We take the measurement of time for granted, yet our lives are punctuated by dates: Ramadan, New Year, Halloween, Mother's Day, tax day, birthday, payday. Dome events are worldwide holidays, while others are celebrated by only a few. At what point in history did humankind begin to organize time? How did the patterns of the sun, moon, and stars influence the way we mark our hours and days? When and how did we establish the cycles of time that make a season, a decade, a century, or a millennium? The calendar is an indispensable tool for ordering and recording events. Many cultures have developed independent calendar systems, and religions have also played their part in the story. The modern western calendar, accepted today as a global frame of reference, is the fruit of a long and tumultuous history. This illustrated book traces the scientific, technical, and political history of calendars: the story of time itself. Read Less