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THE USEFULNESS OF CALENDARS

A long time ago, let alone hours, minutes and seconds, people
did not even know how to count days; weeks, months and
years. Then, more than 2,000 years ago, scientists in Egypt
made a calendar. This calendar, callpdthe Egyptian Calendar,
was made by people who did not know that the earth turns
round once aday and that it moves round the sun once ayear.
So the Egyptian Calendar was not scientific. But it was usefuI
because it showed away to count days, wee\s, months and
years.

Many years later, Julius Caesar fixed the EgyptianCalendar,

which had only 365 days, by adding an extraday every four
years. This calendar, called the Julian Calendar, was almost 12
minutes faster than the sun each year. But it was much better
and rnore useful thanthe Egyptian Calendar. So people used it
to put op record the important events oftheir times -periods
ofwars, peace, qoronations, assassinations, political and so-
cial upheavals, violent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, great
fues and bubonic plagues. ,

But in 1582.itwas foundthatthe Julian Calendarwas about

ten days faster than the sun. Pope Gregory XIII wanted to
make a better calendar. Scientists of that time fixed the Julian
Calendar by taking out three days every four hundred years.
This calendar, called the Gregorian Calendar is only 26 sec-
onds faster than the sun each year. The calenddr is so exact
tlrat it will take d! Ieast 3,000 years to be adayfaster than the
sun. So it is used everywliere in homes, in schools, in of-
-
fices, in factories. We use it to mark special occasions, plan
our holidays and meetings, and make detailed programmes for
our trips.