Episode 447 - Dates as Numbers

Here is a bizarre problem sent in by a viewer. Many of you will think that you know the answer, but this problem is not as simple as it appears. In a worksheet, any dates are instantly converted to their 5 digit serial number. The actual date is shown in the formula bar, but the worksheet cells show the underlying serial number. Yes – my first thought was that someone had formatted the worksheet using a Number format, but this is not the problem. Hint: this is a simple spreadsheet set up to log information, and there is not a single formula anywhere in the worksheet. Episode 447 solves the mystery.

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