national handwriting day

[Joel S. Berson]

Britain and (some of) its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar in
1752, I think.  And the difference in days at that time was 11, so
Jan 12 O.S. was Jan 23 N.S.

(That's why Washington was born on Lincoln's birthday.)

Joel

At 1/12/2007 12:58 AM, you wrote:
>That sounds like a discrepancy due to the change from the Julian to
>Gregorian calendar. Didn't the US/colonies adopt right around that time? BB
>
>Dennis Baron wrote:
>>In =20
>>fact WIMA picked Jan. 23 for National Handwriting Day to coincide =20
>>with Hancock=92s birthday.  Actually John Hancock, author of the =20
>>largest and most famous American signature, was born not on Jan. 23 =20
>>but on Jan. 12.  But that's not the point.  ... "
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org