# What happens on May 33rd but only on leap year? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 4, 2000, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637 "2000-11-04T01:33:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/281 "2001-03-08T02:16:41Z")
Calendar Reform Foundation? Lo que es? ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/282 "2001-03-08T02:30:44Z")
**Mojo** : Haven’t got a clue. No such organization on the Internet (at least not that I could find). Might have gone out of business. **diet** : You’ll have to agree that the situation/context is a bit different here. Not to be too mercantile about it, but there’s a contest (with prizes) involved here. Not to mention the pride of the SDMB community!🙂 Perhaps you could have been a tad less…specific? ---
**Author:** ![Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pasta)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/283 "2001-03-08T02:57:21Z")
I haven’t been following this thread much at all, but… **Colibri** , if you want to prove later that you actually knew the answer without giving it away, give us an encoded version. A possible scheme: Come up with a long phrase (like maybe 20 characters) and add it to some 20 character string that indicates the answer. If the answer is “orange juice”, you could do this: ```auto ILIKECHEESEBURGERSVERYMUCH (pad phrase) + ABCZYXABCORANGEJUICEABCZYX (answer string) ---------------------------- = IMKJCZHFGGVBHXKNBAXIRZOTAE (encrypted answer string) ``` You give us the sum, and later you gives us the pad phrase to subtract from it. It would be _very_ hard to reverse engineer a pad that reads like a well behaved English sentence, so no one will doubt you if the pad you later give us is “MYMOTHERWEARSARMYBOOTS”. (And of course, a bad version of the answer string above would “AAAAAAORANGEJUICEAAAAAAA” since those _A_’s don’t mask the underlying English phrase. Random letters aren’t great either because then you’d have to reverse engineer less to fake it (so someone might cry foul.)) Just thought I’d throw that out there. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/284 "2001-03-08T03:04:34Z")
In a nutshell, each month in Barlow’s calendar would have 28 days and begin on a Monday and end on a Sunday. The remaining 29 days would consist of national holidays, or festival days, which would start at the end of each month and not be called Monday or Friday but the first day of festival, etc. Certain months would have only one festival day following them, but since the month ends on a Sunday, the least you could expect each month would be a three-day (weekend) festival. Others, such as May, would be followed by a seven day festival on leap year and a six-day festival normally. In addition, everyone would have a week off for Christmas. Wallechinsky, D. & Wallace, I., _The People’s Almanac #3_, Bantam Books, 1981, pp. 696-697. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/285 "2001-03-08T03:21:52Z")
Congrats Colibri. I hope you win the money. You deserve it. omni-not, I forget. Are you french? ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/286 "2001-03-08T03:40:22Z")
Bien sûr! Qui d’autre qu’un francophone aurait pu tourner une phrase d’aussi belle manière?? The depth of your knowledge of French never ceases to impress me. Did you use French on a more or less regular basis when you were young(er)? ---
**Author:** ![ubermensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bcef8e/32.png) [@ubermensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ubermensch)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/287 "2001-03-08T05:29:58Z")
btw…you know there is a phone option, like \*67 or \*70 that automatically connects you to a number after it’s busy. i think it might only work in the same prefix though…on second thought, if you listen to a busy signal for a few seconds, a voice comes on, asking you if you want the option. automatic call back, or something to that effect. you hit \*79 or something, and when the line is free, you get called, hear a ring, and the djs pick up. my friend used to score all sorts of radio station prizes that way. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/288 "2001-03-08T05:57:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by omni-not \* > \*\*Bien sûr! Qui d’autre qu’un francophone aurait pu tourner une phrase d’aussi belle manière?? > > The depth of your knowledge of French never ceases to impress me. Did you use French on a more or less regular basis when you were young(er)? \*\* Hmmm… babel fish sez Of course! Who of other that a French-speaking person could have turned a sentence in also good manners?? ---
**Author:** ![SINsApple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@SINsApple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SINsApple)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/289 "2001-03-08T06:42:48Z")
Diet: Never fear. I think you did the right thing. While there may be prizes involved, first and foremost, this forum is about answering people’s questions. Diet did that, Coli was holding it over our heads like we were Tantalus. ---
**Author:** ![RAWisSYDNEY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@RAWisSYDNEY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWisSYDNEY)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/290 "2001-03-08T07:31:21Z")
maybe, like some chicko said before, it is the LAST day (or FIRST) of the festival, ever other year (non-leap) it is a day before, or a day after. ---
**Author:** ![bwanasimba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/53a042/32.png) [@bwanasimba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bwanasimba)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/291 "2001-03-08T11:59:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astro \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by omni-not \* > > \*\*Bien sûr! Qui d’autre qu’un francophone aurait pu tourner une phrase d’aussi belle manière?? > > > > The depth of your knowledge of French never ceases to impress me. Did you use French on a more or less regular basis when you were young(er)? \*\* > > Hmmm… babel fish sez > > Of course! Who of other that a French-speaking person could have turned a sentence in also good manners??\*\* That’s “…who, other than a French-speaking person could have (crafted such a delightful sentence?) or (come up with a sentence in such a delightful way)” Damn, I’m glad the answer is out. Can we close this thread now, or do we have to wait until someone gets through on the quiz? ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/292 "2001-03-08T14:13:36Z")
The depth of your knowledge of French never ceases to impress me!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hokienautic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@Hokienautic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokienautic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/293 "2001-03-08T15:00:49Z")
Wow … just checked their Web site, and unless I completely missed it, they don’t broadcast over the Internet at all. So you’ll have to be in the listening area in order to win the contest – or at least to have the best chance. Ah well. If I took it, I woulda shared. Honest! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/294 "2001-03-08T15:14:01Z")
Ha! Do tell! Don’t tell! Do tell! Don’t tell! **What if they’re wrong?!** 😉 Naaaah…congrats **pk** and **col**! Interesting…I couldn’t find mention of the Barlow Calendar using Google or MetaCrawler. Guess they weren’t kidding when they said “Go to your local library.”! Anyway…I got my name on the first page of this historic thread (with an idiotic post! _sigh_)…and I wanted to check in on the last page, too. ---
**Author:** ![maralinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@maralinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maralinn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/295 "2001-03-08T15:24:12Z")
FWIW, the nature of radio trivia contests is fundamentally unfair anyway. Rarely does the person who found the answer first actually get the prize, and when it does happen, it’s a huge coincidence. I sent the answer to RJ’s Digs myself; the quote from the e-mail on his site is mine. I also posted it yesterday to the librarians’ forum on Delphi that I mentioned earlier. As for the coincidence, I don’t think it was a coincidence at all that two of us got it on the same day. We got it because RJ’s Digs mentioned The People’s Alamanac a day or two earlier, and there are only three volumes to check. 🙂 I’m a little disappointed that the calendar reform website doesn’t mention _either_ of the two schemes in PA3, BTW (unless it’s bured deeper than I’ve looked there). They’re at [http://personal.ecu.edu/mccartyr/calendar-reform.html](http://personal.ecu.edu/mccartyr/calendar-reform.html) As for me, I’m more than ready for some calendar reform! However, the idea of “everybody” having six days off at Christmas is ludicrous. I can guarantee you that _our_ public library would not close more than two days, and most restaurants and retailers would not be able to close at all. And anyway, why can’t Thanksgiving be at the _beginning_ of November? Or make it a true harvest festival and put it at the end of October. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/296 "2001-03-08T16:02:49Z")
Game Over. Some gal named Linda just won and it was the Summer Festival from the Barlow calendar answer. The good news is that she didn’t get the answer from this thread. **FINALLY!!** ---
**Author:** ![gstock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e4f/32.png) [@gstock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gstock)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/297 "2001-03-08T16:45:44Z")
The ironic part about this whole thing is that if you actually go to the Milwaukee central library and find the book that they got the correct answer from, The People’s Almanac #3, you would be approximately 6 inches away from the actual “Straight Dope” books. I find that kind of funny. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/298 "2001-03-08T16:56:35Z")
and pump this sucker up to 20,000 views!!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/299 "2001-03-08T17:16:42Z")
Regarding the whole issue of do tell/don’t tell, I figured my first obligation was to help out the OP. Since pkbites was trying to win the contest, posting the answer in full on the board wasn’t going to help him at this point. (Ok, assistence in winning quiz shows is not the “purpose of this board.” But neither is help with computer glitches and car problems, yet that is generally cheerfully given by members.) If I had come across the answer months ago, I probably would have posted it. Then the answer would still have been confined to the Straight Dope community. And if it happened to help out a few fellow Dopers in Milwaukee besides pk, that would have been OK. But the whole issue took on an added dimension once this thread was linked to that quiz-show site in Milwaukee. Now the combined brain power of the Teeming Millions was being harnessed by outside forces. And **diet** chose to give the answer to the entire population of Milwaukee, even those who had never done any research on the question and those who had never even heard of the Straight Dope. But I am vastly relieved to hear that the winner didn’t get the result from here. My sincere apologies for those who were tantalized by my mentioning I had the answer without posting it. But I couldn’t post it without blowing pkbites’ best chance to win. And I hope no one will begrudge me seeking a cut, as it was a pretty small one. If I had truly been greedy, I would have offered the answer to anyone in Milwaukee willing to do a deal. (And believe me, I got quite a few e-mails from both Board and non-Board members offering exactly that. I just told them I already had a deal with pk.) Cripes, this was my first opportunity to actually win something based on my vast and normally useless store of esoteric knowledge since that time I was on Jeopardy. (I won’t tell you exactly when, but Art James was still the host, long long before Alex Trebek. And no, I didn’t win. I came in second because my buzzer wasn’t working properly. ;)) **dietrologica** , since this is GQ I will refrain from expressing my heartfelt feelings about your actions. Suffice it to say that if you ever need information about hummingbirds, don’t come running to me. **maralinn** , I agree with you about dial-in quiz shows shows being unfair. Even if pk had had the info and no one else did, it still might have been a very long time, if ever, before he got through. Sending in the answers by e-mail would be a lot fairer, as you could see which were time-stamped first. > [@](#): > > _originally posted by maralinn_ > **As for the coincidence, I don’t think it was a coincidence at all that two of us got it on the same day. We got it because RJ’s Digs mentioned The People’s Alamanac a day or two earlier, and there are only three volumes to check. 🙂** If you will check the time of my first post on this thread, 8:08 AM CST, March 6, it precedes the DJ’s hint, between 9:30 and 9:45 AM CST, that the answer was in the same place as the Pearcy map, which I believe was the first indication that the source was the Peoples’ Almanac. And I believe it precedes any mention of the Almanac by name by a day. The DJs evidently decided that the contest had gone on long enough and decided to give hints so obvious they would give it away. It is something of a coincidence that they chose to do so just a day after I located the answer, since I have had it at my fingertips all along. Aside from being misled by the early speculation in the thread, I also didn’t check the Peoples’ Almanac because I assumed it was too available, and someone surely would have checked it already. As **gstock** says, it’s right in the Milwaukee public library, and lots of people seem to have been researching this. Not to disparage the noble citizens of the Badger State, but the term “cheesehead” has suddenly taken on additional resonance for me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![maralinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@maralinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maralinn)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2001, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637/300 "2001-03-08T17:54:34Z")
My apologies, Cobri; I must have gotten confused about the sequence of the events this week. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-on-may-33rd-but-only-on-leap-year/39637.md?page=16)