Calendario Cotsworth

The 13-month “Cotsworth calendar” for 28 days: the rules and because it has not been adoptedhttps: //www.geopop.it/in-che- year-spiezione/

The Cotsworth calendar 13 months is a solar calendar designed by the English statistical and accounting Moses Cotsworthwhich in 1902 proposed a reform of the current calendar by providing 13 months from 28 days fixed each onefor a total of 364 days plus a “extra” without name at the end of the year to align with the Gregorian calendar currently adopted in the West. It is therefore a so -called calendar “perennial”because the same day of the week corresponds to the same date of the year every year: for example, the first day of each month will always be on Sunday regardless of the month and year. In addition to the traditional 12 months, which would have maintained their current name, the 13th month would take the name of “sun”.

The idea of ​​Moses Cotsworth has several advantages at first glance compared to our current calendar, but there is no shortage of disadvantages. Although it has been taken into consideration, this idea has never been implemented even if from 1928 to 1989 it was used within the company Eastman Kodak Company – Yes, just that of the photographs! – at the behest of the entrepreneur George Eastman.

How the 13 month calendar works: the rules

According to the Cotsworth project, the year lasts precisely 13 months from 28 days eachalways divided into 4 weeks of 7 days each. With a quick calculation we therefore realize that every year it would last 364 days. One more day therefore comes Added to the end of the calendarafter December 28, does not have a name and is called simply called “Day of the year”.

The days have the same name as those we are normally accustomed to the Gregorian calendar, as well as the twelve months of the year, and in addition a month between June and July is added, called “sun”in homage to the summer.

It is therefore a calendar that, like the Gregorian, takes into account the cycles of the seasons and the moon phases, and also the Cotsworth calendar It provides for the bissestile year: the day that is added, however, is not February 29 but on June 29th.

Every month, therefore, It starts on Sunday and ends on Saturdayand therefore every year on Sunday. On the day of the year following December 28, and on June 29, however, they are not part of any week.

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History of the Cotsworth calendar

The story of this calendar, in reality, begins before Moses Cotsworth comes this idea: in 1849In fact, the French philosopher Augustan Comtefather of positivism, proposed a calendar called “positivista” who saw 13 months, nominated with names of great men of the past: Moses, Homer, Aristotle, Archimedes, Cesare, San Paolo, Carlo Magno, Dante, Gutenberg, Shakespeare, Carasio, Federico, Bichat.

Moses Cotsworth, probably, was inspired by Comte to elaborate his calendar, which had the aim of being more practical for companiesso much so that 1923 was founded the International Fixed Calendar League In order to promote the new calendar, and the Nations society – the first intergovernmental organization of the world, founded with the aim of promoting dialogue, well -being and coexistence of different peoples and governments – actually took the idea into consideration.

The reformed calendar was not adopted mainly for the grievances of religious communities and for the Too many practical complications.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Cotsworth calendar

But if we wanted to imagine for a moment that the calendar conceived by Moses Cotsworth was reality, what would be the real implications, and the main pros and cons?

On the one hand, undeniably, we would have a very regular division of the year: every month would have 4 weeks, every day of the month would always fall on the same day of the week, and the calendar is perennial, and therefore for those involved in design, forecasts and production cycles, it would be easier to orient themselves.

In addition to this, we can imagine a better forecast of cash flows at an economic level, and therefore the undeniable advantages for companies.

However, we must also imagine what it would mean Recalcular birthdays and festivities of tradition or religiousas well as redesign all the software that are based on the dates, but also the entire management system of administrative data, personnel managementas well as the school system And much more!

And also, the superstitious would be in front of Friday 13 every month of each year!

Sources

Moses B. Cotsworth, The Rational Almanac: Tracing the Evolution of Modern Almanacs from Ancient Ideas of Time, and suggesting Improvements (Aomb, England: Cotsworth, 1905)

Cotsworth calendar