RE: Time

Amy,


> -----Original Message-----
> From: www-international-request@w3.org
> [mailto:www-international-request@w3.org]On Behalf Of Amy Varin
> Sent: Friday, August 10, 2001 3:29 PM
> To: www-international@w3.org
> Subject: RE: Time
>
>
> > If you want to know if a person is an expert on calendars just ask them
> to
> > explain why February 24th is the extra day that is added to make a leap
> year
> > one day longer.
>
> Feb. 24 is a.d. bissex kal. mar., and leap years are bisextile. I'm not an
> expert on calendars, but I had to date my Latin homework in Latin.
>
Correct.  It was doubling the 6th day of Kalendae for March.

The reason February 24 is the day that is added goes back to the Julian
Calendar. The year originally started in March. Days were counted backwards
from three points in each month. Kalendae was the first day of the month.
Idus was either the 13th or 15th day of the month depending on the month and
Nonae was the 9th day before Idus. Julius Caesar declared that in leap years
that the 6th day before Kalendae of March be doubled on leap years instead
of having a leap month of Intercalaris in the middle of February as the
previous calandar had done. One can still see that our calendar was
originally based on a year that started in March. September, October,
November and December are derived from the Latin for the numbers 7 through
10. Even more significant is that most serial day routines first convert
dates to a calendar with a year that starts on March 1. The months then
follow in a neat 31,30,31,30,30 31,30,31,30,30 31 and the remaining days of
the year.

Unfortunatly I have forgotten almost of my Latin.

Carl

Received on Friday, 10 August 2001 19:13:32 UTC