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What I Learnt This Week
This may be New Year's day today, but it has only been so since 1752. I'm reading Revelation by CJ Sansom a book wot I got for Christmas and the story starts on a New Years Day during the latter part of Henry VIII's reign but the date is 25th March. Intrigued, I used the good offices of Wikipedia to discover the facts behind this:
"Most countries in Western Europe officially adopted January 1 as New Year's Day somewhat before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. The Feast of the Annunciation, March 25 (9 months before December 25), was the first day of the new year in England until the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar in 1752. The March 25th date was called Annunciation Style; the January 1 date was called Circumcision Style, because this was the date of the Feast of the Circumcision, being the eighth day counting from December 25."
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Ta, Nigel
I remember reading a while back about civil disobedience when the calendars changed; understandably, people were asking where their 12 days had gone. You can imagine what the Mail would make of it.
And I'll return your quite interesting fact with one of my own, from the QI annual which the GLW commendably bought for me then amusingly forgot to wrap: the most northerly inhabited British isle, Foula, still observes the old Julian calendar. So, to any members of the Massive on Foula: only five shopping days till Christmas!
That late tubsman Mitch Mitchell
was a child actor who played Jennings on the radio and worked with Wacko's Jimmy Edwards (no beard but enoro 'tache). What with him and Phil Collins , any other thespian drummers?
Well...
...there was Mickey Dolenz, obviously.
It's now the year 2065 in Nepal.
But they won't tell you what happens 'cos they wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for the rest of us.