On This Day

Protestant Western Europe, except England, begins to use the Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull Inter gravissimas issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it...

The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull Inter gravissimas issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years slightly differently to make the average calendar year 365.2425 days long rather than the Julian calendar's 365.25 days, thus more closely approximating the 365.2422-day "tropical" or "solar" year that is determined by the Earth's revolution around the Sun.

The rule for leap years is that every year divisible by four is a leap year, except for years that are divisible by 100, except in turn for years also divisible by 400.

Historical Significance

The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world.

Events Before

  1. Massachusetts holds a day of fasting for wrongly persecuted "witches"

    Massachusetts holds a day of fasting for wrongly persecuted "witches"

  2. Venice, Poland & Austria sign Treaty of Karlowitz with Ottoman Empire, ending the Great Turkish War (1683-97) - 1st time

    Venice, Poland & Austria sign Treaty of Karlowitz with Ottoman Empire, ending the Great Turkish War (1683-97) - 1st time Ottomans concede significant territory

  3. rebellious Streltsi executed in Moscow

    rebellious Streltsi executed in Moscow

  4. French Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville is the first European to discover the mouth of the Mississippi rive

    French Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville is the first European to discover the mouth of the Mississippi river [1]

  5. Jews are expelled from residing in the Free Imperial City of Lübeck, Holy Roman Empire

    Jews are expelled from residing in the Free Imperial City of Lübeck, Holy Roman Empire

Events After

  1. William Penn presents the Charter of Privileges, guaranteeing religious freedom for the colony of Pennsylvania

    William Penn presents the Charter of Privileges, guaranteeing religious freedom for the colony of Pennsylvania

  2. Frisia & Groningen (Netherlands) begin use of Gregorian calendar

    Frisia & Groningen (Netherlands) begin use of Gregorian calendar

  3. Frederick I and Sophie Charlotte of Hanover crowned king and queen of Prussia

    Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (26 March [O.S. 16 March] 1687 – 28 June 1757; German: Sophie Dorothea von Hannover) was Queen in Prussia and Electress of Brandenburg during the reign of her husband, King...

  4. France, Cologne & Bavaria sign alliance

    The Grand Alliance was signed on 20 December 1689 by William III, King of England and Scotland, and Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor.

  5. The War of the Spanish Succession begins

    The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict, fought between 1701 and 1714.

More from the 1700s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 1, 1700?
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull Inter gravissimas issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years slightly differently to make the average calendar year 365.2425 days long rather than the Julian calendar's 365.25 days, thus more closely approximating the 365.2422-day "tropical" or "solar" year that is determined by the Earth's revolution around the Sun.
Why is Protestant Western Europe, except England, begins to use the Gregorian calendar significant?
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world.

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