to 31.4 trillion decimal places.
2025
300 thrillion digits
Linus Media Group & Kioxia currently holds the record for the most digits of π calculated, at 300 trillion digits.