Skip to content
Vol. MMXXVI Tempus fugit, hora manet. — — —

TheTime Mag

The Calendar

Today is the 119th day of 2026, in week 18.

April 2026

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
27282930

Today's date in many forms

ISO 86012026-04-29
Long formWednesday, April 29, 2026
Day of year119 of 2026
Week of yearWeek 18
Unix timestamp1777437444

About the Gregorian calendar

The calendar most of the world uses today was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII to correct a slow drift in the older Julian calendar. The Julian year was 365.25 days; the actual tropical year is 365.2422 days. That eleven-minute discrepancy added up over centuries — by 1582 the calendar had drifted ten days off the seasons. The Gregorian reform skipped those days (October 4 was followed directly by October 15) and changed the leap-year rule: years divisible by 100 are no longer leap years, unless they are also divisible by 400.

Adoption was slow and uneven. Catholic countries switched in 1582; Britain and its colonies waited until 1752; Russia held out until 1918. Some Eastern Orthodox churches still use the Julian calendar for religious feasts, which is why Orthodox Christmas falls on January 7.