The SS Warrimoo was ferrying passengers between Canada and Australia in December of 1899. En route, Captain John Phillips realized he had the opportunity to do something extraordinary, so he commanded that the ship head for the point where the equator crosses the International Date Line. The ship arrived in time to straddle that point as the clock struck midnight on December 30, 1899.
The forward part of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere and in the middle of summer. The rear part of the ship was in the Northern Hemisphere and in the middle of winter. Half of the ship was on 30 December 1899, while the forward half skipped a day ahead and into 1 January 1900.
This ship was therefore not only in two different days, two different months, two different years, two different seasons and two different hemispheres but also in two different centuries all at the same time.
But what happened to 31 December 1899? You might ask. Recall that the ship was going from Canada to Australia, thus travelling west, and anytime you cross the International Date Line going west, you automatically move forward by 24 hours because the time zones on either side of the International Date Line have a difference of 24 hours.
Did it really happen? Who knows! But it is certainly possible. You can imagine the experience would be thrilling only if you knew what was happening at the time. Read more about the SS Warrimoo and the New Year's Eve that wasn't at Amusing Planet. -via Strange Company