1582: The Year October Lost 10 Days! Why the Calendar Skipped a Week

• In October 1582, 10 days (October 5th to 14th) were removed from the calendar, making October 4th directly precede October 15th.
• This drastic change was due to the inaccuracy of the Julian Calendar, introduced by Julius Caesar, which was 11 minutes and 14 seconds longer than the solar year.
• Over centuries, this error accumulated to a 10-day discrepancy, causing Christian festivals like Easter to drift from their correct seasonal dates.
• Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian Calendar in February 1582 to correct this flaw, which is the calendar used globally today.
• The specific days were chosen in October to avoid disrupting major Christian festivals, as there were none between October 4th (Feast of St. Francis of Assisi) and October 14th.

Why It Matters: In 1582, 10 days were removed from October to fix the Julian Calendar's inaccuracy.