Editing International Date Line (section)

==Historic alterations==

===<span class="anchor" id="Philippines"></span>Philippines (1521 and 1844)===
{{main|Philippine Standard Time}}
[[Image:Datumsgrenze MK1888.png|thumb|left|Erroneous International Date Line from the 1888 Encyclopædia the {{Lang|de|[[Meyers Konversations-Lexikon]]}}, running between the Spanish [[History of the Philippines (1565–1898)|Philippine Islands]] and British [[History of Hong Kong (1800s–1930s)|Hong Kong]]. The Philippine Islands and the rest of [[New Spain]] are shown on the eastern side of the IDL, even though they were moved to the western side in 1845. Also placed to the east of the IDL were the [[Bonin Islands]] and [[Fiji]], which are actually to the west of the line.]]

[[Ferdinand Magellan]] claimed the Philippines for Spain on Saturday, {{nowrap|16 March 1521}}, having sailed westward from [[Seville]] across the [[Atlantic Ocean]] and the [[Pacific Ocean]]. As part of [[New Spain]], the [[Philippines]] had its most important communication with [[Acapulco]] in [[Mexico]], so it was on the eastern side of the IDL despite being on the western edge of the [[Pacific Ocean]]. As a result, the Philippines was one day behind its [[Asia]]n neighbours for 323 years, 9 months and 2 days{{efn|Within the Papal Bull of Pope Gregory XIII that mandated the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1582. Italy, Portugal, and Spain (including its overseas possessions like the Philippines, and the Americas) skipped 10 days to make the process of a calendrical switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. Thursday, October 4, was followed by Friday, October 15, 1582. Because the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap year day regularly and the Gregorian calendar did not during centennial years (ending with “00”, unless if the centennial year is evenly divisible to 400 years. Then the year will automatically be a "Century Leap Year"), the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 11 days from March 1 (O.S. February 19), 1700 until February 28 (O.S. February 17), 1800, and another one day to 12 days from March 1 (O.S. February 18), 1800 to February 28 (O.S. February 16), 1900; the count of excess days became considered as only 2 instead of 14 at the end of 1844, to acknowledge the 10-12 days that the Philippines lose during the period when it was using the American date.}} from Saturday, 16 March 1521 ''(Julian Calendar)'' until Monday, 30 December 1844 ''(Gregorian Calendar)''.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Anri|last=Ichimura|url=https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/philippines-international-date-line-time-a00304-20210217-lfrm|title=For Over 300 Years, the Philippines Was One Day Behind Every Country in Asia|publisher=EsquireMag.ph|date=February 17, 2021|access-date=2023-03-01|language=EN|archive-date=1 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301123820/https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/philippines-international-date-line-time-a00304-20210217-lfrm|url-status=live}}</ref>

After Mexico gained its independence from Spain on 27 September 1821, Philippine trade interests turned to [[Qing dynasty|Imperial China]], the [[Dutch East Indies]] and adjacent areas, so the Philippines decided to join its Asian neighbours on the west side of the IDL.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://webspace.science.uu.nl/~gent0113/idl/idl_philippines.htm|title=A History of the International Date Line|author=R. H. van Gent|publisher=Webspace.science.uu.nl|access-date=30 December 2011|archive-date=9 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809023245/https://webspace.science.uu.nl/~gent0113/idl/idl_philippines.htm|url-status=live}}{{self-published source|date=July 2022}}</ref>{{self-published source|date=July 2022}} To advance the calendar by one day, on 16 August 1844 the then governor-general [[Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa|Narciso Claveria]], ordered that Tuesday, {{nowrap|31 December 1844}} should be removed from the calendar. Monday, {{nowrap|30 December 1844}} was followed immediately by Wednesday, {{nowrap|1 January 1845}}. The change also applied to the other remaining Spanish colonies in the Pacific: the [[Caroline Islands]], [[Guam]], [[Mariana Islands]], [[Marshall Islands]] and [[Palau]] as part of the [[Captaincy General of the Philippines]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Time Zone & Clock Changes in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands |url=https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/usa/saipan |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=timeanddate.com |language=en |archive-date=8 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108093519/https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/usa/saipan |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Joel |url=https://faroutliers.wordpress.com/2007/08/27/missing-date-in-philippines-history-31-december-1844/ |title=Missing Date In Philippines History: 31 December 1844 |website=Far Outliers |via=wordpress.com |language=en-US |date=27 August 2007 |access-date=March 7, 2022 |archive-date=1 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301124733/https://faroutliers.wordpress.com/2007/08/27/missing-date-in-philippines-history-31-december-1844/ |url-status=live}}</ref> European publications were generally unaware of this change until the early 1890s, so they erroneously gave the International Date Line a large western bulge for the next half century.<ref>{{cite book |last=Schedler |first=Joseph |year=1878 |title=An illustrated manual for the use of the terrestrial and celestial globes |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedmanua00sche |publisher=E. Steiger |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedmanua00sche/page/27 27]}}</ref>

===<span class="anchor" id="Tahiti"></span>Tahiti & French Polynesia (early 1797 and late 1846)===
On 5 March 1797, missionaries of the [[London Missionary Society]] arrived on [[Tahiti]] from England. They had first tried to pass [[Cape Horn]], but failing that, went along [[Cape of Good Hope]] and the [[Indian Ocean]] instead. As such, they introduced the date of the eastern hemisphere on the island.<ref>{{Citation|title=Missionary writing in Polynesia|date=2003-08-07|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511550324.008|work=Missionary Writing and Empire, 1800–1860|pages=136–164|publisher=Cambridge University Press|doi=10.1017/cbo9780511550324.008|isbn=9780521826990|access-date=2022-02-16|archive-date=16 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216101216/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/missionary-writing-and-empire-18001860/missionary-writing-in-polynesia/3579B3E6922B2AA7D43114D5870CA301|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> It was not until the ending of the [[Franco-Tahitian War]] and the restoration of the French [[Protectorate]] over the Tahitian Kingdom (which Tahitian nationalists had tried to fight off for two years of intense war with more than 1000 deaths) that the French commissioner [[Armand Joseph Bruat]]  and the regent of the Tahitian Kingdom Paraita ordered that Tahiti had to follow the western hemisphere on 29 December 1846.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Saura|first=Bruno|year=1965|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/933526850|title=Histoire et mémoire des temps coloniaux en Polynésie française|publisher=Au vent des îles éditions |isbn=978-2-36734-081-4|oclc=933526850|access-date=16 February 2022|archive-date=16 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216110540/https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/933526850|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author1=Maurice Graindorge |author2=Roger Parodi |title=Le ciel de Tahiti et des mers du Sud|publisher=Papeete: Editions Haere Pō nō, Tahiti, 1988|pages=105}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|author=Louise Peltzer|title=Chronologie des événements politiques, sociaux et culturels de Tahiti et des archipels de la Polynésie française|publisher=Papeete: Éditions Au Vent des Îles, 2002|pages=55}}</ref>
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===<span class="anchor" id="Pitcairn Islands"></span>Pitcairn Islands (1814)===
The International Date Line's history in relation to the Pitcairn Islands involves a miscalculation of Pitcairn's location by Captain [[Philip Carteret]] in 1767, which led [[Fletcher Christian]] to incorrectly search for the island, and the subsequent settlement of the island by mutineers from {{HMS|Bounty}}, who initially used Asiatic dates (western side of the IDL or the Eastern Hemisphere date) before aligning with the American dates (east side of the IDL or the Western Hemisphere date).

In 1767, Captain Carteret of {{HMS|Swallow|1745|6}} discovered Pitcairn Island, but miscalculated its location by {{convert|188|nmi}} to the west. After the [[Mutiny on the Bounty|mutiny on HMS ''Bounty'']] in 1789, Fletcher Christian and other mutineers, along with Tahitian and Polynesian crew members, settled on Pitcairn Island, seeking a remote and safe haven. Christian, relying on Carteret's inaccurate map, searched for the island in the wrong location, which contributed to the mutineers' decision to settle there.

The Pitcairn Islanders initially used Asiatic dates, but later switched to American dates, which aligned with their position east of the 180° meridian. The story of "Friday October" and "Thursday October" (names of mutineers) suggests that the Pitcairn Islanders initially used Asiatic dates, which were one day ahead of the American dates.

In 1814, British forces dealing with fugitive mutineers who fled to the Pitcairn Islands use dates that place the islands in the Western Hemisphere on the east side of the IDL. The Pitcairn Islanders eventually rectified their timekeeping and began to use American dates, which is the current practice.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

===<span class="anchor" id="Alaska"></span>Alaska (1867)===
{{See also|Alaska Time Zone|Time in Alaska}}
Alaska was on the western side of the International Date Line, since Russian settlers reached Alaska from [[Siberia]]. In addition, the [[Russian Empire]] was still using the [[Julian calendar]], which had fallen 12 days behind the [[Gregorian calendar]]. In 1867, the United States purchased [[Russian America]] and moved the territory to the east side of the International Date Line. The transfer ceremony took place at 3:30{{nbs}}p.m. local mean time (00:31 GMT) in the capital of New Archangel ([[Sitka, Alaska|Sitka]]), on Saturday, {{nowrap|7 October 1867}} (Julian), which was Saturday, {{nowrap|19 October 1867}} (Gregorian) in Europe. Since Alaska moved to the eastern side of the International Date Line, the date and time also moved back to 3:30{{nbs}}p.m. local time Friday, {{nowrap|18 October 1867}} (00:31 GMT Saturday), now known as [[Alaska Day]].<ref name=transfer>[https://books.google.com/books?id=n2lHAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA15-PA4 Alaska: ... The transfer of territory from Russia to the United States], Executive document 125 in ''Executive documents printed by order of the House of Representatives during the second session of the fortieth Congress, 1867–'68'', vol. 11, Washington: 1868. "18th of October ... fixed the hour of three and a half o'clock that day for the transfer"</ref><ref name=Sumner>Charles Sumner, [https://books.google.com/books?id=KawSAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA348 The cession of Russian America to the United States] in ''The Works of Charles Sumner'', vol. 11, Boston: 1875, pp. 181–349, p. 348. Sumner released the written version of his speech on Thursday,{{nowrap|24 May 1867}}, having written it during the immediately preceding Congressional recess following notes on a single page that he actually used on Tuesday, {{nowrap|9 April}}.</ref>

===<span class="anchor" id="Samoan Islands and Tokelau"></span>Samoan Islands and Tokelau (1892 and 2011)===
{{See also|Samoa Time Zone}}
The [[Samoan Islands]], now divided into [[Samoa]] and [[American Samoa]], were on the west side of the IDL until 1892.  In that year, King [[Malietoa Laupepa|Mālietoa Laupepa]] was persuaded by American traders to adopt the American date (three hours behind California) to replace the former Asian date (four hours ahead of [[Japan]]). The change was made by repeating {{nowrap|Monday, 4 July 1892}}, [[Independence Day (United States)|American Independence Day]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lamont |first=Roscoe |date=1921-06-01 |title=The International Date Line |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1921PA.....29..340L |journal=Popular Astronomy |volume=29 |pages=340–348 |bibcode=1921PA.....29..340L |issn=0197-7482 |access-date=3 July 2022 |archive-date=3 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703101305/https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1921PA.....29..340L |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2011, Samoa shifted back to the west side of the IDL by removing Friday, {{nowrap|30 December 2011}} from its calendar.<ref name=nypost>{{cite news|url=http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/where_day_go_QeLR87EP23V9wJrdvAXJdO |title=Where'd Day Go? |agency=[[Associated Press]] |newspaper=[[New York Post]] |date=31 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101004950/http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/where_day_go_QeLR87EP23V9wJrdvAXJdO|archive-date=1 January 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> This changed the time zone from [[UTC−11:00]] to [[UTC+13:00]] ([[UTC-10]] to [[UTC+14:00|UTC+14]] [[DST]]).<ref name=HeraldSun>{{cite news|first=Tamara|last= McLean|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/samoas-dateline-jump-passes-into-law/story-e6frf7jx-1226083970021 |title=Samoa's dateline jump passes into law|location=Melbourne, Australia |agency=[[Australian Associated Press]] |newspaper=[[Herald Sun]] |access-date=11 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101004714/http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/samoas-dateline-jump-passes-into-law/story-e6frf7jx-1226083970021 |archive-date=1 January 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>  Samoa made the change because [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] have become its biggest trading partners, and also have large communities of expatriates. Being 21 hours behind made business difficult because having weekends on backward days meant only four days of the week were shared [[Workweek|workday]]s.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13330592 |title=Samoa to Jump Forward in Time by One Day |publisher=BBC News |date=9 May 2011 |access-date=27 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111231024932/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13330592|archive-date=31 December 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

The IDL now passes between Samoa and American Samoa, which remains on the east (American) side of the line.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mydans |first=Seth |date=2011-12-29 |title=Samoa Sacrifices a Day for Its Future |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/30/world/asia/samoa-to-skip-friday-and-switch-time-zones.html |access-date=2022-07-03 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508014807/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/30/world/asia/samoa-to-skip-friday-and-switch-time-zones.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Tokelau]] is a territory of New Zealand north of Samoa whose principal transportation and communications links with the rest of the world pass through [[Samoa]]. For that reason, Tokelau crossed the IDL along with Samoa in 2011, albeit strictly speaking 1 hour later, as they did not do Summer Time (Daylight Saving Time in American English), which Samoa did then.<ref name="Tokelau">{{Cite web |title=Tokelau: Wrong local time for over 100 years |url=https://www.timeanddate.com/news/time/tokelau-wrong-time.html |access-date=2022-07-03 |website=timeanddate.com |language=en |archive-date=3 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603212619/https://www.timeanddate.com/news/time/tokelau-wrong-time.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===<span class="anchor" id="Cook Islands and Niue"></span>Cook Islands and Niue (1899)===
In 1899, the Cook Islands and Niue crossed the date line to the east side of the line upon becoming British protectorates.

===<span class="anchor" id="Kwajalein"></span>Kwajalein (c. 1945 and 1993)===
[[Kwajalein]] atoll, like the rest of the [[Marshall Islands]], passed from Spanish to German to Japanese control during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. During that period it was west of the IDL. Although Kwajalein formally became part of the [[Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands]] with the rest of the Marshalls after World War II, the United States established a military installation there. Because of that, Kwajalein used the Hawaiian date, so was effectively east of the International Date Line (unlike the rest of the Marshalls). Kwajalein returned to the west side of the IDL by removing Saturday, {{nowrap|21 August 1993}} from its calendar. Moreover, Kwajalein's work week was changed to Tuesday through Saturday to match the Hawaiian work week of Monday through Friday on the other side of the IDL.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1D6163EF931A1575BC0A965958260&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink |title=In Marshall Islands, Friday Is Followed by Sunday |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=22 August 1993 |access-date=2007-09-24 |archive-date=14 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014214125/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1D6163EF931A1575BC0A965958260&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink |url-status=live }}</ref>

===<span class="anchor" id="Eastern Kiribati"></span>Eastern Kiribati (1994)===
{{main|Time in Kiribati}}
As a British colony, the [[Kiribati]] colony was centered in the [[Gilbert Islands]], just west of the IDL of the time. Upon independence in 1979, it acquired the claim to the [[Phoenix Islands|Phoenix]] and [[Line Islands]], east of the IDL, from the United States. As a result, the country straddled the IDL. Government and commercial concerns on opposite sides of the line could only conduct routine business by radio or telephone on the four days of the week which were weekdays on both sides. To eliminate this anomaly, [[Kiribati]] introduced a change of date for its eastern half by removing Saturday, {{nowrap|31 December 1994}} from its calendar. Because of this, Friday, 30 December 1994, was followed by Sunday, 1 January 1995. After the change, the IDL in effect moved eastward to go around the entire country. Strictly legal, the 1917 nautical IDL convention is still valid. For example, when it is Monday on Kiribati's islands, it is still Sunday in the surrounding ocean, though maps are usually not drawn this way.<ref>{{citation |last1=Ariel |first1=Avraham |last2=Berger |first2=Nora Ariel |title=Plotting the Globe: Stories of Meridians, Parallels, and the International Date Line |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2xTJt3b3SHUC&pg=PP1 |publisher=Greenwood Press |date=2005 |page=149 |isbn=0275988953}}</ref>

As a consequence of the 1994 change, Kiribati's easternmost territory, the [[Line Islands]], including the inhabited island of [[Kiritimati|Kiritimati (Christmas Island)]]<!--All areas in UTC+14 have midnight and new year simultaneously-->, started the year 2000 before any other country, a feature upon which the Kiribati government capitalized as a potential tourist draw.{{cn|date=July 2022}}