A Leap of Faith

So.....today's February 29th, Leap Year 2008.  Now, we're not going to go into all of the particulars of the vernal equinox and tropical and solar years.  Go ahead and Google it if you feel a burning need to learn more about the science behind it.  But suffice it say, that by adding a leap year approximately every fourth year, the difference between the calendar and the seasons can be reduced significantly, and the calendar will align with the seasons much more accurately.  Got all that?  Good.

But just how good is your Leap Day knowledge?

Okay, for starters, a Leap Year is one in which an extra day has been inserted in February, probably to trip up everyone who memorizes the "Thirty Days Hath September" ditty.

According to the Gregorian calendar, which is used by most modern countries, there are three criteria that detemine which year will be a Leap Year (Math faculty, pay close attention): 1) Every year that is divisible by four is a Leap Year.  2) Of those years, if it can be divided by 100, it is NOT a Leap Year.....UNLESS 3) the Year is divisible by 400.  In that case, it is a Leap Year.  So that means, for future planning purposes, 2100, 2200, 2300, and 2500 are NOT Leap Years, while 2400 will be.  English faculty, don't worry, the Math Faculty didn't understand all that, either.

Some interesting events that occured on Leap Day throughout the course of American history:

In 1692, the first accusations were lodge in the Salem witch trials, leading to more than 150 people being arrested, with at least two dozen of them being hanged.

In 1940, Gone with the Wind won the Academy Award for Best Picture.  Bob Hope hosted that year's awards.

In 1952, life became a lot tougher for New York City jaywalkers when the first "Walk/Don't Walk" signs were installed.

And then there's the folks who have been born on Leap Day, who apparently age at a much slower rate - Dinah Shore, motivational speaker Anthony (Tony) Robbins, rapper Ja Rule, and the Man of Steel himself, Superman, to name just a few.

And here, potentially, is the most revelatory fact for you - February 29 is NOT Sadie Hawkins day!  Sadie Hawkins is a character who made her debut in Al Capp's Li'l Abner comic strip on November 15, 1937.  In the strip, Sadie Hawkins was "the homeliest gal in the hills," who grew tired of waiting for fellows to come courting, so her father decreed the first Sadie Hawkins day, which featured a foot race during which the town's unmarried ladies could pursue bachelors, with matrimony being the finish prize.  Within years, colleges across the country began holding Sadie Hawkins dances, and the rest was history.  But to recognize her roots, it's actually November 15th that's truly consider the authentic Sadie Hawkins Day!

So who says blogs can't be educational?!?