The Quirky Facts
Let’s start with time. Although we cite George Washington’s birth date as February 22, 1732, when he was born, it was listed as February 11, i.e., 11 days earlier, because the calendar in use then was the Julian (used since the days of Julius Caesar) But in 1752, Great Britain and its colonies switched to the Gregorian calendar (after Pope Gregory Xlll). George Washington was just 20 at the time and seemed to take the change in stride, even being open to celebrating on both dates.

While it was certainly discombobulating to drop 11 days from the calendar so that when it went into effect on September 2^nd, if you were born on September 3, it would be recorded as September 14^th, the goal was actually to eliminate confusion, because some European countries had adopted the Gregorian calendar as early as 1582. Another feature of the Julian calendar was that the new year began on March 25. That meant if you were doing business with France, for example, a deed signed on February 1^st in France would be dated one year on the Gregorian calendar and a year earlier in England using the Julian calendar. After that, 11 days seemed like a small price to pay for settling legal matters and celebrating birthdays.

But that said, confusion continued to reign because some countries took their sweet time to make the change. Greece, Turkey, China, and Russia, waited until the first quarter of the 20^th century and they all had to add 13 days to their calendars.

Can you imagine the uproar a calendar change would cause in today’s society? Would people understand they were losing calendar days but not real days, that is, not shortening their lives? I wouldn’t count on it.

The Quirky Observations
Now about the beauty of fall: Like lost days, leaves turning color is also a bit of an illusion. Each day is still 24 hours long, but leaves change color in autumn because as the length of daily sunlight diminishes, the trees stop producing chlorophyll, the chemical that gives them their green color. The bright oranges, yellows, and other colors of fall leaves have been part of the plants all along, but they’ve been covered up by the chlorophyll. When the trees stop making the green chemical, the other colors come to the forefront – another way in which beauty is deeper than outward appearances, and what we view as a change was there all along.

The Shameless Request
Now that WNW is an award-winning publication, we think even more people would be interested in it if they knew about it. Please share it, and if you represent an organization that would like a customized version, send me a note at Kathy@WiserNow.com.

The Question

• How do you feel about fall? Do you like it? Why or why not?
• What does it mean to you? Walks through colorful woods? Crisp air? Crunching leaves? Fall chores? Fall crafts and baking? Fall festivals? Fall sports? Fall foods and smells?

The Featured Product
The facts and the quiz in this eblast have been excerpted from the Wiser Now slide show, “Time Will Tell,’ which you can learn more about and purchase here.