Yesterday was Martin Gardner’s birthday. (And unfortunately, I wasn’t feeling well, so I apologize for not getting this post up in a more timely manner.)

If you don’t know Martin Gardner, you absolutely should.

For twenty-five years, he penned a column in Scientific American called Mathematical Games, adding a marvelous sense of puzzly spirit and whimsy to the field of mathematics, exploring everything from the works of M.C. Escher to visual puzzles like the mobius strip and tangrams.

His affection for magic, puzzles, and mathematics was infectious, and events known as Gatherings 4 Gardner began springing up. After his passing on May 22, 2010, his legacy now lives on thanks to an annual global event known as the Martin Gardner Celebration of Mind.

Magic tricks, puzzles, recreational math problems, and stories about Martin are shared by admirers and devotees, all in the hopes of maintaining and spreading the wonderful spirit of playful mathematical experimentation that Gardner embodied so brilliantly.

So today, we here at PuzzleNation invite our fellow puzzle fiends and math lovers to join us in celebrating not only Martin’s life and love of all things mathy and puzzly, but the marvelous tradition of sharing those interests with others.

And in the spirit of sharing similar puzzle joy, I proudly give you our own little contribution… the mobius bagel.

[For a complete bibliography and breakdown of the fifteen printings of Gardner’s Mathematical Games columns, click here. To check out some of his many delightful columns, click here. And to solve a number of Martin’s most popular puzzles and brain teasers, click this link provided by our friends at ThinkFun.]

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