Ring out the grief that saps the mind. For those that here we see no more; Ring out the feud of rich and poor; Ring in redress of all mankind. Ring out a slowly dying cause, And ancient forms of party strife; Ring in the nobler modes of life, With sweeter manner, purer laws. -- "New Year's Eve'' a poem written by Lord Tennyson, 1850 The year dismally known as the Great Recession is almost behind us; (or so they say); let's hope 2010 is more prosperous, less stressful, with expectations less people lose their homes and more, many more, find new jobs after such a dreadful year. As we prepare to ring in the New Year, here are a few historic facts we can mull over while waiting for the ball to come down on a wet frigid night at Times Square in New York. • In medieval times, the beginning of the New Year was celebrated on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation or Lady Day until Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian Calendar in 1582, a system used to this day which configured the 365 days of the year to accommodate a seven-day week.