1930s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010
1940 Sometime during the nineteen forties, a large wooded area located diagonally across the street from our store was cleared. Over the period of a couple of years, a playground emerged out of the forest of trees and bushes. The newly constructed American Legion Playground became my after-dinner-retreat, when weather permitted. It was here, while sitting on a bench, that I was joined by an elderly man who told me stories about being a contestant in math-related memory competitions in Europe before coming to the United States. I remember him explaining Pi and how he was able to carry it to many, many digits, enough to win a major competition. After explaining what he was writing on both sides* of a small piece of paper (not that I understood any of it), he gave it to me and, when I returned home, I put it into my scrap book. In 2019 I rediscovered the paper and showed it to Eric Smith (Math) who, with our granddaughter Caela (Math/Physics), was visiting from California. He was kind enough to study the equations and text-entries and to provide some insight (see transcription below). I must admit that I am still puzzled by the contents of the note. Nevertheless, it was fun to explore with Calea and Eric and to share my childhood memory with them.
1941
1945
1946
Entered Harding Junior High School, Philadelphia, PA
1947
1948
Frankford H.S. Philadelphia, PA
1949
