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1917

1917

1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.

Events

January-February

Julian calendar
- January 2 - The Royal Bank of Canada takes over Quebec Bank.
- January 22 - World War I: President Woodrow Wilson calls for "peace without victory" in Europe.
- January 25 - The Danish West Indies is sold to the United States for $25 million
- January 25 - Anti-prostitution drive in San Francisco attracts huge crowds to public meetings. At one meeting attended by 7000 people, 20000 are kept out for lack of room. In a conference with Rev. Paul Smith, an outspoken foe of prostitution, 300 prostitutes make a plea for toleration explaining they had been forced into the practice by poverty. When Smith asked if they would take other work at $8 to $10 a week, the ladies laughed derisively, which lost them public sympathy. The police close about 200 houses of prostitution shortly thereafter [http://www.zpub.com/sf50/sf/hbtbc12.htm]
- January 26 - The sea defences at the village of Hallsands, Devon are breached, leading to all but one of the houses becoming uninhabitable
- January 28 - The United States ends search for Pancho Villa
- January 30 - Pershing's troops in Mexico begin to withdraw to USA. They reach Columbus, New Mexico February 5
- January 31 - World War I: Germany announces its U-boats will engage in unrestricted submarine warfare.
- February 3 - World War I: The United States breaks off diplomatic relations with Germany
- February 5 - The constitution of Mexico is adopted.
- February 13 - Mata Hari is arrested for spying
- February 23 - The Russian Revolution begins with the overthrow of the Tsar.
- February 24 - World War I: United States ambassador to the United Kingdom Walter H. Page is given the Zimmermann Telegram, in which Germany offers to give the American Southwest back to Mexico if Mexico will declare war on the United States.

March-April


- March 1 - U.S. government releases the plaintext of the Zimmermann Telegram to the public
- March 1 - Japanese city Omuta, Fukuoka is founded
- March 2 - The enactment of the Jones Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
- March 4 - Jeannette Rankin of Montana becomes the first woman member of the United States House of Representatives.
- March 8 - The United States Senate adopts the cloture rule in order to limit filibusters.
- March 11 - Mexican Revolution - Venustiano Carranza elected president of Mexico - USA gives recognition of his government de jure
- March 15 - Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates.
- March 21 - The Danish West Indies become the Virgin Islands when Denmark transfers control over the islands to the United States after the purchase of the islands on January 25.
- March 26 - World War I: First Battle of Gaza - British cavalry troops retreat after 17,000 Turks block their advance.
- March 31 - The United States takes possession of the Virgin Islands after paying $25 million to Denmark.
- April 2 - World War I: US President Woodrow Wilson asks U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.
- April 6 - World War I: United States declares war on Germany. [http://wikisource.org/wiki/Woodrow_Wilson_declares_war_on_Germany text]
- April 9-12 - World War I: Canadian troops win the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
- April 10 - Ammunition factory explodes in Chester, Pennsylvania - 133 dead
- April 11 - World War I: Brazil severs relations with Germany
- April 16 - Lenin arrives in Petrograd
- April 16 - The Nivelle Offensive commences.

May-October


- May 9 - The Nivelle Offensive was abandoned.
- May 13 - Three peasant children claim to see the Virgin Mary above a holm oak tree in Cova da Iria near Fatima, Portugal.
- May 18 - World War I: The Selective Service Act passes the U.S. Congress giving the President the power of conscription.
- May 27 - Over 30.000 French troops refuse to go to the trenches in Missy-aux-Bois
- June 1 - French infantry regiment seizes Missy-aux-Bois and declares anti-war military government. French army soon apprehend them
- June 5 - World War I: Conscription begins in the United States as "Army registration day."
- June 13 - World War I: First major German bombing raid on London left 162 dead and 432 injured
- June 15 - The United States enacts the Espionage Act.
- July 6 - Arabian troops led by T.E. Lawrence capture Aqaba from the Turks.
- July 7 - Aleksandr Kerensky forms the Provisional Government in Russia after the deposing of the tsar.
- July 12 - Phelps Dodge Corporation deports over 1000 suspected IWW members from Bisbee, Arizona
- July 17 - King George V of the United Kingdom issues a Proclamation stating that the male line descendants of the British royal family will bear the surname Windsor.
- July 20 - Corfu Declaration that enabled post-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia was signed by the Yugoslav Committee and Kingdom of Serbia
- July 25 - Sir Thomas Whyte introduces the first income tax in Canada as a "temporary" measure (lowest bracket is 4% and highest is 25%).
- August 29 - World War I: The Military Service Act is passed in the Canadian House of Commons giving the Canadian government the right to conscript men into the army.
- October 15 - World War I: At Vincennes outside of Paris, Dutch dancer Mata Hari is executed by firing squad for spying for Germany.
- October 19 - Love Field in Dallas, Texas is opened.
- October 26 - World War I: Brazil declared in state of war with Germany.

November


- November - Don Republic declares independence from Soviet Russia
- November 2 - Zionism: The Balfour Declaration proclaims British support for Jewish settlement in Palestine.
- November 6 - World War I: Third Battle of Ypres ends: After three months of fierce fighting, Canadian forces take Ypres in Belgium.
- November 7 - October Revolution begins: The workers of St.Peterburg in Russia, with leaders the Bolsheviks and the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin attacked against the ineffective Kerensky Provisional Government (Russia was still using the Julian Calendar at the time, so period references show a October 25 date. The Soviets of Workers, Farmers and Soldiers took for the first time in history the economy and the administration of a country.
- November 7 - World War I: Third Battle of Gaza ends - United Kingdom forces capture Gaza from the Ottoman Empire.
- November 15 - Finland takes a step towards full sovereignty recognizing the personal union with Russia finished after the Tsar being dethroned.
- November 16 - British troops occupy Tel Aviv and Jaffa in Palestine.
- November 16 - Georges Clemenceau becomes prime minister of France
- November 20 - World War I: Battle of Cambrai begins - British forces make early progress in an attack on German positions but are soon beaten back.
- November 20 - Ukraine is declared a republic.
- November 22 - In Montreal, Canada, the National Hockey Association breaks up (on November 26 it was replaced with the National Hockey League).
- November 26 - The National Hockey League is formed.
- November 29 - Striking coal miners at Rostov declare Don Soviet Republic - it lasts two weeks.

December


- December 3 - After nearly 20 years of planning and construction, the Quebec Bridge opens to traffic (the bridge partially collapsed on August 29 1907 and September 11 1916).
- December 6 - Finland's declaration of independence.
- December 6 - Halifax Explosion: Two freighters collide in the harbour at Halifax, Nova Scotia and cause a huge explosion that kills at least 1963 people, injures 9000 and destroys part of the city. Until Hiroshima, this was the biggest manmade explosion.
- December 11 - British troops take Jerusalem from the troops of the Ottoman Empire
- December 25 - Why Marry?, first dramatic play to win a Pulitzer Prize, opens at the Astor Theatre in New York City.
- December 26 - United States president Woodrow Wilson uses the Federal Possession and Control Act to take control of nearly all American railroads under the United States Railroad Administration so they can be more efficiently used to transport troops and materials for the war effort.

Unknown dates


- Lions Clubs International is formed.
- First commercially issued recordings of jazz music, by Original Dixieland Jazz Band.
- Tolkien starts writing the original Book of Lost Tales (the first version of the Silmarillion), thus Middle-earth is first written this year (After the war, Tolkien tries to publish the stories, but he is neglected, as writers call his work a "fairy tale"; unsuitable for adult readership).
- Conscription crisis in Canada.
- Female suffrage in the Netherlands

Ongoing events


- World War I (1914-1918)
- Armenian Genocide (1915-1918)
- Encephalitis lethargica (1917-1928)

Births

January-March


- January 2 - Vera Zorina, German dancer and actress (d. 2003)
- January 3 - Roger W. Straus, Jr., American publisher (d. 2004)
- January 10 - Jerry Wexler, American record producer
- January 19 - John Raitt, American actor and singer (d. 2005)
- January 24 - Ernest Borgnine, American actor
- January 25 - Ilya Prigogine, Russian-born physicist and chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (d. 2003)
- February 4 - Yahya Khan, President of Pakistan (d. 1980)
- February 6 - Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hungarian-born actress
- February 11 - Sidney Sheldon, American author
- February 14 - Herbert A. Hauptman, American mathematician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- February 19 - Carson McCullers, American author (d. 1967)
- February 25 - Anthony Burgess, English author (d. 1993)
- February 27 - John Connally, Governor of Texas (d. 1993)
- February 28 - Fidel Sánchez Hernández, President of El Salvador (d. 2003)
- March 1 - Harry Caray, baseball broadcaster (d. 1998)
- March 1 - Robert Lowell, American poet (d. 1977)
- March 2 - Desi Arnaz, Cuban-born actor, bandleader, and musician (d. 1986)
- March 19 - Dinu Lipatti, Romanian pianist (d. 1950)
- March 20 - Dame Vera Lynn, English actress and singer
- March 24 - John Kendrew, British molecular biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (d. 1997)
- March 26 - Rufus Thomas, American singer (d. 2001)
- March 27 - Cyrus Vance, American politician (d. 2002)

April-October


- April 5 - Robert Bloch, American writer (d. 1994)
- April 10 - Robert B. Woodward, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
- April 12 - Helen Forrest, American jazz singer (d. 1999)
- April 17 - Bill Clements, Governor of Texas
- April 25 - Ella Fitzgerald, American jazz singer (d. 1996)
- May 14 - Lou Harrison, American composer (d. 2003)
- May 20 - Bergur Sigurbjörnsson, Icelandic politician (d. 2005)
- May 21 - Raymond Burr, Canadian actor (d. 1993)
- May 22 - Georg Tintner, Austrian conductor (d. 1999)
- May 28 - Papa John Creech, fiddler (d. 1994)
- May 29 - John F. Kennedy, President of the United States (d. 1963)
- June 1 - William S. Knowles, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- June 15 - John Fenn, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- June 15 - Lash La Rue, American cowboy actor (d. 1996)
- June 17 - Dean Martin, American actor (d. 1996)
- June 17 - Atle Selberg, Norwegian mathematician
- July 4 - Manolete, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1947)
- July 7 - Fidel Sánchez Hernández, President of El Salvador (d. 2003)
- July 19 - William Scranton, American politician
- August 15 - Jack Lynch, President of Ireland (d. 1999)
- August 18 - Caspar Weinberger, United States Secretary of Defence
- August 22 - John Lee Hooker, American blues musician (d. 2001)
- August 28 - Jack Kirby, American comic book artist (d. 1994)
- August 29 - Isabel Sanford, American actress (d. 2004)
- September 7 - John Cornforth, Australian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- September 10 - Miguel Serrano, Chilean fascist ideologist
- September 11 - Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Philippines (d. 1989)
- September 13 - Robert Ward, American composer (d. 1994)
- September 25 - Johnny Sain, baseball pitcher
- October 2 - Christian de Duve, English-born biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- October 8 - Danny Murtaugh, baseball player and manager (d. 1976)
- October 8 - Rodney Robert Porter, English biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1985)
- October 15 - Jan Miner, American actress (d. 2004)
- October 21 - Dizzy Gillespie, American musician (d. 1993)
- October 30 - Maurice Trintignant, French race car driver (d. 2005)
- October 31 - Thomas Hill, Canadian actor

November-December


- November 11 - Madeleine Damerment, French World War II heroine (d. 1944)
- November 19 - Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (d. 1984)
- November 22 - Andrew Huxley, English scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- December 6 - Kamal Jumblatt, leader of the Lebanese Druze (d. 1977)
- December 9 - James Rainwater, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)
- December 10 - Sultan Yahya Petra, King of Malaysia (d. 1979)
- December 20 - David Bohm, American-born physicist, philosopher, and neuropsychologist (d. 1992)
- December 21 - Heinrich Böll, German writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
- December 22 - Gene Rayburn, American television personality (d. 1999)
- December 27 - Onni Palaste, Finnish writer
- December 30 - Seymour Melman, American industrial engineer (d. 2004)

Unknown dates


- Ben Bubar, American Presidential candidate (d. 1995)

Deaths


- January 2 - Edward Burnett Tylor, English anthropologist (b. 1832)
- January 10 - William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill), American frontiersman (b. 1846)
- January 16 - George Dewey, U.S. admiral (b. 1837)
- February 10 - John William Waterhouse, Italian-born artist (b. 1849)
- March 8 - Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German inventor (b. 1838)
- March 17 - Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (b. 1838)
- March 31 - Emil Adolf von Behring, German winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1854)
- April 1 - Scott Joplin, American musician and composer (b. 1868)
- April 14 - L. L. Zamenhof, Polish creator of Esperanto (b. 1859)
- May 17 - Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke, ruler of Sarawak (b. 1829)
- May 20 - Philipp von Ferrary, Italian stamp collector (b. 1850)
- June 30 - Antonio de La Gandara, French painter (b. 1861)
- July 27 - Emil Kocher, Swiss medical researcher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1841)
- August 13 - Eduard Buchner, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1860)
- August 20 - Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1835)
- August 30 - Alan Leo, British astrologer (b. 1860)
- September 27 - Edgar Degas, French painter (b. 1834)
- October 13 - Florence La Badie, Canadian actress (b. 1888)
- October 15 - Mata Hari, Dutch dancer and spy (executed) (b. 1876)
- October 23 - Eugène Grasset, Swiss artist (b. 1845)
- October 28 - Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (b. 1831)
- November 8 - Colin Blythe, English cricketer (b. 1879)
- November 11 - Queen Liliuokalani of Hawai'i (b. 1838)
- November 17 - Auguste Rodin, French sculptor (b. 1840)
- December 8 - Mendele Moykher Sforim, Russian Yiddish and Hebrew writer (b. 1836)

Nobel Prizes


- Physics - Charles Glover Barkla
- Chemistry - not awarded
- Medicine - not awarded
- Literature - Karl Adolph Gjellerup, Henrik Pontoppidan
- Peace - International Committee of the Red Cross Category:1917 ko:1917년 ms:1917 ja:1917年 simple:1917 th:พ.ศ. 2460

Common year starting on Monday

This is the calendar for a common year starting on Monday (dominical letter G), e.g. 2007, 2001, 1990, 1979, 1973... (A common year is a year with 365 days -- in other words, not a leap year.)
2nd Millennium: 19th century: 1810 1821 1827 1838 1849 1855 1866 1877 1883 1894
2nd Millennium: 20th century: 1900 1906 1917 1923 1934 1945 1951 1962 1973 1979 1990
3rd Millennium: 21st century: 2001 2007 2018 2029 2035 2046 2057 2063 2074 2085 2091
3rd Millennium: 22nd century: 2103 2114 2125 2131 2142 2153 2159 2170 2181 2187 2198
Category:MondayCategory:Weeksko:월요일로 시작하는 평년th:ปีปกติสุรทินที่วันแรกเป็นวันจันทร์



Common year starting on Tuesday

This is the calendar for a common year starting on Tuesday (dominical letter F), e.g.2013, 2002, 1991, 1985, 1974, 1963... (A common year is a year with 365 days -- in other words, not a leap year.)
Previous year (common) Next year (common) Previous year (leap) Next year (leap) For other years, just shift the headers appropriately.
Millennium Century Year
2nd Millennium: 19th century: 1805 1811 1822 1833 1839 1850 1861 1867 1878 1889 1895
2nd Millennium: 20th century: 1901 1907 1918 1929 1935 1946 1957 1963 1974 1985 1991
3rd Millennium: 21st century: 2002 2013 2019 2030 2041 2047 2058 2069 2075 2086 2097
3rd Millennium: 22nd century: 2109 2115 2126 2137 2143 2154 2165 2171 2182 2193 2199
Category:Tuesday Category:Weeks ko:화요일로 시작하는 평년 th:ปีปกติสุรทินที่วันแรกเป็นวันอังคาร

Julian calendar

The Julian calendar was introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar and took force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). It was chosen after consultation with the Alexandrian astronomer Sosigenes and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year, known at least since Hipparchus. It has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months, and a leap day is added to February every four years. Hence the Julian year is on average 365.25 days long. The Julian calendar remained in use into the 20th century in some countries and is still used by many national Orthodox churches. However, too many leap days are added with respect to the astronomical seasons on this scheme. On average, the astronomical solstices and the equinoxes advance by about 11 minutes per year against the Julian year, causing the calendar to gain a day about every 134 years. While Hipparchus and presumably Sosigenes were aware of the discrepancy, although not of its correct value, it was evidently felt to be of little importance. However, it accumulated significantly over time, and eventually led to the reform of 1582, which replaced the Julian calendar with the more accurate Gregorian calendar. The notation "Old Style" (OS) is sometimes used to indicate a date in the Julian calendar, as opposed to "New Style", which indicates a date in the Gregorian Calendar. This notation is used when there might otherwise be confusion about which date is found in a text.

From Roman to Julian

The ordinary year in the previous Roman calendar consisted of 12 months, for a total of 355 days. In addition, an intercalary month, the Mensis Intercalaris, was sometimes inserted between February and March. This intercalary month was formed by inserting 22 days before the last five days of February, creating a 27-day month. It began after a truncated February having 23 or 24 days, so that it had the effect of adding 22 or 23 days to the year, forming an intercalary year of 377 or 378 days. According to the later writers Censorinus and Macrobius, the ideal intercalary cycle consisted of ordinary years of 355 days alternating with intercalary years, which were alternately 377 and 378 days long. On this system, the average Roman year would have had 366¼ days over four years, giving it an average drift of one day per year relative to any solstice or equinox. Macrobius describes a further refinement wherein, for 8 years out of 24, there were only three intercalary years each of 377 days. This refinement averages the length of the year to 365¼ days over 24 years. In practice, intercalations did not occur schematically according to these ideal systems, but were determined by the pontifices. So far as can be determined from the historical evidence, they were much less regular than these ideal schemes suggest. They usually occurred every second or third year, but were sometimes omitted for much longer, and occasionally occurred in two consecutive years. If managed correctly this system allowed the Roman year, on average, to stay roughly aligned to a tropical year. However, if too many intercalations were omitted, as happened after the Second Punic War and during the Civil Wars, the calendar would drift rapidly out of alignment with the tropical year. Moreover, since intercalations were often determined quite late, the average Roman citizen often did not know the date, particularly if he were some distance from the city. For these reasons, the last years of the pre-Julian calendar were later known as years of confusion. The problems became particularly acute during Julius Caesar's pontificate, 63 BC to 46 BC, when there were only five intercalary months, whereas there should have been eight, and none at all during the five Roman years before 46 BC. The Julian reform was intended to correct this problem permanently. Before it took effect, the missed intercalations during Julius Caesar's pontificate were made up by inserting 67 days (22+23+22) between November and December of 46 BC in the form of two months, in addition to 23 days which had already been added to February. Thus 90 days were added to this last year of the Roman Republican calendar, giving it 445 days. Because it was the last of a series of irregular years, this extra-long year was, and is, referred to as the last year of confusion. The first year of operation of the new calendar was 45 BC.

Leap years error

Despite the new calendar being much simpler than the Roman calendar, the pontifices apparently misunderstood the algorithm. They added a leap day every three years, instead of every four years. According to Macrobius, the error was the result of counting inclusively, so that the four year cycle was considered as including both the first and fourth years. This resulted in too many leap days. Caesar Augustus remedied this discrepancy by restoring the correct frequency after 36 years of this mistake. He also skipped several leap days in order to realign the year. The historic sequence of leap years (i.e. years with a leap day) in this period is not given explicitly by any ancient source, although the existence of the triennial leap year cycle is confirmed by an inscription that dates from 9 or 8 BC. The chronologist Joseph Scaliger established in 1583 that the Augustan reform was instituted in 8 BC, and inferred that the sequence of leap years was 42, 39, 36, 33, 30, 27, 24, 21, 18, 15, 12, 9 BC, AD 8, 12 etc. This proposal is still the most widely accepted solution. It has also sometimes been suggested that 45 BC was a leap year. Other solutions have been proposed from time to time. Kepler proposed in 1614 that the correct sequence of leap years was 43, 40, 37, 34, 31, 28, 25, 22, 19, 16, 13, 10 BC, AD 8, 12 etc. In 1883 the German chronologist Matzat proposed 44, 41, 38, 35, 32, 29, 26, 23, 20, 17, 14, 11 BC, AD 4, 8, 12 etc., based on a passage in Dio Cassius that mentions a leap day in 41 BC that was said to be contrary to (Caesar's) rule. In the 1960s Radke argued the reform was actually instituted when Augustus became pontifex maximus in 12 BC, suggesting the sequence 45, 42, 39, 36, 33, 30, 27, 24, 21, 18, 15, 12 BC, AD 4, 8, 12 etc. In 1999, an Egyptian papyrus was published which gives an ephemeris table for 24 BC with both Roman and Egyptian dates. From this it can be shown that the most likely sequence was in fact 44, 41, 38, 35, 32, 29, 26, 23, 20, 17, 14, 11, 8 BC, AD 4, 8, 12 etc, very close to that proposed by Matzat. This sequence shows that the standard Julian leap year sequence began in AD 4, the twelfth year of the Augustan reform. Also, under this sequence the actual Roman year coincided with the proleptic Julian year between 32 and 26 BC. This suggests that one aim of the realignment portion of the Augustan reform was to ensure that key dates of his career, notably the fall of Alexandria on 1 August 30 BC, were unaffected by his correction. Roman dates before 32 BC were typically a day or two before the day with the same Julian date, so 1 January in the Roman calendar of the first year of the Julian reform actually fell on 31 December 46 BC (Julian date). A curious effect of this is that Caesar's assassination on the Ides (15th day) of March in 44 BC fell on 14 March 44 BC in the Julian calendar.

Naming of the months

Immediately after the Julian reform, the twelve months of the Roman calendar were named Ianuarius, Februarius, Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Iunius, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, November, and December, just as they were before the reform. Their lengths were set to their modern values. The old intercalary month, the Mensis Intercalaris, was abolished and replaced with an single intercalary day at the same point (i.e. five days before the end of Februarius). The first month of the year continued to be Ianuarius, as it had been since 153 BC. The Romans later renamed months after Caesar and Augustus, renaming Quintilis (originally, "the Fifth month", with March = month 1) as Iulius (July) in 44 BC and Sextilis ("Sixth month") as Augustus (August) in 8 BC. (Note that the letter J was not invented until the 17th century). Quintilis was renamed to honour Caesar because it was the month of his birth. According to a senatusconsultum quoted by Macrobius, Sextilis was renamed to honour Augustus because several of the most significant events in his rise to power, culminating in the fall of Alexandria, fell in that month. Other months were renamed by other emperors, but apparently none of the later changes survived their deaths. Caligula renamed September ("Seventh month") as Germanicus; Nero renamed Aprilis (April) as Neroneus, Maius (May) as Claudius and Iunius (June) as Germanicus; and Domitian renamed September as Germanicus and October ("Eighth month") as Domitianus. At other times, September was also renamed as Antoninus and Tacitus, and November ("Ninth month") was renamed Faustina and Romanus. Commodus was unique in renaming all twelve months after his own adopted names (January to December): Amazonius, Invictus, Felix, Pius, Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Herculeus, Romanus, and Exsuperatorius. Much more lasting than the ephemeral month names of the post-Augustan Roman emperors were the names introduced by Charlemagne. He renamed all of the months agriculturally into Old High German. They were used until the 15th century, and with some modifications until the late 18th century in Germany and in the Netherlands (January-December): Wintarmanoth (winter month), Hornung (spring), Lentzinmanoth (Lent month), Ostarmanoth (Easter month), Winnemanoth (grazing month), Brachmanoth (plowing month), Heuvimanoth (hay month), Aranmanoth (harvest month), Witumanoth (wood month), Windumemanoth (vintage month), Herbistmanoth (autumn/harvest month), and Heilagmanoth (holy month). Translations of these month names are still used to this day in some Slavic languages, such as Polish.

Lengths of the months

According to the 13th century scholar Sacrobosco, the original scheme for the months in the Julian Calendar was very regular, alternately long and short. From January through December, the month lengths according to Sacrobosco for the Roman Republican calendar were: :30, 29, 30, 29, 30, 29, 30, 29, 30, 29, 30, and 29, totaling 354 days. He then thought that Julius Caesar added one day to every month except February, a total of 11 more days, giving the year 365 days. A leap day could now be added to the extra short February: :31, 29 (30), 31, 30, 31, 30, 31, 30, 31, 30, 31, and 30 He then said Augustus changed this to: :31, 28 (29), 31, 30, 31, 30, 31, 31, 30, 31, 30, and 31 giving us the irregular month lengths which we still use today, so that the length of Augustus would not be shorter than (and therefore inferior to) the length of Iulius. Although this theory is still widely repeated, it is certainly wrong. First, a wall painting of a Roman Republican calendar has survived [http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/x/wxk116/RomanCalendar/Fasti4.gif] which confirms the literary accounts that the months were already irregular before Julius Caesar reformed it: :29, 28, 31, 29, 31, 29, 31, 29, 29, 31, 29, and 29 Also, the Julian reform did not change the dates of the Nones and Ides. In particular, the Ides are late (on the 15th rather than 13th) in March, May, July and October, showing that these months always had 31 days in the Roman calendar, whereas Sacrobosco's theory requires that the length of October was changed. Further, Sacrobosco's theory is explicitly contradicted by the third and fifth century authors Censorinus and Macrobius, and, finally, it is inconsistent with seasonal lengths given by Varro, writing in 37 BC, before the Augustan reform, with the 31-day Sextilis given by the new Egyptian papyrus from 24 BC, and with the 28-day February shown in the Fasti Caeretani, which is dated before 12 BC.

Year numbering

The dominant method that the Romans used to identify a year for dating purposes was to name it after the two consuls who took office in it. Since 153 BC, they had taken office on 1 January, and Julius Caesar did not change the beginning of the year. Thus this consular year was an eponymous or named year. Roman years were named this way until the last consul was appointed in 541. Only rarely did the Romans number the year from the founding of the city (of Rome), ab urbe condita (AUC). This method was used by Roman historians to determine the number of years from one event to another, not to date a year. Different historians had several different dates for the founding. The Fasti Capitolini, an inscription containing an official list of the consuls which was published by Augustus, used an epoch of 752 BC. The epoch used by Varro, 753 BC, has been adopted by modern historians. Indeed, Renaissance editors often added it to the manuscripts that they published, giving the false impression that the Romans numbered their years. Most modern historians tacitly assume that it began on the day the consuls took office, and ancient documents such as the Fasti Capitolini which use other AUC systems do so in the same way. However, the Varronian AUC year did not formally begin on 1 January, but on Founder's Day, 21 April. This prevented the early Roman church from celebrating Easter after 21 April because the festivities associated with Founder's Day conflicted with the solemnity of Lent, which was observed until the Saturday before Easter Sunday. In addition to consular years, the Romans sometimes used the regnal year of the emperor. Anno Diocletiani, named after Diocletian, was often used by the Alexandrian Christians to number their Easters during the fourth and fifth centuries. In AD 537, Justinian required that henceforth the date must include the name of the emperor, in addition to the indiction and the consul (the latter ending only four years later). The indiction caused the Byzantine year to begin on 1 September, which is still used in the Eastern Orthodox Church for the beginning of the liturgical year. In AD 525 Dionysius Exiguus proposed the system of anno Domini, which gradually spread through the western Christian world, once the system was adopted by Bede. Years were numbered from the supposed date of the incarnation or annunciation of Jesus on 25 March, although this soon changed to Christmas, then back to Annunciation Day in Britain, and the numbered year even began on Easter in France.

From Julian to Gregorian

The Julian calendar was in general use in Europe from the times of the Roman Empire until 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII promulgated the Gregorian Calendar, which was soon adopted by most Catholic countries. The Protestant countries followed later, and the countries of Eastern Europe even later. Great Britain had Thursday 14 September 1752 follow Wednesday 2 September 1752. Sweden adopted the new style calendar in 1753, but also for a twelve-year period starting in 1700 used a modified Julian Calendar. Russia remained on the Julian calendar until after the Russian Revolution (which is thus called the 'October Revolution' but occurred in November according to the Gregorian calendar), in 1917, while Greece continued to use it until 1923. Although all Eastern European countries had adopted the Gregorian calendar on or before 1923, their national Eastern Orthodox churches had not. A revised Julian calendar was proposed during a synod in Constantinople in May of 1923, consisting of a solar part which was and will be identical to the Gregorian calendar until the year 2800, and a lunar part which calculated Easter astronomically at Jerusalem. All Orthodox churches refused to accept the lunar part, so almost all Orthodox churches continue to celebrate Easter according to the Julian calendar (the Finnish Orthodox Church uses the Gregorian Easter). The solar part was only accepted by some Orthodox churches, those of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Poland, Bulgaria (in 1963), and the Orthodox Church in America (although some OCA parishes are permitted to use the Julian calendar). Thus, these churches celebrate the Nativity on the same day that Western Christians do, 25 December Gregorian until 2800. The Orthodox churches of Jerusalem, Russia, Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine, and the Greek Old Calendarists continue to use the Julian calendar for their fixed dates, thus they celebrate the Nativity on 25 December Julian (7 January Gregorian until 2100).

See also


- Gregorian calendar
- Julian date
- Julian day
- Julian year
- Old Style and New Style dates
- Proleptic Julian calendar
- Roman calendar
- Week

External links


- [http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/JulianDate.html Julian-Gregorian Converter]
- [http://webexhibits.org/calendars/index.html Calendars through the ages] on WebExhibits.
- [http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Egypt/ptolemies/chron/roman/chron_rom_cal.htm Roman Dates]
- [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/calendar/romancalendar.html The Roman Calendar]
- [http://5ko.free.fr/jul-greg.php?e=en Synoptical Julian-Gregorian Calendar] - compare the Julian and Gregorian calendars for any date between 1582 and 2100 using this side-by-side reference. Category:Ancient Rome Category:Specific calendars als:Julianischer Kalender ko:율리우스력 ja:ユリウス暦 simple:Julian calendar th:ปฏิทินจูเลียน

January 2

January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. 363 days (364 in leap years) remain in the year after this day.

Events


- 366 - Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading Roman Empire.
- 533 - Mercurius became Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy.
- 1492 - Reconquista: Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, surrenders.
- 1757 - The United Kingdom captures Calcutta, India.
- 1788 - Georgia becomes the 4th state to ratify the United States Constitution.
- 1793 - Russia and Prussia partition Poland.
- 1815 - Lord Byron marries Anna Isabella Milbanke, Seaham, County Durham.
- 1818 - British Institution of Civil Engineers formed.
- 1859 - Erastus Beadle publishes The Dime Book of Practical Etiquette.
- 1860 - The discovery of the planet Vulcan was announced at a meeting of the Académie des Sciences in Paris.
- 1870 - Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins.
- 1871 - Amadeus I becomes King of Spain.
- 1872 - Brigham Young is arrested for bigamy (25 wives).
- 1879 - Fred Spofforth claims the first Hat-trick in test cricket on the Sydney Cricket Ground against England.
- 1882 - John D. Rockefeller unites his oil holdings into the Standard Oil trust.
- 1890 - Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer for the White House.
- 1893 - Introduction by Webb C. Ball of the General Railroad Timepiece Standards in North America: Railroad chronometers.
- 1900 - John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China.
- 1900 - Chicago Canal opens.
- 1905 - Russo-Japanese War: The Russian fleet surrenders at Port Arthur, China.
- 1917 - The Royal Bank of Canada takes over Quebec Bank.
- 1921 - The first religious radio broadcast (KDKA AM in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) .
- 1921 - DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park San Francisco opens.
- 1923 - U.S. Interior Secretary Albert Fall resigns due to the Teapot Dome scandal.
- 1929 - Canada and the United States agree on a plan to preserve Niagara Falls.
- 1935 - Bruno Hauptmann goes on trial for the murder of Charles Lindbergh Jr., infant son of aviator Charles Lindbergh.
- 1941 - WWII: German bombing severely damaged the Llandaff Cathedral, built in 1290 on the bank of the River Taff in Cardiff, Wales.
- 1941 - The U.S. government announces its Liberty ship program with a stated goal of building 200 freighters. Over 2,700 ships will eventually be constructed by the end of the war.
- 1942 - World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces.
- 1942 - The United States Navy opens a blimp base at Lakehurst, New Jersey.
- 1946 - Unable to resume his rule over Albania after World War II, King Zog abdicated but retained his claim to the throne.
- 1949 - Luis Muñoz Marín became the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.
- 1955 - Panamanian president Jose Antonio Remon is assassinated.
- 1957 - San Francisco Stock and Bond Exchange and Los Angeles Oil Exchange merge.
- 1959 - The first artificial satellite to orbit the sun, Luna 1, was launched by the U.S.S.R.
- 1959 - CBS Radio cuts four soap operas: Backstage Wife, Our Gal Sunday, Road of Life, and This is Nora Drake.
- 1967 - Dr. Christiaan Barnard performs the second successful heart transplant.
- 1971 - The second Ibrox disaster occurred.
- 1974 - Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum US speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo.
- 1979 - Sid Vicious goes on trial for the murder of Nancy Spungen.
- 1981 - Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, is arrested.
- 1983 - The musical Annie is performed for the last time after 2,377 shows at the Uris Theatre on Broadway.
- 1991 - Sharon Pratt Dixon is sworn in as mayor of Washington, DC becoming the first African American woman to lead a city of that size and importance.
- 1992 - Paraguay becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
- 1993 - Leaders of the three warring factions in Bosnia meet to discuss peace plans.
- 1998 - Russia begins to circulate new rubles to stem inflation and promote confidence.
- 1999 - A brutal snowstorm smashes into the Midwestern USA, causing 14 inches (359mm) of snow at Milwaukee, Wisconsin and 19 inches (487mm) at Chicago, Illinois. In Chicago, temperatures plunge to -13°F (-25°C), and 68 deaths are reported.
- 2002 - Levy Mwanawasa takes office as the third President of Zambia.
- 2004 - Stardust successfully flies past Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that it will return to Earth two years later.

Births


- 1642 - Mehmed IV, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1693)
- 1713 - Marie Dumesnil, French actress (d. 1803)
- 1719 - Jacques-Alexandre Laffon de Ladebat, French shipbuilder and merchant (d. 1797)
- 1727 - James Wolfe, British general (d. 1759)
- 1777 - Christian Daniel Rauch, German sculptor (d. 1857)
- 1822 - Rudolf Clausius, German physicist (d. 1888)
- 1836 - Mendele Moykher Sforim, Russian writer (d. 1917)
- 1837 - Mily Balakirev, Russian composer (d. 1910)
- 1870 - Ernst Barlach, German sculptor, graphic artist, and poet (d. 1938)
- 1877 - Slava Raskaj, Croatian painter (d.1906)
- 1886 - Florence Lawrence, Canadian actress (d. 1938)
- 1896 - Dziga Vertov, Russian filmmaker (d. 1954)
- 1904 - Sally Rand, American fan dancer (d. 1979)
- 1905 - Michael Tippett, English composer (d. 1998)
- 1913 - Anna Lee, English actress (d. 2004)
- 1917 - Vera Zorina, German dancer and actress (d. 2003)
- 1920 - Isaac Asimov, Russian-born author (d. 1992)
- 1930 - Julius LaRosa, American singer
- 1936 - Roger Miller, American singer (d. 1992)
- 1938 - Ian Brady, British serial killer
- 1938 - Hans Herbjørnsrud, Norwegian author
- 1939 - Jim Bakker, American televangelist
- 1942 - Hugh Shelton, American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- 1944 - Prince Norodom Ranariddh, Cambodian politician
- 1947 - Jack Hanna, American zoologist
- 1949 - Christopher Durang, American playwright
- 1954 - Henry Bonilla, American politician
- 1954 - Dawn Silva, American singer (The Brides of Funkenstein and P-Funk)
- 1955 - Tex Brashear, American voice actor
- 1961 - Gabrielle Carteris, American actress
- 1961 - Todd Haynes, American film director
- 1963 - David Cone, baseball player
- 1964 - Pernell Whitaker, American boxer
- 1967 - Tia Carrere, American actress
- 1968 - Cuba Gooding Jr., American actor
- 1968 - Anky van Grunsven, Dutch dressage champion
- 1969 - Tommy Morrison, American boxer
- 1969 - Christy Turlington, American model
- 1971 - Lisa Harrison, American basketball player
- 1972 - Taye Diggs, American actor
- 1974 - Tricia Helfer, Canadian actress and model
- 1975 - Doug Robb, American singer (