Time Telling through the AgesBrearley, Harry Chase
History
Time Telling through the Ages
Brearley, Harry Chase
Clocks and watches -- History; Time measurements
_Julian_—Established by Julius Caesar, 46 B.C., to remedy existing
defects in the Roman calendar then in use. The Julian year was based on
the assumption that the solar year is 365¼ days—which was 11 minutes
and 14 seconds too long. The scheme adopted was to make the regular
calendar year 365 days, and to add one day every fourth year. The
Julian calendar is still in use by Russia and Greece, where the dates
now differ from those of most other countries by 13 days.
_Gregorian_—Established October 15, 1582, by Pope Gregory XIII, in
correction of the obvious errors of the Julian calendar. It is the
calendar now in use by nearly all civilized nations. The mean length of
the Gregorian year is 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 12 seconds—26
seconds longer than the actual solar year. Correction is made by adding
a 29th day for February every fourth year, excepting when the date of
said fourth year is divisible by 100. If, however, the date is also
divisible by 400, the extra day is added.
_Republican_—The calendar of the French Revolution (1793) declared to
begin at midnight on the meridian of the Paris Observatory preceding
the true autumnal equinox, September 22, 1792. There were 12 months of
30 days each and 5 or 6 "extra days" (as might be necessary) at the end
of the year to bring the new year nearest to the then position of the
equinox. Abolished January 1, 1806.
_Hebrew_—Composed of 12 lunar months, a thirteenth month being added
from time to time to secure correspondence of the months with
the passing seasons. The months are arbitrarily arranged to have
alternately 29 days and 30 days. The length of the calendar year varies
from 353 days to 385 days.
_Mohammedan_—Based on a lunar year of 354 days divided into 12 lunar
months which are alternately 29 and 30 days in length. During each
period of 30 years a total of 11 days are added one at a time at the
end of a year. The lack of co-ordination with the solar year results in
a total separation of the seasonal year and the calendar year. In use
in Turkey and some other Mohammedan countries.
[Illustration: CALENDAR CLOCK]
CALENDAR CLOCK, OR WATCH—A clock or watch which indicates days and
months as well as hours.
CALIPER—The scheme of arrangement of a watch train, or the disposition
of the parts of a watch.
[Illustration: CAM]
CAM—A rotating piece either non-circular or eccentric, used to
convert rotary into linear reciprocating motion, oftener irregular in
direction, rate, or time.
CANNON PINION—The pinion to which the minute hand is attached. It is
tubular in form (whence its name), the main arbor passing through it
friction-tight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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