Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2023 December 14

= December 14 =

Day Million
The article Day Million says that it takes place in the year 2737. But in fact, the year 2737 is actually one year too early. The actual one millionth day of the Common Era (starting from 1 January AD 1 in the Julian calendar) is on 26 November 2738 in the Gregorian calendar.

So, did Frederik Pohl make a mistake with the year that Day Million takes place?

Likewise, the two millionth and three millionth days of the Common Era will occur on 22 October 5476 and 19 September 8214 respectively. If there were to be a story called "Day Two Million" or "Day Three Million", then it would be set in the years 5476 and 8214 respectively. But unfortunately, no such story has ever been written, so that would be pure speculation. GeoffreyT2000 (talk) 03:58, 14 December 2023 (UTC)


 * Having never heard of the book before just now, I read the article prose the millionth day CE, which falls late in the year 2737, although the author alternately describes it as being about a thousand years in the future as indicating that Frederick Pohl did not calculate the day, and a well-meaning and mathsy Wikipedia editor who did not know about the (stupid) nonexistence of the year 0 added the incorrect year. I could be completely wrong, and Frederick Pohl goes on and on about how it's the year 2737, because I'm allowing although... alternately to do a lot of work in my interpretation, and also have never read the book. Folly Mox (talk) 04:42, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * This diff and this diff and this diff are relevant but not helpful. Folly Mox (talk) 04:51, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I have read the story, but don't recall this particular detail. Simple enough for me to hotfoot it to the library and check it out in Platinum Pohl. Clarityfiend (talk) 08:28, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Taking the average year length to be 365.2425 days, one million days equals 2737.9 years. If the anonymous editor made the same calculation, they possibly overlooked the fact that this should be added to AD 1 to get a date late in AD 2738. --Lambiam 10:15, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Perhaps the anonymous editor thought that by then the World will have adopted the Year 0 that astronomers already insert into the Gregorian calendar so that orbital calculations, etc., work out. Realistically, though, it was probably an oversight.
 * More pertinently, I have just re-skimmed the story (in the collection of which it is the titular lead) and can confirm that Pohl nowhere states the year, only saying ". . . about a thousand years from now" in the first sentence, and "A thousand years from now" towards the end. I will therefore remove the erroneous OR from the article forthwith.
 * It is possible that in the story's original magazine publication, in Rogue magazine Feb/Mar 1966, Pohl did mention the (wrong) year, or that an editor added it, but I can confirm that it does not appear in the story's second appearance, in sf Impulse magazine October 1966 (copy in hand).
 * (Note for other pedants: although our article refers to SF Impulse, the actual magazines are styled sf Impulse throughout.) {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.199.215.44 (talk) 18:17, 14 December 2023 (UTC)


 * Doubt not His Pohliness. There is no mention of any year in the short story. Clarityfiend (talk) 08:38, 15 December 2023 (UTC)
 * The offending date has now been removed from the article, so I think we can mark this . Alansplodge (talk) 17:44, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

Two footballs in 1974 World Cup
Why were there two official footballs, in the 1974 German World Cup instead of just one? There was a classic one and an all-white one. Thanks. 5.95.197.140 (talk) 23:19, 14 December 2023 (UTC)
 * There were three. The Telstar Durlast (Black and White), The Chile Durlast (White) and the Apollo Durlast (Orange/Pink). A number of games were to be played at night so the all white Chile Durlast was used for those. See also https://www.worldcupballs.info/ball/world-cup-balls/1974-germany/made-france-match-ball-fifa-world-cup-1974-germany-adidas-chile-durlast-3/ Nanonic (talk) 00:29, 15 December 2023 (UTC)