The times when people were surprised at every new invention are long gone - nowadays progress is so rapid that we no longer even pay attention to innovation and new technologies. We are surrounded by a huge number of things that humanity could not even dream of. We fly to the moon, skillfully fight various diseases, and can call to the other end of the earth at any time of the day or night. Despite this, we know how to appreciate simple, but at the same time creative things: a perpetual calendar is an incredibly useful thing that will find application in every family. This is not only a way to always know the exact date, but also a great gift that will to everyone's liking.
The history of the perpetual calendar
It’s worth starting with what an endless calendar is. In essence, this is a kind of grid designed for a certain month of a certain year. Initially, calendars were created not to determine the day of the week, but in order not to miss religious holidays. There were simply a huge number of them in Rus', and they began to prepare for each one in advance.
The very first endless calendar was drawn on the wall of the Kyiv Sophia Church - this is a kind of graffiti that helps to navigate the days of the week. Later, parchment began to be used, with the invention of printing, paper, and then progress stepped far forward. Since the beginning of the 20th century, a variety of materials have been used for their production.
Perpetual calendar
The idea of creating a perpetual calendar did not leave the inventors. In the USSR, it was customary to hold agricultural fairs and boast about their achievements at them. And at one of the exhibitions in 1902, the presentation of the world's first perpetual calendar took place! This design was developed by the famous scientist Ioffe; based on his developments, all versions of endless calendars were subsequently produced. This invention created a sensation - orders were booked months in advance.
In 1946, a whole batch of pocket cardboard calendars was released, designed for 201 years. They were produced by the then-famous board game factory located on Krasnaya Presnya.
The material used was fragile, and these days only collectors and museums have such calendars
At the same time, an improved version of the pocket endless calendar for 21 years was released in Leningrad - it was made of tin, and the Peter and Paul Fortress and the Vasilyeostrovskaya Spit were depicted on it. This version was produced for three years.
Cardboard is a very fragile material, so in the 60-70s they began to produce aluminum calendars. If the cardboard version had a rectangular shape, then this time the USSR was flooded with disk-type calendars.
Perpetual calendar made of aluminum
Popularity of table products
In the 70s of the 20th century, kiosks with printed materials were flooded with tabular calendars - they were simple and understandable to absolutely everyone. All versions of such calendars were calculated before the year 2000.
For the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, an incredible number of different calendars were released: 4 versions of 24 cards each, with different backgrounds. Later it turned out that their quality was very poor: the cellophane coating was instantly erased, and the calendar became unusable. They can still be found in some collections, but only as a souvenir that a world-scale event took place in the USSR that year.
Perpetual calendar 1980
Perhaps perpetual calendars would have continued to be produced, but the collapse of the USSR occurred - people began to be interested in other problems. In addition, global computerization began, and the need for such a device disappeared.
Nowadays, the popularity of perpetual calendars is gaining momentum again, because:
- great gift;
- an ideal addition to any interior;
- ability to always know the day of the week.
We can say that the perpetual calendar really turned out to be eternal - invented more than 1000 years ago, it has not lost its relevance today.
Modern perpetual calendar
Design and use of the perpetual calendar
There were three types of perpetual calendars in the Soviet Union:
- With removable belt. It made it possible to find out the days of the week for the next hundred years.
- With rotating disc. They covered short time periods - about 25 years.
- Tabular. They are designed for centuries ahead , but most of these models did not allow calculating dates later than 30 years from the beginning.
The operating principle of these time keepers is based on two types of calendars:
- Julian - a cycle of 28 years.
- Gregorian - a cycle of 400 years.
Most models had a simplified version of the Gregorian, for which it is customary to use a cycle of 28 years.
It was enough to buy an endless calendar once , and you could use it for many decades. It was a profitable investment - in most Soviet families, in addition to tear-off ones, such models could be found. Nowadays, such endless calendars gather dust on mezzanines, are in private collections and are found on some models of mechanical or quartz wrist watches.
Women's watch with calendar on a metal bracelet, SL (price on the link)
Options for tabular perpetual calendars
There are several common table calendars, but most of them are quite simple and based on the same principle. The device is very simple: all days of the week are written on special grids - it’s easy to calculate the day of the week. There are tables designed for 365 days and 366 days.
There are several common options for endless calendars:
- From January 1, 1901 to 2096. It is very simple to use: we find the number of month and year we need, add to it the date of the day of the week. We take a look at another table and get the day of the week we need.
- Since 1592. This is a very interesting and easy to use option. The upper left column contains the numbers with which a particular year begins. In the parallel line there is a column with the numbers with which the year ends. To the left and right of the table are the month rows. The point of their intersection will allow us to find out the date of interest to us.
As you can see, everything is very simple - even a child can handle this calendar.
Tabular perpetual calendar
How to make a washable calendar with your own hands. Option 5.
You will need:
- color palette or stickers of different colors
- a frame for a photograph or picture with glass (in this example, its size is 30 x 40 cm)
- scissors
- water-based marker (easy-to-erase whiteboard marker) and sponge
— double-sided tape (when using a color palette).
1. Visually divide your frame so that it can accommodate 31 days.
In this example, each cell has a size of 5 x 5 cm
2. Attach stickers or a color palette to the wall of the frame (using double-sided tape).
3. Cover the frame with glass and you can write on it with an erasable marker and erase it when necessary.
A similar option can be made using fabric near the wall of the frame. You need to draw lines on the fabric and cover it with glass.
Disc perpetual calendar
Typically, such calendars were produced on thick cardboard. They were sold everywhere, and the price was affordable for everyone. It looked very funny: a circle, inside of which there is a disk with two radii:
- The years are located on the external drive.
- Days of the week on the inside.
The instructions for use are extremely simple: turn the dial until the number of the year we need matches the month. Everything is extremely simple and clear.
Disc perpetual calendar
Most disk perpetual calendars use a 28-day system, and the chronology ranges from 23 to 28 years. However, you can find other options on sale: in this case, the numbers of the month are on the disk. In this case, we get the usual calendar, starting from Monday and ending on Sunday.
Some companies that produce such calendars take up empty disk space with a list of various holidays.
Universal calendar made from stickers
Instead of boring numbers, you can use funny stickers. This way the calendar will look much more attractive and elegant.
Photos of handmade calendars will help you choose the most suitable calendar that will delight its future owner for a long time.
Instructions
To begin, cut out 4 rectangles of different sizes from thick cardboard:
- for the back wall 16 by 14 centimeters;
- for the bottom 16 by 8 centimeters;
- for the side walls, two rectangles 8 by 7.5 centimeters.
Next, we need to cut out 2 parts from scrap paper:
- for the back wall 20 by 18 centimeters and 16 by 14;
- for the bottom 20 by 12 centimeters and 16 by 8;
- for side walls 12 by 11.5 centimeters and 8 by 7.5.
The most difficult part begins - assembling the cubes:
- Glue a 16 by 14 piece of cardboard onto a 20 by 18 rectangle. As a result of this, we will be left with two white fields, along which we will then collect cubes.
- We draw thin pencil lines along each side of the cardboard blank and cut out the resulting squares in the corners of the paper. We draw grooves along all sides of these blanks with the back of the pencil.
- We bend the edges of the scrapbooking paper and glue it to the cardboard. Carefully glue a 16 by 14 piece of paper over the margins.
- In the same way we glue all the cardboard blanks.
The cubes are almost ready, let's start assembling the stand:
- Apply glue to the edge of the back wall and place it vertically on the extreme side of the bottom.
- We glue the side posts to the back wall and bottom.
Then we need to transfer the cube development template - we make pencil marks along the cardboard lines, cut out squares and create grooves. Cut out the template and make the grooves again. After this, all that remains is to glue the ribs and assemble the cubes from this blank (with the expectation that they should fit into the rack).
Working with pine blanks
When you hold a pine blank in your hands, you involuntarily understand that it is already a perfect thing in itself. And I decided - I will decorate using the brushing and firing technique in order to reveal and preserve the natural beauty of the wooden blank.
I burn the pine blank with a gas soldering iron until it turns black, leaving the surface under the plywood overlay untouched. Then, using an iron brush, moving it in the direction of growth of the wood fibers, I clean it from the burning. The burnt particles are soft wood fibers; they will easily come off after such mechanical treatment. Only the hard ones will remain, which will reveal the structure of the tree. How I love this smell - it reminds me of a country bathhouse, but of course it is better to carry out such manipulations with firing and brushing outside.
After we clean the surface, the calendar should look something like the photo.
Next I dilute the acrylic paint with water to a liquid consistency. I'll paint it this brown color. I cover the workpiece completely with this composition. Liquid paint should penetrate into all cracks and hard-to-reach areas of the workpiece. Everything is very easy here, we leave it to dry.
After complete drying, I paint it with white acrylic paint. If the paint is thick, it can be diluted with water so that it can easily penetrate into the cracks of the brushed surface. I leave the work to dry.
Then I use a damp cloth to wipe off the white paint from the protruding parts of the surface. It is important that the cloth is only slightly wet and that water should not drip from it. Otherwise it will wash the white paint out of the recesses and I won't get the patina effect. Ready!
The finishing touch is patination with bitumen varnish. I dip the sponge into the patina and remove the excess with paper. This way, a sponge with bitumen varnish will not stain the work too much, but will only give it a warm brown tint. I stain the edges of the workpiece and then cover it with a thin layer of acrylic varnish.
Decoupage of watches
Now you can start decoupaging the plywood overlay where the dial will be located. Everything is very simple here. The main thing is to properly thin the printout for decoupage and glue it to the base without wrinkles.
I cover the overlay with a thin layer of white acrylic primer. After the primer has completely dried, I sand it with fine-grained sandpaper. It is important that the surface is smooth. I thin the paper using tape. Cut out a fragment and soak in water for 3-5 minutes. You can do it longer, nothing bad will happen to the paper.
I glue the paper to the surface using a file. I roll it with a roller and carefully remove the file. After drying, you need to process the edges of the lining. I cut off the excess paper using sandpaper and paint the ends in the desired color (I have black paint).
To give the effect of antiquity, after painting, you can lightly sand the dried paint with sandpaper. Worn and slightly tinted edges with bitumen varnish will give the work a touch of antiquity.
Glue the finished overlay using Crystal Moment glue onto the calendar blank. Something is already emerging.
All that remains is to work with the cubes and blocks.
Decor
The most important thing remains - decoration:
- We cut out 12 squares from scrap paper and glue pre-cut numbers onto them.
- We paint the squares with any patterns or attach decorative elements (depend on your taste).
- Glue the painted parts to all sides of the cubes.
- All that remains is to make a pocket for signs with the names of the months.
- Cut out a rectangle of 14 by 17 centimeters from cardboard.
- We lay the fold lines (stepping back 1 centimeter from the edge).
- We retreat another centimeter and draw new fold lines.
- Along the fold lines, on the smaller side, we make cuts 1 centimeter long.
- Apply glue to the outer sides of the square and fold it.
- Glue to the top edge of the stand.
All that remains is to make the names of the months, just cut them out of cardboard and decorate them at your discretion. Done - you have made a perpetual calendar with your own hands.
DIY cardboard perpetual calendar
Materials
What can a calendar be made from? Yes, from almost everything that can be found at home. Most often they are a paper version. But instead of traditional paper, you can use cardboard, computer disks or fabric.
Ideas for making a calendar are very diverse, and you can always come up with something of your own.
Made of wood
It’s easy to make such a calendar – you can buy special blanks for sale. They are very inexpensive, and you can decorate them the way you like. In addition, a DIY perpetual calendar made of wood will be an excellent gift for your friends and family.
Of course, you can assemble it according to the instructions above, but in this case your costs will be very significant. You will need plywood or solid wood, paint, screws or nails , a clock mechanism, a drill and a screwdriver - such an eternal watch will cost you a lot. This blank will allow you to have a great time and create a creative gift with your own hands.
DIY perpetual calendar made of wood
How to make a school calendar for the year with your own hands. Option 6.
You will need:
- Cork board
- buttons
- marker
- scissors
- colored cardboard or color palette.
1. For each month, choose your color scheme and, based on this, cut as many pieces of paper as there are days in the corresponding month. You can cut a color palette or colored cardboard.
2. Use pins to attach the pieces of paper to the board and use a marker to number them according to the dates of the month.
3. Write the name of the month on a separate cardboard rectangle and also attach it to the board with pins.
* You can write important events or draw something on pieces of paper.
4. All that remains is to hang the calendar on the wall.
* Each new month you can decorate the board as you like, and do not forget to change the dates in accordance with the calendar.
Perpetual calendar in programming
Do you want to visit the past or look forward to the future? No, the time machine has not yet been invented, but it is very easy to find out what day of the week a particular date falls on. Just look at one of the special sites that host the online perpetual calendar and fill out a special form. For example: you want to know what day of the week March 21, 2076 will be. We enter the date we are interested in in a special form, click the “calculate” button - you’re done. Now we know it will be Thursday.
Perpetual calendar online
Most of these methods are based on pre-calculated tables. There are also more complex programs that perform calculations from scratch. Such endless calendars will easily show you the days of the week, starting from 1500 to 2299. Agree, it’s nice to relax sometimes and travel a little on dates. In addition, such an online calendar will be useful for historians and teachers: during lectures, you can safely tell students that the capture of Ishmael took place on Wednesday, and Galileo Galilei was born on Saturday.
Decorating a room with a perpetual calendar
A perpetual calendar is a great souvenir that your friends and family will appreciate. It will serve its owner indefinitely: it is simply impossible to break it! In addition, you will always know what day of the week it is.
This gift can be used to decorate an office or bedroom - it will fit perfectly into any interior. Engraving, scrapbooking, painting or decoupage - you can create a perpetual calendar with your own design. At a corporate event, such a calendar with the company logo or motto will be an excellent souvenir for employees.
Perpetual calendar as a room decoration
This is a great souvenir for all people, regardless of age and social status.
Blank images for decoupage: calendar
Of course, in addition to the wooden blank that you will paste over, you need to select appropriate images. The topic depends only on your priorities. Vintage pictures are in fashion, taking us back to a bygone era - with beautiful cars, amazing architecture, sophisticated outfits.
To decoupage a calendar, you should select beautiful images taking into account your own preferences
Basically, in a sense, a perpetual calendar is your business card. This device stands in a prominent place and conveys your taste, your aesthetic aspirations, and topics that are important to you. For some, plant motifs are more interesting, others gravitate toward retro, and others only love monochrome images.
In any case, you need to collect a collection on the chosen topic. More than one package of napkins with the image you like - then you will see for yourself that this is not enough. And everything that is somehow connected by one theme - accents, backgrounds, pictures, motifs. Then in your work you will choose what to leave and what to remove.
