Super Bowl Day, on which Americans google how to read Roman numerals. This is why

ON SUPER Bowl day, you might think Americans want to know the score. Or the most popular ad. Or what songs Katy Perry will sing. Nope, guess again.

SUPER Bowls are numbered in Roman numerals. Most Americans don’t understand Roman numerals. That’s why there’s really only one thing Americans want to know today.

Forget the score or whatever tunes Katy Perry will warble in her four-song halftime set. On this day, Americans want to know how the heck to read those darn Roman numerals.

Katy gets very excited when told an “XLIX” is a new form of nose piercing.

This rather amusing google graph reveals all. As you can see, there’s a massive spike in the number of people asking “how to read Roman numerals” about a month into the year, when the Super Bowl is held.

Help! What the heck does “XLIX” mean?

There’s an interesting history behind the reason the NFL uses Roman numerals.

America’s NFL (National Football League) was the country’s premier American Football competition, but a rival league, the AFL, was formed in the 1960s.

The Super Bowl emerged as the game that would decide the champion of both leagues (now two divisions, the NFC and AFC, playing in the one league, the NFL).

The first Super Bowl was held at the end of the 1966 season, although it wasn’t actually called Super Bowl I. Instead, it had the not particularly romantic name of the “AFL-NFL Championship Game”.

Roman numerals officially came in five years later for Super Bowl V.

See? Number 49, held in 2015.

The reason Roman numerals were employed was to distinguish the game number from the year in which it is played. For example, this year’s Super Bowl XLIX (49) is being played in 2015. If they just called it Super Bowl 49, some people might think it was or will be played in 1949 or 2049. Or something. Americans are easily confused, you know.

And for those still in the dark: HOW TO READ ROMAN NUMERALS

Originally published as Super Bowl Day, on which Americans google how to read Roman numerals. This is why