Have you ever wondered where leap years come from? Where do they get those extra hours that add up to a whole day? And what if you’re born on a leap day?
A year is the period of time it takes the Earth to make a full circle around the Sun. The most accurate calculations say that our planet finishes its rotation after 365 days, 5 hours, and 48 minutes. Each year, 5 hours and 48 minutes are uncounted, and when 4 years pass, these hours and minutes add up to an extra day. But the calculations weren't always so exact.
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TIMESTAMPS:
How the leap day was initially introduced 0:47
Why the leap day was added to the end of February 1:27
Why astronomers cut down the number of leap years 2:08
Why do they call it "leap" in English? 2:58
Famous people who were born on a leap day 3:29
Consolations for the Unfortunates Born on the 29th of February 4:04
Rituals and traditions linked with the leap year 5:30
#leapyear #astronomy #brightside
SUMMARY:
During the reign of Julius Caesar, the Roman calendar consisted of only 355 days. Every 2 years they would add an extra month of 22 days to it.
The year with an extra day was called “Bis Sextus” which means “the second sixth” in Latin.
In ancient Rome, they celebrated the New year on March 1, which is why they added the leap day to the end of February.
Astronomers noticed that the spring equinox happened much earlier than March 21 - the date put in the calendar.
Clearly it was necessary to correct the Julian calendar, and in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII did so by having astronomers cut down the number of leap years.
If you happened to be born on a leap day, you overcame the odds of 1 in 1461.
In the 18th century, a famous German moralist wrote an essay called “Consolations for the Unfortunates Born on the 29th of February”. He suggested a detailed scheme of how they should celebrate their birthday each year.
In the 19th century, an interesting marriage tradition became popular. Usually, men had to kneel down on one knee to propose to a woman. But in a leap year, women could propose to men.
Leap years were also chosen to hold one of the main global sports events - the Olympic games.
If you get a fixed salary each year, you'll get stiffed in a leap year. You just have to work one day for free!
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5 окт 2024
