historical reason about 11 days missing in year 1752
The historical reason behind the 11 days missing in the year 1752 is related to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in various countries, including Great Britain and its colonies.
Before the Gregorian calendar was introduced, the Julian calendar was in use. However, the Julian calendar had a small inaccuracy in its calculations of leap years, causing the calendar year to be slightly longer than the solar year. Over time, this discrepancy led to a misalignment between the calendar and the astronomical seasons.
To address this issue, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar reform in 1582. The new calendar made adjustments to the length of the year and the calculation of leap years to bring the calendar year closer to the solar year.
Many Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendar almost immediately, as it was decreed by the Pope. However, Protestant countries, including Great Britain, were more resistant to the change due to religious and political reasons. The British Empire continued to use the Julian calendar until 1752.
In September 1752, the British Empire made the transition from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. To align the calendars, the authorities decided to skip 11 days. The day following September 2, 1752, was declared to be September 14, 1752. This adjustment effectively brought the British calendar in sync with the rest of Europe and the Gregorian calendar.
The adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1752 not only rectified the misalignment with the solar year but also resolved issues related to the date of Easter, which is calculated based on the lunar cycle and the vernal equinox.
As a result of this historical calendar reform, 11 days were omitted from the year 1752, leading to the missing days in the historical record. It is worth noting that other countries that adopted the Gregorian calendar earlier than Great Britain, such as Spain and Portugal, had already made similar calendar adjustments in previous years.
