Calendar Change - The Story Behind 29 February

[MaryA]

Julius Caesar invented the Julian calendar in 46 BC. In the 16th century, most Western European countries adopted the Gregorian calendar. This better reflected the actual time the earth took to orbit the sun, as it had slightly fewer leap years (one less every 100 years). However, Britain stuck doggedly to the old calendar. It was soon out of sync with the Continent, to the confusion of many travellers.

In 1752, Britain finally decided to adopt the Gregorian system. By now, the difference between Britain and the rest of Europe was 11 days. To synchronise, 2nd September was followed by 14th September.

The famous calendar riots, where protestors cried out "give us our eleven days", was a myth inadvertently created by the cartoonist, William Hogarth. The slogan features in his famous sketch of 1755, "An Election Entertainment". While there were disputes over rents and wages, these depicted riots probably never happened.

(c) Your Family Tree April 2009