Leap years are needed to keep our modern day Gregorian calendar in alignment with the Earth's revolutions around the sun. It takes the Earth approximately 365.242189 days – or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds – to circle once around the Sun. This is called a tropical year, and is measured from the March equinox. However, the Gregorian calendar has only 365 days in a year, so if we didn't add a leap day on February 29 nearly every four years, we would lose almost six hours off our calendar every year. After only 100 years, our calendar would be off by around 24 days!
1) Leap Year Baby
People who are born on 29th Feb are called "Leapers". Most of them celebrate their birthday on 28th Feb or 1st Mar on non-leap year. The odd are 1 of 1461 to be born on leap day. For the Guinness World Records - Most Siblings Born on Leap Day, it goes to the Norway's Henriksen family – Heidi (b. 1960), Olav (b. 1964) and Lief-Martin (b. 1968).
2) Leap Year Talent
Astrologers believe people born on February 29 have unusual talents, such as the ability to burp the alphabet or paint like Picasso.
3) Leap Year Proposals
Woman propose to a man. It is that said the tradition began in 5th century Ireland when St. Bridget bitterly complained to St. Patrick that women had to wait far too long for men to propose. If a man did refuse the proposal, he would be fined a kiss, a silk dress or twelve pairs of gloves.
4) Leap Year Wedding / Divorce
Greek and Ukraine superstitious - having a wedding on leap year is just bad luck but on the leap day itself is just nightmare. However, it maybe good luck for some that is seeking divorce or a turning point.
5) Leap Year (Not) Holiday
Are you working for free on leap day? Do you get paid for that extra day? That depends on your status and the pay policies at your workplace.
6) Leap Year Capital
Anthony, Texas is the self-proclaimed "Leap Year Capital of the World". It holds a festival which includes a guided trip to Aztec Cave, wine tasting, cowboy re-enactments, and a parade.
7) Leap Year History
Under Julius Caesar, February had 30 days, but when Caesar Augustus was emperor he was peeved that his month - August - had only 29 days, whereas the month named after his predecessor Julius - July - had 31. "He pinched a couple of days for August to make it the same as July. And it was poor old February that lost out," says Prof Stewart. It was then fine-tuned by Pope Gregory XIII and introduced in Oct 1582 as Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar, also called the Western calendar and the Christian calendar, is internationally the most widely used civil calendar.
8) Leap Year Deal
You can expect wide range of good deals, discount and sale promotion on the leap day itself from traveling to food.
9) Leap Year Freebies
An extra day of many services with monthly subscription rates such as Netflix or other streaming services, cable TV, insurance coverage, and even the rent on your apartment.
10) Leap Year Bug
Leap year bug (also known as the Leap year problem) is a problem for both digital (computer-related) and non-digital documentation and data storage situations which results from the wrong calculation of which years are leap years.
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