Is It Time to Overhaul the Calendar?

Have you ever heard that rhyme used to remember how many days there are in a particular month? You know: Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November, etc., etc. Well, if two researchers at Johns Hopkins University get their way, that little chant may soon be totally irrelevant.

Richard Henry, an astrophysicist, and Steve Hanke, an economist, have proposed a new calendar that they believe will be far more convenient and more business-friendly. The Hanke-Henry calendar follows a pattern of two 30-day months followed by one 31-day month. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, every date would fall on the same day of the week—forever. Additionally, to account for seasonal drift, instead of a leap year every four years there would be an extra “leap week” at the end of December every five or six years.

While it definitely would be convenient to have the same calendar year after year—simpler interest payments and little time wasted on scheduling revisions—there are also some downsides to the permanent calendar. Some people hate the idea of always having their birthday on the same day of the week. Others dislike the fact that the Hanke-Henry calendar includes four Friday the 13ths. Perhaps the biggest downside: the new calendar can sometimes be off on the seasons by as much as three days.

Regardless, despite the fact that Hanke and Henry are optimistic, we think it’s unlikely that we’ll be adopting a new calendar any time soon. What do you think? Is it time to overhaul the calendar?