Historical Note

One day 200 years ago, it was Sept. 2 in the realm of King George II. Next morning, by Act of Parliament, it was Sept. 14. England, 170 years after most other European nations, at last switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar.

The Julian calendar (introduced by

Julius Caesar in 45 B.C.) was based on the solar year, i.e., the time it takes the earth to make its orbit around the sun. But Caesar's astronomers had not been accurate: the Julian year was 11 minutes, 14 seconds longer than the solar year. If this had gone on unchecked, spring would eventually have fallen in December, Easter coincided with Christmas.

By the 16th century, ten extra days had already piled up. In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII produced a solution: the ten days were dropped at once. Then he also decreed the dropping of three leap-year days every 400 years. With these adjustments the new calendar year was only 26 seconds ahead of the sun which means that each 3,323 years one day must be dropped. (Impending drop: 4905 A.D.) By the 18th century, only Russia, Protestant Sweden and England were holdouts against the "Popish" calendar. In 1752 the elegant Lord Chesterfield persuaded Parliament to give in to Gregory. "It was not . . . very honorable to England to remain in gross and unavowed error," he said, "especially in such company [as Russia ]."*But there was feverish agitation against the innovation. Lord Parker, son of the astronomer who had helped Chesterfield draw up his bill, was harassed everywhere he went by the cry: "Give us back the eleven days we have been robbed of!" But somehow, the British resigned themselves to the loss, scarcely miss their eleven days any more.

*Russia held out till 1918. As a result, the Bolshevik coup of Nov. 7 took place on Oct. 23 by the official Russian calendar, which is why it is known as the October Revolution.

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