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What happened when Parliament changed to the Gregorian calendar in 1752?

User Cherylle
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Final answer:

In 1752, Parliament's adoption of the Gregorian calendar skipped 11 days to correct the calendar, resulting in public unrest despite the intent to improve timekeeping accuracy.

Step-by-step explanation:

When Parliament changed to the Gregorian calendar in 1752, it required an adjustment by skipping 11 days to correct the accumulated discrepancy from the Julian calendar. Consequently, September 2, 1752, was followed by September 14.

This calendar reform was met with public unrest as people protested the sudden leap over days, thinking they lost precious time, even though the change was made for accuracy to earth rotation which is used to align the calendar.

Moreover, the reform updated the leap year rules, making century years leap years only if they are divisible by 400, thereby improving the precision of the average year length to more closely match the tropical year.

User Doublebyte
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