Julius Caesar was the father of leap year, originating the idea
in 45 B.C. Ancient Egyptians created the basis for the modern-day calendar. But
by Julius Caesar's time, it had slipped out of sync with Earth's seasons. So although it was the ancient Egyptians who first figured out that
the solar year and the man-made calendar year didn't always match up. That's because it actually takes the Earth a
little longer than a year to travel around the Sun — 365 days, 5 hours, 48
minutes, and 46 seconds, to be exact. The
Romans first designated February 29 as leap day, but a more precise formula
(still in use today) was adopted in the 16th century when the Gregorian
calendar fine-tuned the calculations to include a leap day in years only
divisible by four - 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, etc. Thankfully, all this intricate plotting will
continue to keep us in tune with the seasons over the next several thousand
years. If we didn't add a day on Feb. 29 every four years, we would lose almost
six hours every year, and after 100 years our calendar would be off by 24 days.
According to astrologers, those
born under the sign of Pisces on February 29 have unusual talents and
personalities reflecting their special status. Most have to wait every four years to
"officially" observe their birthdays, but leap year babies typically choose either
February 28 or March 1 to celebrate in years that aren't leap years.
While leap day helped official
timekeepers, it also resulted in social customs turned upside down when February
29 became a "no man's land" without legal jurisdiction. As the story goes, the tradition of women
romantically pursuing men in leap years began in 5th century Ireland, when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about the fair sex
having to wait for men to propose. Patrick finally relented and set
February 29 aside as the day set aside allowing women the right to ask for a
man's hand in marriage. The tradition
continued in Scotland, when Queen Margaret declared in 1288
that on February 29 a woman had the right to pop the question to any man she
fancied. Men folk who refused were faced with a fine in the form of a kiss, a
silk dress, or a pair of gloves given to the rejected lady fair. A similar modern American tradition, Sadie Hawkins Day, honors "the homeliest
gal in the hills" created by Al Capp in the cartoon strip Li'l Abner.
Some other Leap year facts…
©
Pope
Gregory XIII further refined the calendar in 1582, creating the Gregorian
calendar still in use.
©
People born on Feb. 29 are called
"Leaplings" or "Leapers."
©
It used to be an urban legend that children
born on leap year day were sickly and hard to raise.
©
Centuries ago there was a whimsical tradition
that during leap years women had opportunity to propose marriage to men instead
of the more traditional way. It followed the idea that nature had gone awry.
©
Anthony, Texas, is the self-proclaimed Leap
Year Capital of the World. In 1988, the chamber of commerce in the little town
on the border between New Mexico and Texas voted to sponsor the Worldwide Leap
Year Festival and Worldwide Leap Year Birthday Club.
©
Greek superstition claims that bad luck will
come to couples that marry during a leap year.
© The
chances of a leap birthday are one in 1,461 -- long odds for getting the short
end of the stick.
© The longest
time between two leap years is eight years. The last time this happened was
between 1896 and 1904 and it won't happen again until 2096 to 2104.
© There
were five Fridays in February 2008 -- the month begins and ends on a Friday.
Between 1904 and 2096, leap day occurs on the same day of the week every 28
years, so the last time February had five Fridays was in 1980 and next time
will be in 2036.
© According
to global statistics, there are about 4.1 million people worldwide born on Feb.
29.
© Norway's
Henriksen siblings are recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. The
three siblings were born on three consecutive leap days. Heidi Henriksen, 1960;
Olav Henriksen, 1964; and Leif-Martin Henriksen, 1968.
© The
Keogh family has three consecutive generations born on Feb. 29. Peter Anthony
was born in Ireland in 1940; his son Peter Eric was born in the United Kingdom
in 1964; and his granddaughter Bethany Wealth was born in the United Kingdom in
1996.
A leap year poem to remember it
by
Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Save February, she alone
Hath eight days and a score
Til leap year gives her one day more.
April, June and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Save February, she alone
Hath eight days and a score
Til leap year gives her one day more.
SO I HOPE YOU’VE ENJOYED MY LITTLE POST
&
I HOPE YOUR LEAPPING INTO A WONDERFUL DAY ;?
