Forwards from Phil: Feb. 29, 2008 - Leap Day Edition
February 29th, 2008 by PhilAnd now, it’s the post I only get to write every 4 years, or rather, only in years divisible by four, unless they end in 00, in which case only if they’re divisible by 400: the Leap Day Edition! Also known as the Intercalary Day Edition, which sounds weird, or the Bissextile Day Edition, which sounds kinda hot.
- Need to know how to write an Excel formula that will determine if a year is a leap year? Microsoft, amazingly, has you covered.
- Some of you might know Leap Day better as Sadie Hawkins Day (despite the fact it was originally in November). Legend has it it actually began with Saints Patrick and Bridget in Ireland; Patrick declared the 29th to be the day when women could propose to men. Bridget proposed to him on the 29th and promptly got turned down. Moral: St. Patrick was a bit of an ass when he wasn’t drunk. The Scots took this a bit further; a man who said no to a woman who proposed on the 29th was actually fined - a kiss, a nice dress, a pair of gloves, something like that.
- List After List has a timeline of Leap Year’s history, from the time when Caesar took the throne and noticed the seasons weren’t in the right place anymore, up until Pope Gregory XIII decided to fix it up a bit. Also, apparently getting married during a leap year (not just on leap day, but during the entire year) is bad luck in Greece. Time and Date has a bit more on the scientific reasoning behind the need for a leap day.
- Famous people celebrating a birthday today include: Tony Robbins, Jimmy Dorsey, that black guy from hed p.e., Antonio Sabato Jr., Saul Williams, Ja Rule, and Saves the Day Chris Conley.
- Helium was first solidifed (well, technically, it was liquefied) by the Dutch on February 29th, 1908.
- Also, perhaps the most recent mention of it, Superman’s birthday is apparently in February 29th, as well. Somehow I doubt Krypton is celebrating leap years anymore due to its exploded state, but I’m sure he can have a little cake-and-ice-cream boy/girl party up in his Fortress of Solitude.
- Leap Year cocktail: 1 1/4 oz. gin, 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier, 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth, 1/4 tsp lemon juice. Shake with ice, strain, serve. Sounds pretty good, but then again, I haven’t had breakfast, so it’d probably be a bad idea.
- The idea of a Leap Day Baby is central to the plot of The Pirates of Penzance. Yes, I just linked to a Gilbert and Sullivan musical in an FfP. I guarantee you, it won’t happen again. I promise!
- For some reason, here’s a bunch of facts about frogs. This is only loosely related to Leap Year but it kept turning up so I left it in.
One last one, which doubles as a spoiler:
- …specifically, a Smash Bros. spoiler - Spear Pillar, the new stage, from Pokemon Diamond & Pearl. This is the loosest-related link of them all, being as how it’s just introduced today.