Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!prcrs!paul
From: paul@prcrs.UUCP (Paul Hite)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Why does "cal 9 1752" produce incorrect results?
Message-ID: <1333@prcrs.UUCP>
Date: 4 Dec 90 03:20:09 GMT
References: <3313@ns-mx.uiowa.edu> <614@svcs1.UUCP> <890@jonlab.UUCP>
Organization: PRC Realty Systems, McLean, VA
Lines: 29

In article <890@jonlab.UUCP>, jon@jonlab.UUCP (Jon H. LaBadie) writes:
> Bob's answer does lead me to ask a question however.  I have
> fequently heard the "+j" option of the date command (which outputs
> the day of the year - 1 to 366) referred to the "Julian" date.
> Where did this nomenclature come from? 
> 

Well, some guy named Joseph Justus Scaliger decided that astronomers
needed a different system of reckoning days.  His system begins on 
Jan. 1, 4713 B.C.  That day is numbered 1 and each day after it gets
the next number.  "Jan 1, 1991 will be Julian Day 2,448,256" according
to my almanac.  The screwy part is that on Jan. 1, 3267 A. D. we go back
to Julian Day 1.  Another source says that Julian Days start at noon and
go till the next noon.

As for the Julian Day/Gregorian Calendar conflict, I'd say it was intentional.
Mr. Scaliger devised his system "A year after the Gregorian calendar was 
first instituted" (according again to my almanac).  His father was named
Julius Caesar Scaliger.  Looks to me like Joseph didn't appprove of Pope
Gregory's efforts.

Here's something that I haven't seen mentioned: When the Julian Calendar
was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 B. C., the seasons were off a bit.
So he added some days to square things away.  So "With a total 445 days,
46 B. C. is the longest calendar year on record."   It doesn't say just
where these days were added.

Paul Hite   PRC Realty Systems  McLean,Va   uunet!prcrs!paul    (703) 556-2243
        You can't tell which way the train went by studying its tracks.