When the Time Died

In the late 18th century France gave time a new start. The year 1792 became Year 1.
Clocks were changed from twelve hours to ten. French Revolutionary Time: a 10-hour day, with 100 minutes per hour, and 100 seconds per minute. This thoroughly modern system had a few practical benefits, chief among them being a simplified way to do time-related math: if we want to know when a day is 70% complete, decimal time simply says “at the end of the seventh hour,” whereas standard time requires us to say “at 16 hours, 48 minutes.” French Revolutionary Time was a more elegant solution to that math problem.

The French Revolution sent King Louis XVI to the guillotine for high treason and crimes against the state; his wife Marie-Antoinette suffered the same fate. The guillotine severed 2,918 Parisian heads between July 14, 1789 and October 21, 1796, often for crimes as little as sharing a negative opinion about the revolution. This means it was not a good idea to complain about the new measurement and nomenclature for time.

The revolution also swept aside any traces of religion from calendar. This was one of the ways the new government attempted to eliminate the ancient – the old monarchic- regime. They adopted decimal system which eliminated the concept of a seven-day work week. There was no longer a day of rest on the Sabbath – it came after nine days.

When the Republic was proclaimed on September 22, 1792, it was decided that that day would mark the beginning of Year 1 of the French Republic. The months were renamed to align with aspects of the seasons:

• Vendémiaire – Month of the Vintage; 2. Brumaire – Month of Fogs; 3. Frimaire – Month of Frosts
• Nivôse – Month of Snow; 5. Pluviôse – Month of Rains; 6. Ventôse – Month of Winds; 7. Germinal – Month of Budding; 8. Floréal – Month of Flowering; 9. Prairial – Month when Crops Ripened; 10. Messidor – Month of Harvests; 11. Thermidor – Month of Heat; 12. Fructidor – Month of Fruit
  The twelve thirty-day months left five extra days at the end of the year and six extra days in leap year. These were designated as holidays:
• Fete de la vertu (Celebration of virtue); 2. Fete du genie (Celebration of genius)
• Fete du Travail (Celebration of labor); 4. Fete de l’opinion (Celebration of opinion)
• Fete des recompenses (Celebration of rewards); 6. Jour de la revolution (Day of the revolution)
  Seven-day week became ten-day week, three weeks per month. Days of the week received names corresponding with the number of the day:
• Primidi; 2. Duodi; 3. Tridi; 4. Quartidi; 5. Quintidi; 6. Sextidi; 7. Septidi; 8. Octidi; 9. Nonidi
• Décadi
  The Revolutionary Calendar lasted till Napolean’s coronation on December 2, 1804. On January 1, 1806, which otherwise would’ve been known as the 11th day of Nivôse, Napoleon had reinstated the Gregorian calendar. This is one of the Napoleon’s lesser known conquests.

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