We couldn't not have a blog post dated February 29th, so here it is! We gathered some fun facts on Leap Year to share with you!
Fun Facts:
- Julius Caesar is said to be the "father of leap year."
- Leap Day is added to the calendar in Leap Years as a corrective measure, because the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365 days and this way our months and seasons don't get out of sync.
- Sosigenes (Julius Caesar's astronomer) added one extra day to every fourth February. Why February? It was the last month of the year in Roman times.
- Anthony, Texas is the self-proclaimed Leap Year Capital of the World.
- In 1988, the chamber of commerce in the little town on the border between New Mexico and Texas voted to sponsor the Worldwide Leap Year Festival and Worldwide Leap Year Birthday Club. Partiers celebrate with a parade, hot-air-balloon rides, a carnival and a gathering of people born on Feb. 29. (www.leapyearcapital.com)
- Greek superstition claims that bad luck will come to couples that marry during a leap year. Allegedly one in five engaged couples in Greece will avoid planning their wedding during a leap year.
- Leap day is also when women were once officially allowed to step outside of tradition and propose to their beaus. According to legend, St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick in fifth-century Ireland about women having to wait for so long for a man to propose. St. Patrick's solution was to allow women one chance that only came around every four years to take the initiative.
- In 1288 Scotland supposedly made the tradition a law and any man who declined a proposal in a leap year had to pay a fine ranging from a kiss to payment for a silk dress or a pair of gloves.
- The chances of a leap birthday are 1 in 1,461
- According to global statistics, there are about 4.1 million people worldwide born on Feb. 29
- The longest time between two leap years is eight years. The last time this happened was between 1896 and 1904 and it won't happen again until 2096 to 2104.
- Norway's Henriksen siblings are recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. The three siblings were born on three consecutive leap days. Heidi Henriksen, 1960; Olav Henriksen, 1964; and Leif-Martin Henriksen, 1968.
Celebrity Leaplings:- In 1988, Time magazine proclaimed Superman to be born on Feb. 29, making the superhero a leap day baby!
- 1980 Simon Gagne, Canadian hockey player and NHL All-Star.
- 1976 Ja Rule, American rapper and actor.
- 1972 Saul Williams, American rap poet and actor.
- 1972 Antonio Sabato Jr., Italian-born soap star whose credits include The Bold and the Beautiful, Melrose Place and General Hospital.
- 1968 Bryce Eric Paup, football player, named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1995 and a four-time Pro Bowl selection.
- 1960 Tony Robbins, American self-help author, infomercial fixture and motivational speaker.
- 1944 Dennis Farina, ex-Chicago police officer turned actor with memorable roles in Get Shorty and Law & Order.
- 1940 Billy Turner, a successful trainer of thoroughbreds including Seattle Slew, winner of the U.S. Triple Crown in 1977.
- 1940 Gretchen Christopher, vocalist and songwriter who founded The Fleetwoods, one of the '50s most popular doo-wop groups.
- 1916 Dinah Shore, American singer, actress and television personality.
- 1904 Mr. Wolfe Plus 585 Sr., person with the longest official name. With a name for every letter of the alphabet, his full name is Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenberdorft Sr.
- 1904 Jimmy Dorsey, prominent American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter and big band leader.
- 1736 Ann Lee, founder of the Shaker movement, which she brought to America in 1776.
- 1712 General Louis-Joseph Montcalm, hero of the Seven Years War, died in the Battle of Quebec.
HAPPY LEAP DAY FRIENDS!
WE HOPE IT'S A GREAT ONE FOR YOU!
