16 Times History Made Us Hungry For Pi Day
Curated by Hilary Parkinson | Public and Media Communications
Happy Pi Day! Are you baking up a fresh dessert to celebrate? Get inspired by some historic pie deliciousness, fresh from our archives.
1) Everything about this photo is vintage #piegoals. The apron, the polka-dot potholders, that oven!
“Elderly lady removes pie from oven.” From the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library catalog.archives.gov/id/195874
2) Does your pie make THE CUT? These pie judges can tell with just ONE SLICE.
Pie-Judging Contest with Dr. Louise Stanley and Mary Lindsay catalog.archives.gov/id/5729294
3) You get a slice! And you get a slice! Everyone gets a slice! We’re pretty sure that this 700-pound pie—the largest ever baked at the time—would’ve been an Insta-hit.
Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover slices into the pie as Congressman Arthur Free of California watches. 1927. From the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library
4) Sure, meeting world leaders is great. But getting to meet the National Cherry Pie Queen? That’s the cherry on top of the…pie!
National Cherry Pie Queen Jo Ann Williams visits Senator Johnson. From the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library
5) People were writing about their love of pies in the days before Twitter. During the First World War, the future President Truman wrote home to his wife: “The wind isn’t blowing today and we are all very happy. Had chocolate pie for dinner. I am sure sorry about that sugar but I guess I can steal enough Hersheys from the canteen until you can send me some fudge.”
Letter from Harry S. Truman to Bess Wallace, October 22, 1917. From the Harry Truman Presidential Library
Read about 11 more times history made us hungry for pie, including Mamie Eisenhower’s recipe for Deep Dish Apple Pie, on Pieces of History.
