Robert, have a look here

http://j-walk.com/ss/excel/usertips/tip028.htm
--
Paul B
Always backup your data before trying something new
Please post any response to the newsgroups so others can benefit from it
Feedback on answers is always appreciated!
Using Excel 2002 & 2003

"Robert Newman" wrote in message
...
I am entering family information in a spreadsheet and
entering dates as for example 23 Nov 2004. However these
are not recognised as dates if year is before 1900 and
hence I cannot sort on date. Is there a way to overcome
this please?

Robert