At 6pm tonight at the Geological Society of London, scientists will raise their glasses to James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh … who in 1650 used the chronology of the Bible to calculate the precise date and moment of creation.

Working from the book of Genesis, and risking some speculation on the Hebrew calendar, he calculated that it began at 6pm on Saturday October 22, 4004 BC.

[…]

The geologists selected the anniversary for a day-long conference on some of the fakes, frauds and hoaxes that have plagued geological and palaeontological research for centuries. “It’s not that we think Archbishop Ussher’s date was a fraud,” said Ted Nield, the society’s communications officer. “It’s just that it was spectacularly wrong.” —Tim RadfordUniverse’s 6,000th birthday (Guardian)

Share
Published by
Dennis G. Jerz

Recent Posts

Remnants of a Legendary Typeface Rescued From the River Thames

A little over a century ago, the printer T.J. Cobden-Sanderson took it upon himself to surreptitiously dump…

1 day ago

A quick Sunday visit to #fortligonier with my history-loving son.

A quick Sunday visit to #fortligonier with my history-loving son.

2 days ago

The choreographer daughter is doing a thing.

The choreographer daughter is doing a thing.

4 days ago

So I’m starting a thing. Wish me luck. #blender3d #medieval #york #mysteryplay #corpuschristi

So I’m starting a thing. Wish me luck. #blender3d #medieval #york #mysteryplay #corpuschristi

5 days ago

No interior yet. Getting there. Gotta start somewhere. Low-poly background detail for a medieval theater project. #blender3d

No interior yet. Getting there. Gotta start somewhere. Low-poly background detail for a medieval theater…

5 days ago

This is manageable. Far better than some semesters.

This is manageable. Far better than some semesters.

6 days ago