Talk:Alexis P. Vlasto

Birthdate (Julian versus Gregorian)

I am editing Peter Vlasto’s birthdate in the following way:

TL;DR: 27 November 1915 (14 November 1915 on the Greek Orthodox ecclesiastical calendar of the time).

Explanation: In footnote 5, the reference currently says there is a discrepancy between the 14 November 1915 date and the 27 November 1915 date. The cited source says that 27 November is the date on the Julian calendar. This is backwards (in my role as a choir director at a Russian Orthodox church, I deal with these dates frequently). The lower numeral would be the Julian calendar date; the higher numeral would be the Gregorian. In the 20th and 21st centuries CE (see the WP article Gregorian calendar), Julian dates trail Gregorian dates by 13 days. Thus, if Vlasto has a 14 November date and a 27 November date, 27 November represents the Gregorian date and 14 November represents the Julian date. For another example, today (11 June) is May 29 on the Julian calendar — but 11 June on the Julian calendar would be 24 June on the Gregorian calendar. If, as the footnote suggests, Vlasto always celebrated his birthday on 27 November, then this suggests further that the 14 November date is perhaps from an ecclesiastical source (perhaps a baptismal certificate). Kevin [Basil] Fritts (talk) 17:20, 11 June 2024 (UTC)