In researching an article on calendars for an upcoming issue of American Spirit Magazine, I ran across a fun conundrum that's particularly apt right now: When was George Washington born?

According to the Washington family Bible at Mt. Vernon: “George Washington, son to Augustine and Mary his wife, was born ye 11th day of February 1731/32 …”. Astronomer Duncan Steel, author of In Marking Time; the Epic Quest to Invent the Perfect Calendar, says that Washington always celebrated his birthday on February 11, although our calendars (and history books) say it was February 22 … and both dates are correct, Steel says.

February 11 on the Julian calendar then still used in the American Colonies (and Great Britain) correlated with February 22 in countries using the Gregorian system. At the time of Washington’s birth, the Julian calendar pegged March 25 as New Year’s Day. So February 1731 was actually very late in the year, about six weeks before New Year’s Day on March 25, 1732. However, on the Gregorian calendar we use today, Washington’s birth occurred in early 1732. (The reference to “1731/32” is called “double dating" and was used to try to eliminate confusion.)

Somehow, I like the idea of starting the year around the approximate start of spring. It has always seemed odd that winter begins right before year-end and then carries over. It would also divide the year-end holidays so we could recover from one and better enjoy the next. As a friend of mine used to say, when I'm king, it'll get fixed.