ANSWER
There was no September 3rd, 1752. At least not in Britain or the American colonies.
In 1752 Britain and the American colonies switched from the old Julian calendar to the new Gregorian calendar. The Julian calendar did not adequately account for leap years, so by the 18th century the calendar was 11 days out of synch with the actual seasons. To bring the calendar back into alignment, September 2nd was immediately followed by September 14th, removing 11 days.
Holidays moved... In addition to the calendar change, the first day of the year was officially changed from March 25th to January 1st. Also, while George Washington was born on February 11th, 1731 under the Julian calendar, his birthday came to be celebrated on February 22nd under the Gregorian calendar.
Why the Gregorian calendar... In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII issued a "papal bull", creating what is now known as the Gregorian calendar. The new calendar served two purposes. In addition to correcting the leap year problem of the Julian calendar, it provided a simpler and more accurate means of calculating the correct date for Easter. (Basically the first Sunday following the first full moon occurring on or after the vernal equinox.)
Because the Gregorian calendar was a Catholic invention, Protestant (and Eastern Orthodox) countries were somewhat slow to adopt the new calendar, as witnessed by Britain waiting nearly 200 years. The former Soviet Union did not adopt the new calendar until 1917, while Greece waited until as late as 1923 before switching.
WHO GOT IT RIGHT: Andie J.
