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nThisnday only comes around once every four years (mostly)—so I betnyou’re glad you weren’t born on February 29th! Think ofnhow few birthdays you would’ve had!
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nLeapnDay is added to February every Leap Year, making those years 366 daysnrather than the normal 365 days. We do this so that our calendarsnkeep pace with the solar year, which is about 365.242199 days long.nHere is a short, clear explanation of why we need—and how wencalculate—Leap Years.
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nSomenof the Leap Day traditions seem very odd to us these days. Fornexample, in Europe during the middle ages, women were “allowed”nto propose marriage to men on Leap Day—but not any other time ofnthe year! In some localities, if a man said “no” to such a LeapnDay proposal, he had to buy the woman 12 pairs of gloves. In othernplaces, there were other gifts that must be given with the “no,” such as a silk dress and a kiss.
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These two old postcards made light of the idea that women could propose on just one day every four years… |
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nAccordingnto the Guinness Book of Records, there is a family who has had threenconsecutive generations born on February 29. Peter Anthony Keogh wasnborn in Ireland on this day in 1940, his son Peter Eric Keogh wasnborn in the U.K. on this day in 1964, and his granddaughter BethanynKeogh was born in the U.K. on this day in 1996. Another weird recordnis held by a Norwegian family named Henriksen, who had three childrennborn on Leap Day—in the years 1960, 1964, and 1968. W-o-w!
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