If today were my birthday, I would be a whopping 16 years old! Most people know that every four years, we add a day to the calendar in February, but do you recall the actual reason why and when it happened? Let’s take a moteventurous walk back in history today to find out the answer to that question!
The evolution of leap year is quite fascinating and odd at times, from the initial identification of the problem through to the numerous methods employed to correct it.
46 BC & JULIUS CAESAR
Did you know that prior to 46 BC, the Roman calendar shortened the current year by 10 days? The months as we know them were instead based upon lunar events, with an extra month tacked onto the calendar should it be needed.
Emperor Julius Caesar decided to base his own new calendar on the solar cycles vs. the lunar and determined that each year should contain 365.25 days, with the months mostly reflecting those we recognize today. He decided that every four years, the shortest month (February) should have a day added to it to factor in the .25 days extra each year in his formula.
1582 & POPE GREGORY XIII
Even though Caesar’s calendar was imperfect, Europeans used the calendar for about the next thousand years or so. By that time, there existed a 10-day discrepancy between the calendar and the occurrence of Easter.
Did you know that historically October 5 – 14, 1582 doesn’t exist? Pope Gregory XIII altered time in that year, going from October 4th to the 15th to correct the disparity associated with the Caesarian calendar. Adding in a particularly odd but now familiar scheme to add in a day every four years (leap year) to correct the anomaly. The only time it wouldn’t come into play is if it fell on the beginning a new century.
ADVENT OF LEAP SECONDS
In 1972, leap seconds were added to this time continuum due to the advent of the atomic clock. Suffice it to say that it involved redefining a basic unit of time, the cesium atom, the length of the solar day, and the slowing of the rotation of the Earth’s axis.
Oddly enough, much of my research into leap year came courtesy of “Time” magazine…which seems completely appropriate.
NOW A FEW TUNES ABOUT TIME
Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this short lesson on leap year and have made the most of the extra day! Now, here are few videos that focus on time. Enjoy and be blessed!
MOTEVENTURE 