Thursday, February 24, 2005

 

Spotlight: The Gregorian Calendar was introduced in a papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. The solar calendar was developed to improve upon the Julian Calendar. In the transition to the new calendar, ten days were dropped between October 5 and October 15, 1582, causing consternation among many who felt the church was robbing them of ten days of their life.

Quote: "I've found a formula for avoiding these exaggerated fears of age; you take care of every day -- let the calendar take care of the years" -- Ed Wynn

Today in History:

• Mexico: declared independence from Spain (1821)
• Andrew Johnson: impeached by the House of Representatives (1868)
• Juan Peron -- elected president of Argentina (1946)

Today's Birthdays:

• small screen: Abe Vigoda (84), Barry Bostwick (60), and Edward James Olmos (58)
• musicians: Michel Legrand (73), Renata Scotto (70), and Rupert Holmes (58)
• Manon Rheaume: first woman to play in the NHL (33)

Word of the Day:  eponymous: relating to the person after whom something was named. The Julian Calendar was named for the eponymous Julius Caesar.   (© )