Darwin Day
12 February
Darwin’s work continues to inspire scientists worldwide. And what’s not to celebrate about the man who worked out the wonders of evolution via natural selection? A day of celebrations since the 1990s held on Darwin’s birthday.
Pi Day
14 March
Marked in honour of the infinitely interesting mathematical number pi (π): the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Since this is, when rounded, 3.14, the 14th day of the third month was chosen for festivities - a decision rubber-stamped in the US House of Representatives in 2009.
Yuri’s Night
12 April
An annual bash saluting Yuri Gagarin, who became the first man in space on 12 April, 1961. Also known as the World’s Space party, it was launched in 2000 and has the backing of numerous organisations including the US National Space Society. Today, enthusiasts throw parties in more than 70 locations worldwide.
Tau Day
28 June
Not to be outdone by the festivities surrounding the mathematical constant pi, Tau Day is celebrated by those who think that tau, which can be defined as double pi, is the constant that should be used in calculations involving circles. The tau movement was instigated by theoretical physicist Dr Michael Hartl, who launched Tau Day to forward the cause.
Space Exploration Day
20 July
Gather your space-loving friends, bake some moon pies and watch Apollo 13 to celebrate this annual US commemoration of the day Neil Armstrong planted his space boots on lunar soil. Space enthusiasts have been celebrating this day for decades but have yet to succeed in their petition to turn the celebrations into a national holiday.
Ada Lovelace Day
14 October 2014
Fighting the gender imbalance in science, engineering and tech, this day pays homage to Charles Babbage’s colleague – and arguably the first computer programmer – Ada Lovelace, by encouraging efforts to raise the profile of women across the sciences. Founded by Suw Charman-Anderson it has gained widespread support, including from prominent researchers.
Mole Day
23 October
Nothing to do with mammals, international Mole Day was founded in 1991 by the National Mole Day Foundation in the US. The mole describes the quantity of a substance which contains Avogadro’s constant (6.02 x 1023) of particles (the number of atoms in exactly 12g of carbon-12). Party hats should be on from 6:02am to 6:02pm on the 23rd day of the 10th month.
Newton Day (‘Grav-Mass Day’)
25 December
Championed by computer programmer Richard Stallman, Grav-Mass Day celebrates the work of Isaac Newton whose birthday falls on this festive date (in the old Julian calendar). Providing an alternative day of celebration for atheists, advocates recommend decorating trees with loosely hung apples, as a nod to the great man’s pomological inspiration.
