So 2012 is a leap year with 366 days instead of the normal 365. But do you know why?
The ancient Egyptians figured out that the solar year and the man-made calendar year didn’t match up perfectly.
It’s all caused by the time that it takes the Earth to revolve around the sun – 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds to be exact. (Ever wonder who was manning the stopwatch for that one?)
Therefore, the extra hours and change have to be carried over and every 4 years an extra day was added to the calendar to keep it all even. Interestingly, there are a number of other intricate rules that they use in the calculation.
So What Has Happened on Leap Years Past?
Well, quite a few interesting things, actually:
1288 – Scotland’s Queen Margaret declared that a woman had the right to pop the question to any man she wished and if rebuffed, the man would be forced to pay a fine to the fair lady.
1504 – Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Native Americans to provide him with supplies.
1704 – Queen Anne’s War: French forces and Native Americans stage a raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing 56 villagers and taking more than 100 captive.
1916 – Child labor: In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill, and mine workers is raised from twelve to fourteen years old.
1944 – World War II: The Admiralty Islands are invaded in Operation Brewer led by American General Douglas MacArthur.
1972 – Hank Aaron becomes the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to sign a $200,000 contract.
1992 – Mr. Big hit it big this day, moving to #1 with, “To Be with You”. It would be the biggest hit in the U.S. for three big weeks.
Now isn’t it refreshing to know all of those things happened on leap year in the past?
What important news will happen today? Feel free to make a prediction or share an event!
