# Id this calendar date? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 11, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413 "2012-09-11T17:48:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/1 "2012-09-11T17:48:40Z")
[Calendar on the back wall](http://www.photoshop.com/users/bedrewjr/albums/3e9c9495723f4f4f810b29c16af714dc/view#13c65900ad3242f28e1777921a2db08f), but the quality isn’t so hot. 1950s. That’s a clue. I have my own opinion as to what the month is, but would like an independent set of eyes. If we can settle on the month, I can pretty much cinch the year. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/2 "2012-09-11T18:00:20Z")
I’m seeing it as a February in a leap year maybe? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/3 "2012-09-11T18:06:15Z")
Well, I’ll be shocked if anyone can hazard a guess at the month with that quality of picture, but I’ve been surprised here before. It looks to me like a 30-day month beginning on Tuesday, assuming the leftmost column is Sunday and the rightmost is Saturday. This would make the following possible: April 1952 September 1953 June 1954 November 1955 April 1958 September 1959 Leap possibility: Feb 1956 Now, if you think it looks like it starts on a Wednesday and ends on a Wednesday, then it’s Feb 1956. I think the first falls on a Tuesday there, as the fifth column (Thursday) in the second row looks to be where the two-digit dates start. Looking at the picture again, I’m betting that it’s _not_ the leap year. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/4 "2012-09-11T18:27:21Z")
Excellent analysis there **pulykamell** , it definitely looks like the 10th is the second Thursday, making it a 30 day month. The “1” on the first Tuesday must have gotten lost in the image compression along the way because it really is impossible to see. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/5 "2012-09-11T18:31:43Z")
Concur that the 10th is a Thursday, making it a 30-day month. Going by the density of the letters and length of the month name, I’m going to put my money on April. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/6 "2012-09-11T18:33:03Z")
Given the length of the month name (which I can’t actually read), September or November looks more likely. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/7 "2012-09-11T18:34:08Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Concur that the 10th is a Thursday, making it a 30-day month. Going by the density of the letters and length of the month name, I’m going to put my money on April. Wow. Must put on my glasses. Seriously, we got EXACTLY different analyses on that. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/8 "2012-09-11T18:37:28Z")
I see what looks to be seven short words (probably day names) on the top line (which is odd). Then on the second line a word that looks to be the size of ‘SEPTEMBER’ or ‘NOVEMBER’. Then on the third line a short word which is probably the year. There is something circular that is obscuring the center of the lettering. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/9 "2012-09-11T18:44:23Z")
Thinking the top line might be the name of a local business who distributed the calendar. I can imagine it saying something along the lines of “[Initial] [Initial] [Something] [Something] Co.” ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/10 "2012-09-11T18:48:23Z")
I assumed it’s a 30-day calendar, too, and it’s pretty safe to rule out June. Some more clues that might possibly help: Central South Carolina. Some kids are in long sleeves. Holiday dates on the calendar? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/11 "2012-09-11T18:50:53Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > I see what looks to be seven short words (probably day names) on the top line (which is odd). > Then on the second line a word that looks to be the size of ‘SEPTEMBER’ or ‘NOVEMBER’. > Then on the third line a short word which is probably the year. > There is something circular that is obscuring the center of the lettering. Oh, are you looking in the white border are, just under the picture? I was thinking the month and year are in the black calendar area, right above the dates. So, the month and the year are all in the same line. I can’t make a guess as to what the month is. It only looks like it’s slightly larger than the year, so April is not a bad guess, but maybe it’s closely kerned characters, and the year is more spread out; or perhaps the compression is futzing with the apparent width of the parts. I’m not willing to bet anything on what month it is. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/12 "2012-09-11T18:52:46Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > Excellent analysis there **pulykamell** , it definitely looks like the 10th is the second Thursday, making it a 30 day month. The “1” on the first Tuesday must have gotten lost in the image compression along the way because it really is impossible to see. No, the 1 is there if you zoom in: [crop](http://i49.tinypic.com/2urb5sl.png). The left and right columns are rather blurry, but the first date, the 1, is definitely in the third column, which is probably Tuesday. And it’s definitely a 30-day month. In other words: ```auto Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 ``` Looking at the possible months, I don’t think the month name is as short as April or June, although April is a possibility (I count 5 “blobs” in the first word of the title, but the spacing suggests I’m not seeing all the letters. On the other hand, the second “word”, which is presumably a four-digit year, looks not too far off the length of the first word, the month. Edit: I think the month and the year are definitely on the black part. The surround looks like it could be a decorative border, or maybe an advert of some kind. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/13 "2012-09-11T18:54:22Z")
But is there seriously not a better scan of this available somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/14 "2012-09-11T18:57:59Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Wow. Must put on my glasses. > Seriously, we got EXACTLY different analyses on that. ☹ I was assuming it was MONTH YEAR, if that makes a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/15 "2012-09-11T18:59:11Z")
It’s not exactly the same, as the pic at the top is different, but the calendar looks very similar to [this](http://elcampolivestock.com/assets/images/Calendar-1956-Cropped.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/16 "2012-09-11T18:59:12Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > But is there seriously not a better scan of this available somewhere? Well, yeah, but. . . This is a download from a facebook copy–which, you realize, is a fraction of the size of the original, thus poor quality. I could never get a response from the owner about receiving an emailed original. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/17 "2012-09-11T19:12:50Z")
Another clue: The image owner is 67 or 68, and I think is in the left foreground wearing the jacket, being pointed at by the kid across the table. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/18 "2012-09-11T19:17:53Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > But is there seriously not a better scan of this available somewhere? Amen. I can see the kids OK, but the calendar is just a mass of dark gray and black to my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/19 "2012-09-11T20:21:29Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > It’s not exactly the same, as the pic at the top is different, but the calendar looks very similar to [this](http://elcampolivestock.com/assets/images/Calendar-1956-Cropped.jpg). That’s a pretty impressive find. I actually tried to look for the calendar itself, but figured there was next to no chance of finding it. While the one in the lunchroom photo is definitely not the “El Campo” calendar, the design is almost dead-on. Maybe they come from the same printing company? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413/20 "2012-09-11T20:30:29Z")
I’m going to guess September 1953. This is pure speculation, but I’m guessing the left-hand column is darker because it’s a Sunday and a different color than the rest of the weekdays, and it seems to me–although this may be wishful thinking–that the first Monday in that month is also the same color as the Sunday dates, indicating a holiday. Given that the person in question is 67, September 1953 is the only month that fits all the criteria. That’s just my shot in the dark. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-calendar-date/634413.md?page=2)