RE: Year 2000 Issue

[Chuck Koch <Charles.S.Koch.1@gsfc.nasa.gov>]

Dear Radsafers,

     Year 2000 is getting off topic, yet in a attempt to clarify, I used a
the Internet and found the following:

"In 1545, the Council of Trent authorized Pope Gregory XIII  to  reform
the  calendar  once  more.   Most of the mathematical work was done by
Father Christopher Clavius, S.J.  The immediate  correction  that  was
adopted  was  that Thursday, October 4, 1582 was to be the last day of
the Julian calendar.  The next  day  was  Friday,  with  the  date  of
October  15.   For  long  range  accuracy,  a formula suggested by the
Vatican librarian Aloysius Giglio was adopted.   It  said  that  every
fourth  year  is  a  leap  year  except for century years that are not
divisible by 400.  Thus 1700, 1800 and 1900 would not be  leap  years,
but  2000  would  be a leap year since 2000 is divisible by 400.  This
rule eliminates 3 leap years every 4 centuries,  making  the  calendar
sufficiently  correct  for  most  ordinary purposes.  This calendar is
known as the Gregorian calendar and is the one that we now use  today.
(It  is  interesting  to note that in 1582, all the Protestant princes
ignored the papal decree and so many countries continued  to  use  the
Julian  calendar  until either 1698 or 1752.  In Russia, it needed the
revolution to introduce the Gregorian calendar in 1918.)"

   May our radiation measuring devices, programs and protection
calculations all be correct by year 2000.  (Grin)
Charles S. Koch		               UnOfficial, UnReviewed
Health Physic Tech                       UnApproved (Just My Views)	
National Health Services Inc.     All Standard Disclaimers Apply
E-Mail  Charles.S.Koch.1@gsfc.nasa.gov.