logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2022
39m 20s

French Republican Calendar

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

The new year approaches. But what if you had to learn a completely new calendar for the coming year? For about a dozen years starting in the late 19th century, France abandoned the Gregorian calendar for an entirely different one.

Research: 

  • Alfred, Randy. “Sept. 22, 1792: Day One of Revolutionary Calendar.” Wired. Sept. 22, 2011. https://www.wired.com/2011/09/0922revolutionary-calendar/
  • Suplee, Curt. “A Brief History of Time-keeping.” Washington Post. Nov. 16, 1994. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/11/16/a-brief-history-of-time-keeping/1735193f-0c41-4657-af73-16e7b54a9665/
  • Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Gregorian calendar". Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Oct. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gregorian-calendar
  • Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "year". Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Dec. 2015, https://www.britannica.com/science/year
  • Bickerman, E.J. , Ziadeh, Nicola Abdo , Buitenen, J.A.B. van , Proskouriakoff, Tatiana , Schmidt, John D. , Wiesenberg, E.J. , Lin, Chao and Ronan, Colin Alistair. "calendar". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Jul. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/science/calendar
  • Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Julian calendar". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Jul. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/science/Julian-calendar
  • Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Roman republican calendar". Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Apr. 2011, https://www.britannica.com/science/Roman-republican-calendar
  • Warren, Howard C. “Psychological Aspects of Calendar Reform.” The Scientific Monthly, vol. 33, no. 5, 1931, pp. 440–42. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/15247
  • Carrigan, Richard A. “Decimal Time: Unlike the Metric System of Measurements, Decimal Time Did Not Survive the French Revolution. But Is Dividing the Day by Tens a Possibility for the Future?” American Scientist, vol. 66, no. 3, 1978, pp. 305–13. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27848641
  • Zerubavel, Eviatar. “The French Republican Calendar: A Case Study in the Sociology of Time.” American Sociological Review, vol. 42, no. 6, 1977, pp. 868–77. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2094573
  • Simon, Ed. “Why the French Revolution’s ‘Rational’ Calendar Wasn’t.” JSTOR Daily. May 23, 2018. https://daily.jstor.org/why-the-french-revolutions-rational-calendar-wasnt/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Today
SYMHC Classics: Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson’s stances on political and civil rights issues and his communist affiliations catalyzed protests that were fueled with an undercurrent of racism and antisemitism.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
36m 58s
Yesterday
Behind the Scenes Minis: Complicated Werewolf
Holly discusses the complicated nature of the Loudun possessions. Tracy talks about the ways that entertainment media can cause fear.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
18m 31s
Oct 8
Peter Stumpp, Werewolf of Bedburg
Peter Stubbe or Peter Stumpp, also known as the Werewolf of Bedburg, was part of a case in Germany where the concepts of witchcraft and lycanthropy were interconnected. Research: Baillie, Nathan. “Monstrous Lessons: Peter Stumpp, the Werewolf of Bedburg.” University of Saskatchew ... Show More
40m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
The Shared History Of The Chinese And Gregorian Calendars
Happy Lunar New Year! According to the Chinese lunisolar calendar, the new year began Saturday. For many, like our host Regina G. Barber, this calendar and its cultural holidays can feel completely detached from the Gregorian calendar. Growing up, she associated the former with t ... Show More
12m 36s
Feb 2022
S1E135 - Kapow's Power of Invention: The Calendar
A calendar is a tool used to measure the passing of time. Now, the people in ancient times based their calendars on the most obvious, and consistent things they could find - the movement of the Sun, Moon, and stars. These first calendars helped people figure out when to plant and ... Show More
9m 40s
Dec 2021
How Julius Caesar Changed Time
We’re finishing off 2021 with what is perhaps Julius Caesar’s greatest legacy. It’s not a military victory or battle, but one of the many political reforms that truly has stood the test of time: the Julian calendar. Before, calendars were largely based on the lunar calendar, and ... Show More
46m 4s
Jul 9
Pourquoi les journées du 9 au 20 décembre 1582 n'ont pas existé ?
RediffusionL'année 1582 restera dans les annales pour une raison assez curieuse. En effet, elle comporte 10 jours de moins que les années précédentes.Ainsi, les gens qui vont se coucher le 9 décembre 1582 ne s'éveillent pas, le lendemain, un 10 décembre, comme ils auraient pu s'y ... Show More
2m 13s
Jan 2023
Introducing: History Daily
On History Daily, we do history, daily. Every weekday, host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous event that happened ‘on this day’ in history. Whether it’s to remember the tragedy of December 7th, 1941, the day ... Show More
4m 13s
Mar 2024
The French Revolution, Part 1 of 2
During the late 18th Century, a series of political, social, cultural, and economic issues reached breaking point, exploding in what is now known as the French Revolution. This unprecedented event affected not just France, but the rest of the world - reinventing centuries-old app ... Show More
55m 1s
Jan 2024
Pourquoi l’année commence-t-elle le 1er janvier ?
C'est le moment des résolutions naissantes et des feux d'artifice, nous célébrons le Nouvel An ! Aujourd'hui, la Terre a commencé un nouveau tour complet du soleil. Il durera 365 jours, donc, jusqu'à l’année prochaine. C’est pour cette raison que le 1ᵉʳ janvier est appelé jour de ... Show More
4m 26s