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5 things about the leap year you may not know
thedailystar.net ^ | February 29, 2020 | The Star

Posted on 02/29/2020 12:48:20 AM PST by Berlin_Freeper

Here are some things you may not know about the leap year, from famous people born on leap day, to why it is added to February and not other months. 1. Not every fourth year is a leap year

Only if the year is divisible by 400 will there be 366 days to make it a leap year. For example, 2100 is not a leap year while 2400 is.

2. There is a simple reason the 366th day is in February.

Back in the 8th century BC, the calendar was only 10 months long. Eventually, the Romans added January and February to the end of the year, with February, the final month, getting fewer days. Julius Caesar then reworked the calendar to align it with the sun, adding a Leap Day. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII created the Gregorian calendar and established February 29 as the official date.

3. It coincides with the Summer Olympics and the US presidential elections

However, the first modern Olympics was held in Athens, Greece, in 1896, which was not a leap year. The year 2100 will be an Olympics year, but that will not be a leap year either. Although the first US presidential election was held in 1788, a non leap year, most of the subsequent elections took place during these special years.

4. They are special

The chance of someone being born on leap day is 1 in 1461, or the total number of calendar days in a four-year cycle. That means the odds of being born on Feb 29 are 0.068%. There are an estimated five million Leaplings worldwide.

According to the Guinness World Records, the Henriksen family from Andenes, Norway, currently holds the official record for the most number of children born in one family on leap day.

Karin Henriksen gave birth to her daughter Heidi in 1960, and her sons Olav and Leif-Martin in 1964 and 1968 respectively.

Meanwhile, the Keogh family in the United Kingdom produced three consecutive generations of family members on Feb 29. Peter Anthony was born in 1940, his son Peter Eric was born in 1964, while his granddaughter Bethany Wealth was born in 1996.

4. Celebrity Leaplings

Famous people born in a leap year include American rapper Ja Rule (born 1976); American author and motivational speaker Anthony Robbins (born 1960); British footballer Darren Ambrose (born 1984); Australian cricketer Sean Abbott (born 1992); and London-born actor Joss Ackland (born 1928).


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: calendar; godsgravesglyphs; history; leapyear
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1 posted on 02/29/2020 12:48:20 AM PST by Berlin_Freeper
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To: Berlin_Freeper

It is every 4 years, except for century turnover. Every 400 years that rule is ignored so 2000 was a leap year. This makes the Gregorian calendar 365.2425 days long which is very close to the actual time for Earth’s orbit period .


2 posted on 02/29/2020 1:08:55 AM PST by Nateman ( Unless the left is screaming you are doing it wrong.)
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To: Nateman
1788 and 1896 were leap years. If it divides by 4 evenly it is a leap year, century years the exception. The world only went to the Gregorian calendar relatively recently. Russia , for example, waited many many years before adapting the Gregorian calendar.
3 posted on 02/29/2020 1:16:55 AM PST by Nateman ( Unless the left is screaming you are doing it wrong.)
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To: Berlin_Freeper
So, what this means if you are born in 2020 on leap day, you will not have a day to celebrate your 80th on in 2100.

Bummer

4 posted on 02/29/2020 1:56:56 AM PST by eartick (Stupidity is expecting the government that broke itself to go out and fix itself. Texan for TEXIT!)
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To: eartick

You wouldn’t be celebrating anything cause the world is going to end in 11 years. Although when you think of it,that prediction could come true. But not for the reasons that the climate alarmists claim.


5 posted on 02/29/2020 2:05:58 AM PST by HighSierra5
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To: Berlin_Freeper

So, if you live on the 3rd floor of an apt. building and the elevators are not working....how many flights of stairs do you have to climb?

Smile....the answer is 2!!!!


6 posted on 02/29/2020 2:08:40 AM PST by sodpoodle (Life is prickly - carry tweezers)
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To: HighSierra5
You wouldn’t be celebrating anything cause the world is going to end in 11 years

Oh yeah.... Forgot about that.

Guess I better go buy water in plastic bottles, use plastic bags at grocery stores, make extra trips to town for feed and raise more cows for farting purposes.

That should speed things right along

7 posted on 02/29/2020 2:27:06 AM PST by eartick (Stupidity is expecting the government that broke itself to go out and fix itself. Texan for TEXIT!)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

My dad was born Feb. 29.


8 posted on 02/29/2020 2:40:17 AM PST by freepertoo
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To: Nateman

Even so, Russia still celebrates Christmas on January 7. At least Ukraine celebrates December 25 too, but January 7 is still the main date.


9 posted on 02/29/2020 2:44:02 AM PST by The Truth Will Make You Free
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To: The Truth Will Make You Free

Leap year


10 posted on 02/29/2020 2:47:35 AM PST by TNoldman (AN AMERICAN FOR A MUSLIM/BHO FREE AMERICA. (Owner of Stars and Bars Flags))
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To: sodpoodle

here you go:

If it is 0 degrees and it gets twice as cold how cold is it?

I don’t know.


11 posted on 02/29/2020 2:52:05 AM PST by Jolla
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To: Berlin_Freeper

A year is a leap year if it divisible by 4, unless it is also divisible by a 100 in which case it is not, unless it is also divisible by 400 in which case it is. This results in an average of 365.2422 days per year, which is pretty close to the actual of 365.242199.


12 posted on 02/29/2020 2:58:19 AM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: Jolla

There is no such thing as twice as cold unless you mean half as hot. But doing any math with temperature means you have to use the Kelvin scale, or any which starts at absolute zero, not the freezing point of water or something.


13 posted on 02/29/2020 3:02:28 AM PST by Telepathic Intruder
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To: Telepathic Intruder

Currently the Gregorian Calendar loses about one day every 3200 years. Some future pope may have to declare that years divisible by 3200 are not leap years. The Gregorian calendar reform was instituted to keep the calendar aligned with the seasons from about 325 AD, the year of the Nicene Counsel, which set the date of observance of Christmas on the Julian Calendar.


14 posted on 02/29/2020 3:45:50 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (Every election, more or less, is an advance auction of stolen goods. - H. L. Mencken)
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To: Telepathic Intruder

okay, half as cold, then what is half of zero degrees, use any scale you wish.


15 posted on 02/29/2020 4:04:57 AM PST by Jolla
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To: Telepathic Intruder

I’m surprised the global warming shysters haven’t converted to Kelvin. Those temps would make great headlines.


16 posted on 02/29/2020 4:14:51 AM PST by P.O.E. (Pray for America)
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To: Berlin_Freeper

Every 4 years, February gets an esteem booster...and folks born on Feb 29 only age at 1/4 the rate of the rest of us....sweeeeet!

Of course, that can be a detriment if one considers that those who have the most birthdays also tend to live the longest.....bummmmer!


17 posted on 02/29/2020 4:32:12 AM PST by trebb (Don't howl about illegal leeches, or Trump in general, while not donating to FR - it's hypocritical.)
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To: P.O.E.

The “Party of Science” probably has no idea that Kelvin even exists, or what it is used for. But they are definitely smarter than the rest of us.


18 posted on 02/29/2020 4:39:35 AM PST by Hardastarboard (Three most annoying words on the internet - "Watch the video")
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To: Jolla

Fun question will have to use it on friends.

My answer is convert between degrees F and C. Mathematically it would workout.


19 posted on 02/29/2020 4:57:46 AM PST by Hang'emAll (If guns kill people, do pencils misspell words?)
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To: Berlin_Freeper
Hey Liberals,
Donald Trump is the President for a Whole Extra Day!!!
20 posted on 02/29/2020 5:18:42 AM PST by outofsalt (If history teaches us anything, it's that history rarely teaches anything.)
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