International Date Line: Difference between revisions

{{Useful Notes}}

{{quote|''"Fell asleep on Tuesday, woke up Monday afternoon''

''I slept right through your International Date Line"''|'''The Ataris''', [http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ataris/takeoffsandlandings.html "Takeoffs and Landings"]}}

This was [[Serious Business]]. Wars have been fought over it. For early travelers, the international date line was an almost mystical zone in which a small-scale form of [[Time Travel]] was possible. For murder mysteries, an alibi can be made or broken by such a date line.

Historically, the line has found itself moving as politics changed. Alaska, for one, used to be on the same 'day' as Russia ... up until it was bought by the United States, of course. Kiribati was a nation on the west side of the line when it gained independence, until it gained some land on the east. Eventually they just declared the whole thing on the west side (and touted it when 01 Jan 2000 was coming up). Most recently, Samoa and Tokelau both switched from being on the east side to the west side, completely skipping over 30th December 2011. Future revisions may or may not happen.

* Real life: ''Line Aquavit'' is a Norwegian specialty in which aquavit is matured in sherry casks stored aboard ships that run from Norway to Australia and back, crossing the International Date Line in the process. The combination of the ship's motion and the trip across the Line supposedly give the aquavit a unique flavor.

* The log of an American PBY bomber that crossed the Date Line twice during the [[World War II|Battle of Midway]] records that it took off on June 3, attacked the Japanese on June 5, and landed back at its base on June 4.

** So,yes, the Navy can take away your birthday, or Christmas.

{{reflist}}

[[Category:International Date Line]]