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      Mental Floss

      CALENDARS

      IStock

      Why Some Parents Push For a Leap Day Baby

      Louise Estes has given birth to three children on three consecutive Leap Days. Was it fate, or careful planning?

      Jake Rossen

      Early Time Travel? Why Britain Lost 11 Days in 1752

      For one year, more than two centuries ago, September 3-13 didn't exist in the British Empire.

      Maggie Malach

      iStock

      Why It’s So Hard to Remember Which Day of the Week It Is

      Researchers find that people attach more meaning to Mondays and Fridays, but have fewer mental representations of mid-week days.

      Shaunacy Ferro



      ThinkStock/Erin McCarthy

      5 Dates You Won't Find on Your Calendar

      Due to unusual record-keeping practices or because of months that were eliminated over the centuries, there are a few days you’ll never see on your joke-a-day calendar.

      M Asher Cantrell


      Thinkstock/Bryan Dugan

      Why Our Calendars Skipped 11 Days in 1752

      Six and a half million Britons went to bed on September 2, 1752, and woke up on September 14. The reason? The Calendar (New Style) Act of 1750, of course.

      Chris Stokel-Walker
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