Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November.
All the rest have 31,
though February's underdone
With 28 -- hold the line!
Leap Day makes it 29

Do you know someone who was born on Leap Year Day? February 29 is not a common birthday, because it only happens
once every four years. Growing up, I had a friend named Deanna, who was the only person I have ever known who was
born on leap year day.

This library detective column will answer some of the questions I had about leap year. The research
I did for this column was all accomplished using the Library's new Web site and databases under the Virtual
Collection. The virtual library and all of the databases are available 24 / 7 at www.tbpl.ca

Why have leap year?

"Blame it on the earth's orbit, which is 5 hours 48 minutes 45 seconds longer than the 365 days we consider to be a year.
The extra time goes to February 29 every four years. If it weren't for Leap Year Day, we would eventually celebrate
Thanksgiving in spring and take summer vacation in October."
Source - Ebsco Host Research Database, Boys' Life, Feb. 2004

When was the idea of leap year instituted?

"The whole idea of leap year goes back to the "year of confusion" in 46 B.C., the time of Roman emperor Julius Ceasar.
The people of ancient Egypt created what became the calendar we use today. But, by the time Caesar ruled Rome, the
ancient Egyptian calendar had gotten way out of line. It no longer agreed with the seasons of nature. To get things back in
line, Ceasar added 67 days to the year 46 B.C. Then, to stay on track with the earth's rotation, Caesar and his astronomer,
who was named Sosigenes, added an extra day to every fourth February. Back in Roman times, February was the last
month of the year." Source: Canadian Reference Centre, The Record

Why can't leap year babies turn 50?

"Legend says Superman was born on February 29 because he never seems to age. DC Comics even minted a commemorative
coin when Superman turned 50 on Feb. 29, 1988. If you're good with math, though, you'll see a problem. Leap year
babies can't turn 50 on their actual birthdays. They would have to be either 48 or 52 because 50 cannot be divided by four
(and 1938 was not a leap year.)" Source Ebsco Host Research Database, Boys Life, Feb. 2004

Are there novels that feature a leap year plot?

I searched Novelist, an on-line guide to fiction, which is available on the library's Web site. I entered leap year into the
search field, and it returned 250 titles, from children's to adult books, that feature leap year as part of
the plot of the story. Some of the titles listed include The Deer Leap by Martha Grimes (adult), Angels Unaware by
Elizabeth Storm (adult), Roscoe's Leap by Gillian Cross (young adult), and Webster's Leap by Eileen Dunlop (children).
All of these titles are available at your Thunder Bay Public Library.

Are there sites on the Internet that feature Leap Year activities?

Wow, are there ever! I searched the Internet using search tools under Virtual Collection on the library's Web site and
came up with 1,720,000 sites which feature leap year. LEAPzine and Leap Year Day Project, which are on-line sites
about February 29, had a bunch of fun activities, news, greeting cards, party ideas and helpful leap year facts especially
for teachers. It also featured math activities for students and games to play. Find LEAPzine at www.leapzine.com and
Leap Year Day Project at www.leapyearday.com

Visit the library's Web site at www.tbpl.ca to research a project, do a homework assignment, get articles to support a
hypothesis, obtain help with your business plan...or to find some really good information about a subject which interests you.

Back to 2004 Media Page