Must Have Been a Tough Sell: The Calendar

- Hey, I've got a new idea for keeping track of days and months. Wanna hear?

- Months?

- Yeah, months. Just invented them. Then invented how to keep track of them.

- Very forward thinking of you. Well okay, what's the idea then?

- Okay, here it is: we will have 12 months in one year, and...

- And 12 days in one month. Makes sense.

- Actually I was thinking 30ish...

- ...ish...?

- Yeah! I mean mostly 30. Or 31. Either or. It's not that hard once you get the hang of it. Here let me show you on my knuckles.

- So I've got 50/50 chance of guessing right if I don't have knuckles. Either 30 or 31, you say?

- Well, except February. That one's only 28.

- 28? What's the deal with that?

- Didn't have enough days in the year, you see. But February doesn't mind. Makes it even more special.

- But you could have done away with two of those 31 day months!

- Are you insane?! I would have to remove two of my knuckles then!

- *sigh* So it's either 30, 31 or 28.

- Actually, every four years that 28 becomes.... 29.... Why are you looking at me like that?

- Oh no, nothing... go on please. Becomes 29 every four years. Very simple indeed.

- I know, right? Except for years that are exactly divisible by 100. But the centurial years that are exactly divisible by 400 are still leap years.

- Brilliant.

- Oh this is just the rough sketch. I'm gonna mix it up with the lunar cycles a bit as well. Gives good flavour to a calendar. And maybe have 13 month years every 3 years or so. What do you thi...


The supposed inventor of the Gregorian calendar is rumoured to have stumbled on the idea by chance; scribbled on a piece of blood stained parchment, which was found shortly after the discovery of a dead body in a nearby ditch.

Interesting trivia: Ancestor of the modern day shredder was first prototyped three days after this incident.