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The first civilization to develop a system of time were the Babylonians of the Fertile Crescent. This system relied on a sexagesimal or base-60 configuration, which led to a 60-second minute and a 60-minute hour. The known total of 86,400 seconds in a day resulted in a day being 24 hours. Contrary to popular belief, there are more than 365 days per year, yet only slightly. Throughout history, civilizations have tried to compensate for this problem by tweaking their calendars. Caesar in 46 B.C.E. made the most embarrassing mistake when he declared a 445-day year to make up for three months that were not recorded. Pope Gregory XIII fixed this whole problem in 1582. He devised the Gregorian Calendar, which is still in use today.

See also:
     The origins of the Months
