Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!laidbak!obdient!yclept!root From: root@yclept.chi.il.us (Root) Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions Subject: Re: cal program on UNIX systems is wrong!! Summary: cal is correct Keywords: cal almanac calendar Julian Gregorian Message-ID: <444@yclept.chi.il.us> Date: 7 Aug 89 07:05:59 GMT References: <20492@adm.BRL.MIL> Reply-To: root@yclept.UUCP (Root) Followup-To: <20492@adm.BRL.MIL> Organization: Leptons and Quarks, Winfield, IL 60190-1412 Lines: 49 In article <20492@adm.BRL.MIL> Arnold.Gill%QueensU.CA@qucdn.queensu.ca writes: > > I have been exploring the UNIX system on our MIPS, and was playing around >with the `cal' routine. Upon reading the manual, I found that the special >case stated in the manual, namely that in September, 1752 11 days were dropped >from the calendar is absolutely garbage!! > > Calendar reform did not occur as late as 1752, even in Britain and the >US. Rather, calendar reform occurred nearly two centuries earlier when Pope >Gregory decreed that throughout Christendom, the day following October 4, 1582 >would be October 15. That's why we call our current calendar Gregorian! If >you wish references to look this up, might I suggest the Astronomical Almanac, >published jointly by the US Naval Observatory and the Royal Greenwich >Observatory. When counting Julian days in astronomical software, century >counts are listed evenly back to 1600, i.e. 11 days are NOT missing in the >18th century! > ... > >Arnold Gill >Queen's University at Kingston >BITNET: gilla@qucdn >INTERNET: Arnold.Gill@QueensU.CA I will use your chosen reference source. From page 414 of the 1961 edition of the "Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Ephemeris and the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac," I quote: "List of dates of adoption of the Gregorian calendar" ... American colonies 1752 September 3/14, at the same time as Great Britain ... Great Britain 1752 September 3/14, by Act of Parliament passed 1751 March 18; at the same time, the beginning of the year was changed from March 25 to January 1, commencing with the year 1752. <> I have been mentioned in Scientific American as having some knowledge in calendar systems. Because of my interest in calendar systems, I have these materials at hand. Randolph J. Herber, @ home: {att|amdahl|clout|mcdchg|laidbak|obdient|wheaton}!yclept!rjh, rjh@yclept.chi.il.us