Leap Day 2016

Happy Leap Day!

Every four years, February tries to get an early start on April fools and last an extra day. Today's Google doodle (above) celebrates this rare (one quarter more rare than yesterday) day.

Picture it: Rome, 1582 - mismatched solar, lunar, and seasonal cycles were causing the Julian calendar (the standard of the day) to be off by about 10 days. Holidays were coming later and later and were slipping into the wrong associated season. So, Pope Gregory XIII proclaimed the Gregorian Calendar would be the new standard - and 1582 lost 10 days in the process. In 1582 the end of October 5th ended and the morning of October 15th began. So, if anyone tries to sell you a genuine artifact from October 8th, 1582, you'll know it's a fake!

Even more rare than Leap Day is when events of note have gone down on this day in history - like when Hattie McDaniel won the Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind, becoming the first African American person to win an Oscar.

Now, go forth! Enjoy this extra day of February.

References

Encyclopedia Britannica (2006). Gregorian Calendar. In Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. p. 802. Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica.

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