The Hebrew calendar is the annual calendar used in Judaism. It is a lunisolar calendar, based upon both lunar months and a solar cycle (which defines its years). This is in contrast to the Gregorian calendar, which is based solely upon a solar cycle, or the Islamic calendar, which is purely lunar. Jews use this calendar to determine when the new Hebrew months start; this calendar determines the Jewish holidays, which Torah portions to read, and which set of Psalms should be read each day. Jews have been using a lunisolar calendar since Biblical times, but originally referred to the months by number rather than name. The epoch of the modern Hebrew calendar is Monday, October 7, 3761 BCE, corresponding to 1 Tishri AM 1 (AM meaning Anno Mundi, "in the year of the world"). This date is about one year before the traditional Jewish date of Creation on 25 Elul AM 1.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_calendar

Today's selected anniversaries:

1899 A second Boer War erupted between the United Kingdom and the Boers of the Transvaal and Orange Free State in South Africa. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boer_War)

1962 Second Vatican Council: Pope John XXIII convened the first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church in 92 years. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Vatican_Council)

1954 Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh took control of North Vietnam, which then became a communist state. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viet_Minh)

1968 NASA launched Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_7)

1975 Saturday Night Live was broadcasted for the first time (George Carlin was guest host). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Live)

Wikiquote of the day:

"You are educated when you have the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or self-confidence." ~ Robert Frost (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Frost)