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MAIN
Holidays
& Observances Leap
Year
Fun Facts About Leap Year
2012
is a leap year, with 366 days instead of the usual 365 days.
Why?
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.
Therefore,
as the hours accumulated over the centures, an extra day was occasionally
added to the calendar, and over time the practice became more
or less official.
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.
Another stipulation
ruled that no year divisible by 100 would have a leap year, except
if it was divisible by 400. Thus, 1900 was not a leap year ...
but 2000 was! Go figure.
Thankfully,
all this intricate plotting will continue to keep us in tune with
the seasons over the next several thousand years.
Born on
a leap day?

Leap Day babies: Antonio Sabato Jr. and rapper Ja Rule.
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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.
Some famous people born on February 29
Born 1976 - Ja Rule, rapper
Born 1972 - Anthonio Sabato Jr., model & actor
Born 1916 - Dinah Shore, singer
Born 1904 - Jimmy Dorsey, bandleader.
Born 1792 - Gioacchino Rossini, Italian opera composer
February 29, 2012 event calendar
On the international scene, 56 countries will observe Rare Disease Day on February 29, 2012 calling for more research into ailments that have no known cure
On a lighter note, international women's football meets to compete on February 29, 2012 in the annual kick-off to the Algarve Cup in southern Portugal.
Leap Day
traditions - no man is safe!
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. Menfolk
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. In the famous
story line, Sadie and every other woman in town were allowed on
that day to pursue and catch the most eligible bachelors in Dogpatch.
Although
the comic strip placed Sadie Hawkins Day in November, today it
has become almost synonymous with February 29.
Leap year on stage & screen
The day also
plays a pivotal role in the fictional The
Pirates of Penzance, the most famous Gilbert & Sullivan
comic opera that was translated to Broadway and the silver screen.
In the story,
the hero Frederic realizes his apprenticeship binds him until
his 21st birthday, but since his birthday falls on February 29,
it means that technically he is only a young lad - and won't reach
his 21st birthday until he is in his eighties!
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.
More about
leap year around the Web:
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