Positivist calendar

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The positivist calendar was proposed by Auguste Comte in 1849 as a reform of the Gregorian calendar which would mark the transition to (as he saw it) the new, enlightened era of Positivism.

Structure of the calendar

Months

The calendar contained 13 months of 28 days each. The French names of Janvier through Décembre were retained from the Gregorian calendar for the first 12 months, with the 13th being named Final.

Weeks

The seven-day week was also retained, with the French day-names. Weeks began on Lundi (Monday).

Extra days

To bring the total to 365 days, an epagomenal day named Fête gènérale des Morts ("Festival of the Dead") was added after the last day of Final. It was not counted as part of a week, thus allowing every year to start on Lundi. For leap years, assigned the same way as in the Gregorian system, the leap day was added at the end of the year. The leap day was named Fête gènérale des Sainte Femmes ("Festival of Holy Women").

Commemorations

Comte proposed that each month honor a particular period of history or area of human achievement, as well as one person who exemplified it. In addition, each day of the month would be dedicated to a major figure in that area, with Dimanche (Sunday) reserved for especially important people. The complete list of commemorations would be:

MonthJanvierFévrierMarsAvrilMai
PersonMosesHomerAristotleArchimedesJulius Caesar
ThemeThe early theocracyAncient poetsAncient philosophyAncient scienceMilitary civilization
Lundi1PrometheusHesiodAnaximanderTheophrastusMilitiades
Mardi2HerculesTyrtaeusAnaximenesHerophilusLeonides
Mercredi3OrpheusAnacreonHeraclitusEristratusAristides
Jeudi4UlyssesPindarAnaxagorasCelsusCimon
Vendredi5LycurgusSophoclesDemocritusGalenXenophon
Samedi6RomulusTheocritusHerodotusAvicennaPhocion
Dimanche7NumaAeschylusThalesHippocratesThemistocles
Lundi8BelusScopasSolonEuclidPericles
Mardi9SesostrisZeuxisXenophanesAristarchusPhilip (of Macedon)
Mercredi10MenuIctinusEmpodoclesTheodosius of BithyniaDemosthenes
Jeudi11CyrusPraxitelesThucydidesHeroPtolemy Lagus
Vendredi12ZoroasterLysippusArchytasPappusPhilipoemen
Samedi13The DruidsApellesApollonius of TyranaDiophantusPolybus
Dimanche14BuddhaPhidiasPythagorasApolloniusAlexander (the Great)
Lundi15Fo-HiAesopAristippusEudoxusJunius Brutus
Mardi16Lao-TzuAristophanesAntisthenesPytheasCamillus
Mercredi17Meng-TzuTerenceZenoAristarchusFabricius
Jeudi18The Priests of TibetPhaedrusCiceroEratosthenesHannibal
Vendredi19The Priests of JapanJuvenalEpictetusPtolemyPaulus Aemilius
Samedi20Manco CapacLucianTacitusAlbategniusMarius
Dimanche21ConfuciusPlautusSocratesHipparchusScipio
Lundi22AbrahamEnniusXenocratesVarroAugustus
Mardi23JosephLucretiusPhilo of AlexandriaColumellaVespasian
Mercredi24SamuelHoraceSt. John the EvangelistVitruviusAdrian
Jeudi25SolomonTibullusSt. JustinStraboAntony
Vendredi26IsaacOvidSt. Clement of AlexandriaFrontinusPapinian
Samedi27St. John the BaptistLucanOrigenPlutarchAlexander Severus
Dimanche28MuhammadVirgilPlatoPliny the ElderTrajan
MonthJuinJuilletAoutSeptembre
PersonSt. PaulCharlemagneDanteGutenberg
ThemeCatholicismFeudal civilizationModern epicsModern industry
Lundi1St. LukeTheodoric the GreatThe TroubadoursMarco Polo
Mardi2St. CyprianPelayoBocaccioJacques Coeur
Mercredi3St. AthanasiusOtho the GreatCervantesda Gama
Jeudi4St. JeromeSt. HenryRabelaisNapier
Vendredi5St. AmbroseVilliersLa FontaineLacaille
Samedi6St. MonicaDon Juan de Austriade FoeCook
Dimanche7St. AugustineAlfred (the Great)AriostoColumbus
Lundi8ConstantineCharles MartelLeonardo da VinciBenvenuto Cellini
Mardi9TheodosiusEl CidMichelangeloAmontons
Mercredi10St. ChrysostomRichard IHolbeinHarrison
Jeudi11St. PulcheriaJoan of ArcPoussinDolland
Vendredi12St. Genevieve of ParisAlbuquerqueMurilloArkwright
Samedi13St. Gregory the GreatBayardTeniersConté
Dimanche14HildebrandGodfreyRaphaelVaucanson
Lundi15St. BenedictSt. Leo the GreatFroissartStevin
Mardi16St. BonifaceGerbertCamõesMariotte
Mercredi17St. Isidore of SevillePeter the HermitThe Spanish RomanticsPapin
Jeudi18St. LanfrancSugerChateaubriandBlack
Vendredi19St. HeloiseAlexander IIISir Walter ScottJouffroy
Samedi20The Architects of the Middle AgesSt. Francis of AssisiManzoniDalton
Dimanche21St. BernardInnocent IIITasseWatt
Lundi22St. Francis XavierSt. ClothildaPetrarchBernard de Palissy
Mardi23St. Charles BorromeoSt. BathildeThomas à KempisGuglielmini
Mercredi24St. TheresaSt. Stephen of HungaryMadame de LafayetteDuhamel
Jeudi25St. Vincent de PaulSt. Elizabeth of HungaryFénelonSaussure
Vendredi26BordalueBlanche of CastilleKlopstockCoulomb
Samedi27William PennSt. Ferdinand IIIByronCarnot
Dimanche28BossuetSt. LouisMiltonMontgolfier
MonthOctobreNovembreDécembreFinal
PersonShakespeareDescartesFrederick IIBichat
ThemeModern dramaModern philosophyModern politicsModern science
Lundi1Lope de VegaAlbert the GreatMarie de MolinaCopernicus
Mardi2MoretoRoger BaconCosimo de MediciKepler
Mercredi3RojasSt. BonaventurePhilippe de CominesHuygens
Jeudi4OtwayRamusIsabella of CastilleJacques Bernoulli
Vendredi5LessingMontaigneCharles VBradley
Samedi6GoëtheCampanellaHenry IVVolta
Dimanche7CalderónThomas AquinasLouis XIGalileo
Lundi8TirsoThomas HobbesColignyViète
Mardi9VondelPascalBarneveldtWallis
Mercredi10RacineLockeGustavus AdolphusClairaut
Jeudi11VoltaireVauvernarguesde WittEuler
Vendredi12AlfieriDiderotRuyterD'Alembert
Samedi13SchillerCabanisWilliam IIILagrange
Dimanche14CorneilleBaconWilliam the SilentNewton
Lundi15AlarcónGrotiusXiménezBergmann
Mardi16Madame de MottevilleFontenelleSullyPriestley
Mercredi17Madame de SévignéVicoColbertCavendish
Jeudi18LesageFréretWalpoleGuyton Morveau
Vendredi19Madame de StaalMontesquieuD'ArandaBerthollet
Samedi20FieldingBuffonTurgotBerzelius
Dimanche21MolièreLeibnitzRichelieuLavoisier
Lundi22PergolesiAdam SmithSidneyHarvey
Mardi23SacchiniKantFranklinBoerhaave
Mercredi24GluckCondorcetWashingtonLinnaeus
Jeudi25BeethovenFichteJeffersonHaller
Vendredi26RossiniJoseph de MaistreBolívarLamarck
Samedi27BelliniHegelFranciaBroussais
Dimanche28MozartHumeCromwellGall

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