IN-PERSON: The Elderwise classroom at the Vineyard Church
Bill Ingram will lead us through the history of our calendar, starting with the Egyptians and Babylonians and how they shaped the later Roman calendar. Then we will investigate the problems with the Roman calendar that Julius Caesar had to fix, the problems with the Julian calendar that Pope Gregory had to fix, and right up to what is going on in Ukraine with the Gregorian calendar. There is much to talk about: the signs of the zodiac, why there are two different calculations for the length of the year, why weeks and months are the length they are, why do we need calendars anyway, and finally why our calendar is so wonky: why “thirty days hath September”? William Ingram is Professor Emeritus of English Language and Literature at the University of Michigan. He is known for his work on early modern drama and performance.
