cal program on UNIX systems is wrong!!

[Root]

In article <20492 at adm.BRL.MIL> Arnold.Gill%QueensU.CA at qucdn.queensu.ca writes:
>
>     I have been exploring the UNIX system on our MIPS, and was playing around
>with the `cal' routine.  Upon reading the manual, I found that the special
>case stated in the manual, namely that in September, 1752 11 days were dropped
>from the calendar is absolutely garbage!!
>
>     Calendar reform did not occur as late as 1752, even in Britain and the
>US.  Rather, calendar reform occurred nearly two centuries earlier when Pope
>Gregory decreed that throughout Christendom, the day following October 4, 1582
>would be October 15.  That's why we call our current calendar Gregorian!  If
>you wish references to look this up, might I suggest the Astronomical Almanac,
>published jointly by the US Naval Observatory and the Royal Greenwich
>Observatory.  When counting Julian days in astronomical software, century
>counts are listed evenly back to 1600, i.e. 11 days are NOT missing in the
>18th century!
>
 ...
>
>Arnold Gill
>Queen's University at Kingston
>BITNET:    gilla at qucdn
>INTERNET:  Arnold.Gill at QueensU.CA

I will use your chosen reference source.

>From page 414 of the 1961 edition of the "Explanatory Supplement to the
Astronomical Ephemeris and the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac,"
I quote:
	"List of dates of adoption of the Gregorian calendar"
	...
	American colonies
		1752 September 3/14, at the same time as Great Britain
	...
	Great Britain
		1752 September 3/14, by Act of Parliament passed 1751 March 18;
	at the same time, the beginning of the year was changed from March 25
	to January 1, commencing with the year 1752.

	<<The reference used was Ginzel, F. K.  Handbuch der mathematischen und
	technichen Chronologie, vol III, pages 266-270, Leipzig, 1914.>>

I have been mentioned in Scientific American as having some knowledge in
calendar systems.  Because of my interest in calendar systems, I have these
materials at hand.

	Randolph J. Herber,
	@ home: {att|amdahl|clout|mcdchg|laidbak|obdient|wheaton}!yclept!rjh,
		rjh at yclept.chi.il.us