Why Does January First Start the New Year? - New Year's Explained

The video explores the history and evolution of the calendar system, focusing on why January 1st is considered the start of the new year. It delves into the Roman calendar's origins, Julius Caesar's reform to a solar calendar, and the eventual adoption of the Gregorian calendar by Pope Gregory XIII to correct drifting days.

Why did Numa Pompilius add January and February to the Roman calendar?

• To make the calendar more aesthetically pleasing

• To eliminate unaffiliated buffer days

• To honor Roman gods

• To align the calendar with the solar year

What was the main reason Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar?

• To honor the solstice

• To establish a consistent solar calendar

• To align it with the Egyptian calendar

• To simplify the lunar calendar

How did the Julian calendar account for the extra 0.25 days in a solar year?

• By extending December every year

• By shortening February every year

• By adding a leap day every four years

• By adding an extra month every year

What was the primary goal of the Gregorian calendar reform?

• To introduce a new month

• To align the calendar with the lunar phases

• To correct the drift in the Julian calendar

• To synchronize with the Chinese calendar

How did the Gregorian calendar modify the leap year schedule?

• By removing leap years entirely

• By adding a leap year every 3 years

• By having 97 leap years every 400 years

• By having 100 leap years every 400 years