Once in every four years February shows 29 days on the calendar, instead of the usual 28. The year is called a Leap Year, while the day is known as Leap Day.
The additional 24 hours are included into the calendar to ensure that it corresponds with the Earth’s movement around the Sun. To ensure that there is a consistency with an astronomical year, it is necessary to add in an extra day every four years to make up the lost time.
On the occasion of Leap Day, here are a few interesting facts associated with it.
Women propose to men
An old Irish legend says that once Saint Brigid struck a deal with Saint Patrick to allow women to propose to men and not the other way around, every four years.
The day also traces back to a British play where it was joked that February 29, which fell on every four years, would see women act like men, but it seems to have inspired early feminists who were using Leap Day to propose to the men in their lives by 1700s.
Salem witchcraft
The first warrants for the Salem witchcraft trials were issued on February 29, 1692. The trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people who were accused of being witches in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693.
Ancient calendars
There were entire leap months in ancient Hebrew, Buddhist and Chinese calendars. These calendars were lunisolar, meaning their dates indicate both position of moon as well as earth with respect to sun. Since there is a gap of approximately 11 days between a year as measured by lunar cycles and one measured by the earth’s orbit, such calendars often required the addition of extra months.
Leaper
A person who is born on February 29 may be called a “leapling” or a “leap-year baby”. However, the effective legal date of a leapling’s birthday varies from place to place.
In the UK and Hong Kong, when a person who is born on February 29 turns 18,their birthdays are considered to be on March 1. In New Zealand, people born on February 29 see their birthdays celebrated a day earlier on non-leap year days.
James Milne Wilson
Sir James Milne Wilson, who served as Premier of Tasmania from 1869 to 1872, was both born on a leap day in 1812 and died on 1880 at the age of 68.
