The Centennial of Introduction of the Gregorian Calendar and the Central European Time

Abstract

On February 25, 1918, the Small Council of the Central Council adopted a law introducing the Gregorian calendar (chronology, or new style) and Central European time on February 16. The innovation came into effect on February 16, 1918 according to the old style. The last two days of February fell off the calendar, and February 16 became March 1. Most historians believe that the Ukrainian government had made this decision for the country’s transition to European principles, because it was at that time that the Central Rada badly needed allies to fight the Bolsheviks. However, this is not quite so. An extract from the minutes of the Small Council meeting dated February 12, 1918, on the introduction of the Gregorian calendar and Central European time, is published. The language features of that time are preserved. Publication prepared by Luhovskiy O.H., PhD (History Sciences), researcher at Institute for Scientific and Technological Potential and Science History Studies named after G.M. Dobrov of NAS of Ukraine“, based on Skalsky, V.V. , PhD (History Studies),“100 years since the introduction of the Gregorian calendar and Central European time” in “Dilova Stolytsya” on February 28, 2018.

Introduction and documents prepared for publication by:
A. H. Luhovskyi
Dobrov Institute for Scientific and Technological Potential and Science History Studies of the NAS of Ukraine
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7644-5995

In preparing the introduction, the publication by V.V. Skalskyi, Candidate of Historical Sciences and Research Fellow at the Institute of History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, titled '100 Years Since the Introduction of the Gregorian Calendar and Central European Time,' published online in the newspaper Business Capital on February 28, 2018, was used.