9 weird facts about Leap Year
Every 4 years an extra day is added to the end of February. Here are 9 weird facts about Leap Year.
1. In Ireland, 29 February is called Bachelor’s Day, when women are allowed to propose to men. Queen Margaret of Scotland began the tradition in 1288. If a man refused the proposal, he would be fined a kiss, a silk dress or 12 pairs of gloves.
2. Julius Caesar introduced the idea when he ordered his astronomer, Sosigenes, to simplify the calendar. Sosigenes opted for the 365-day year with an extra day every four years to scoop up the extra hours. But he created too many leap years. Every 400 years, there are an three extra days, so to compensate, centuries must be divisible by 400 to count as leap years. Years like 1700, 1800 and 1900 are only 365 days long, rather than 366.
3. Two women have given birth to three leap day babies, according to the New York Daily News. The Henriksen family from Norway had their children on leap days in 1960, 1964 and 1968. The most recent family to tie the record is the Estes family from Utah. Their children were born in 2004, 2008 and 2012.
4. The eighth premier of Tasmania, James Milne Wilson, was born on a leap day and died on a leap day in the 1800s, according to the World Heritage Encyclopaedia.
5. The first warrants of the Salem witch trials were issued on February 29, 1692. The trials continued until early 1693 and resulted in the execution of 20 people and the death of seven others in jail, History.com reported.
6. On February 29 1960, the 5.7Mw Agadir earthquake shook Morocco. Its maximum perceived intensity was X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Between 12,000-15,000 people – about a third of the city’s population of the time – were killed and another 12,000 injured with at least 35,000 people left homeless, making it the most destructive and deadliest earthquake in Moroccan history.
7. In Russia it is believed a leap year is likely to bring more freak weather patterns and a greater risk of death all round.
8. In Taiwan, married daughters traditionally return home during the leap month as it is believed the lunar month can bring bad health to parents. Daughters bring pig trotter noodles to wish them good health and good fortune.
9. The chances of having a birthday on a leap day are about one in 1,461.
1 Leap Year 2016 – 11 weird and wonderful facts about 29 February Accessed online 29 February 2016 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/11-weird-wonderful-facts-about-leap-year-1546496