Notes:
a calendar with era names: 和暦
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This Thursday was a special day. Why? Because the date was 12/12/12. This was the last time that the year, month and day are the same for a long time. It won’t happen again for another 89 years. We have to wait until January 1, 3001. Then the date will be written 1/1/1. Japan also uses a calendar with era names. The era changes when the emperor changes. If we use that calendar, the next special day will be much sooner than 3001. (by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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Notes:
the Antikythera mechanism　アンティキティラ島の機械,;
instrument 道具;
eclipse （太陽・月の）食;
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The Antikythera mechanism is the oldest computer in the world. It is about 2000 years old. It was discovered in 1900 in the sea and is believed to have been made by Greek astronomers. It contains many gears and is made from bronze. After much investigation scientists believe that the instrument was used as a calendar and as a tool for astronomical information. It also could predict eclipses, show the position of the sun and moon and tell when the Olympics would take place. It has been described in Nature as one of the most complex machines ever to have been invented.
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