Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mcnc!rti!dg-rtp!larrybud.rtp.dg.com!goudreau From: goudreau@larrybud.rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions Subject: Re: Why does "cal 9 1752" produce incorrect results? Message-ID: <1990Nov28.003430.15120@dg-rtp.dg.com> Date: 28 Nov 90 00:34:30 GMT References: <1990Nov27.170041.28341@watdragon.waterloo.edu> Sender: usenet@dg-rtp.dg.com (Usenet Administration) Reply-To: goudreau@larrybud.rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) Organization: Data General Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC Lines: 38 In article <1990Nov27.170041.28341@watdragon.waterloo.edu>, psmielke@lotus.uwaterloo.ca (Peter Mielke) writes: > > > I believe there was a date change sometime, where the civilised > > world lost a fortnight to allow the 'old calendar' to become the > > 'new calendar' which would be in sync with the seasons ... > > It was more than a fortnight, and it took the governments white a bit ^^^^^^^^^ > of explaining tothe general populous that they were not being ripped > off 2 weeks of their life (i'm not quite sure if it came to riots in ^^^^^^^ > the streets) Begging your pardon, but a fortnight *is* two weeks. In any case, the British Empire's conversion to the Gregorian calendar in 1752 was implemented by having September 2nd be followed directly by September 14th. This is a loss of eleven days, not "more than a fortnight". But you're correct about the unrest in the general populace. Time and date keeping was much more parochial and provincial several centuries ago compared to the present. Not only did each town reckon its own (solar-based) time of day (standard "time zones" did not appear until introduced by American railroads in the late 1800s), but it was also common for neighboring countries to use completely different calendars. Britain lagged most of continental Europe in finally converting to the Gregorian system, but note that Russia did not convert until after its revolution in 1917! That's how the so-called "October Revolution" ended up with its anniversary in November. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Bob Goudreau +1 919 248 6231 Data General Corporation 62 Alexander Drive goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 ...!mcnc!rti!xyzzy!goudreau USA