October 4

On the 4th in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII, with a single shot from his starters’ pistol, started the ball rolling for his eponymous calendar, which is the calendar predominately used to this day. Jaded as we have become we tend to take far too many things for granted. For instance, we assume that October 4 will be followed by October 5, which in turn will be closely followed by October 6, and then 7, and so on and so on. Well until October 31 of course, since October only has 31 days, though that may very well change if I have anything to say about it. Such was not always the case. In 1582, October 4 was immediately followed by October 15. Think about it, if you had a busy social calendar for October 11, you were probably going to lose your security deposit, because in 1582 there would simply not be an October 11. Do not even think about rescheduling for the 15th because it is amazing how quickly things sell out.

The pope’s name at birth was Ugo Boncompagni. Prior to ascending to the Papacy, Pope Paul III had employed Benedict. Under Paul, Benedict served as a judge and vice-chancellor of the small town of Campagna.