History

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The decisions, accidents and people that shaped now.

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Why October 1582 lost ten days: a calendar year 11 minutes too long In 1582, Thursday 4 October was followed by Friday 15 October. Ten dates were simply deleted across Catholic Europe. The reason was an error of about 11… History5 min read How Eratosthenes measured the whole Earth with a stick and a shadow Around 240 BC, Eratosthenes, head of the Library of Alexandria, measured the size of the whole Earth with a stick and a shadow. At noon on midsummer, sticks in… History4 min read How sailors found longitude before satellites: a race against the clock Latitude is easy: measure the height of the Sun or the Pole Star. Longitude is hard, because the Earth turns one degree every four minutes. To know how far… History6 min read