BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February

Subject: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: keberoxu
Date: 28 Feb 20 - 03:30 PM

why not a thread for something
that happens once every four years?

Have a happy healthy one, everybody.

(I live where it's winter.
I hear I'll need long underwear for the cold, this time.)

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: robomatic
Date: 28 Feb 20 - 09:19 PM

So did Frederick get out of his indentures? Is he near retirement age?

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Senoufou
Date: 29 Feb 20 - 03:35 AM

I was explaining this to my husband last week. He couldn't believe that ladies would be proposing marriage to men today! Then he asked how the system works for deciding Leap Years astronomically, but I'm not too sure about that one. Something to do with catching up a little bit of extra solar time every four years which has accumulated to a whole day.
It's blowing a gale again here, with rain lashing down. Not a very nice day.

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 29 Feb 20 - 04:38 AM

Rossini was born on this day in 1792. How old in leap-year years would he be today? There's a catch...

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: JennieG
Date: 29 Feb 20 - 05:36 AM

Didn't Frederic get out of his indentures in 1940?

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Mr Red
Date: 29 Feb 20 - 08:22 AM

There's a catch... - 225 yesterday, 226 today?

Leap centuries only every 400 years?

Would it be too pedantic to mention leap seconds?

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Feb 20 - 08:56 AM

Leap Day Babies: Just How Good (Or Bad) Is It To Have A Birthday Every 4 Years?

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Raenell Dawn, co-founder of the Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies, about the pros and cons of having a birthday on Feb. 29.

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 29 Feb 20 - 09:10 AM

And the extra day means Spring comes a day earlier!



On the other hand, it means next Winter comes a day earlier as well.

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Mrrzy
Date: 29 Feb 20 - 09:36 AM

Orphan? Often!

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 29 Feb 20 - 09:59 AM

Having little to do with Leap Year Day specifically, but with February in general....

February's shortness poses a real financial hardship to some people in less than ideal financial circumstances. Since it has two fewer days than any other month, it also has two fewer workdays. So, when the rent comes due on March first, there's two fewer days' pay in the cookie jar with which to pay it.

The decision to have February have 28 days predates modern wage-earner society by 2000 years. We need to even the calendar out by taking days from two of the 31-day months and adding them to February.



By the way, did you know that in ancient Roman times, the calendar only had ten months, March through December? Since nothing of any importance happened during the dead of winter, it wasn't even included on the calendar.

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 Feb 20 - 02:08 PM

An Algerian native from the port of Oran,
Khaled Hadj-Brahim,
is a leap-year baby, born in either 1960 or 1964.
He is one of the leading singers in the
pop/traditional-Maghrebi music genre called Rai.
Mudcat has a tiny thread for him somewhere.

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: JennieG
Date: 29 Feb 20 - 05:44 PM

A politician in Tasmania, Oz, was born on 29th February 1812 and died on 29th February 1880. He was Sir James Milne Wilson.

Wow, dropping off the twig on your 16th birthday......

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 01 Mar 20 - 06:37 PM

1880-1812= 68 years
With a birthday every 4 years that would mean it was his (68/4) 17th birthday.
But it's still an interesting fact.

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: JennieG
Date: 02 Mar 20 - 01:47 AM

That's true, Nigel. I did wonder at the time I read it, but maths was never my best subject at school. Our maths teacher was the footy coach.....need I say more?

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: robomatic
Date: 04 Mar 20 - 01:12 AM

Jennie:

Isaac Asimov paid attention to the exact date of Frederick's birth, based on his being out of his indentures in 1940, in a story in 1981. I don't recall the details but it might turn on whether or not Frederick deserved to count February of 1900.

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Mr Red
Date: 04 Mar 20 - 02:53 AM

that would mean it was his (68/4) 17th birthday.

Well, to be pedantic you would truly have to know his times of birth and demise on that. And to be egregiously pedantic his 0th was a birthday too.................. the pedantical would point to the word anniversary. And then it gets complex, because anniversary presumes some multiple of 365.242** days and Leap Babies.................. er maybe I should quit while I'm....... er, um, Oh look:

deserved to count February of 1900
not if he wanted to be accurate.

**approx

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: robomatic
Date: 04 Mar 20 - 06:50 PM

Mr. Red:

Don't make me come over there with the story by Isaac Asimov!. Ah, hell, I'm gonna start lookin' for it. I loved ol' Isaac...

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: JennieG
Date: 05 Mar 20 - 02:52 AM

I read somewhere once (probably more years ago than I care to remember now) that there was a special performance of "Pirates of Penzance" in London during WWII, to celebrate Frederick coming out of his indentures. For some reason the date 1940 has stuck in my mind as being in the script.

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Mr Red
Date: 05 Mar 20 - 06:43 AM

Don't make me come over there with the story by Isaac Asimov!

Promises, promises!

But which story?

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: G-Force
Date: 05 Mar 20 - 01:59 PM

did you know that in ancient Roman times, the calendar only had ten months, March through December?

I thought the 10 months were January to June, then September to December (hence the names from Septem, Octo etc.). July and August were added in later, after Caesars Julius and Augustus.

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 Feb 24 - 09:54 AM

and four years later, it's time to refresh.

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Mrrzy
Date: 29 Feb 24 - 12:45 PM

Ok... look up what the French call leap year.

Then look up WHY.

I mean, Astérix and all, but come on!

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: robomatic
Date: 29 Feb 24 - 03:12 PM

The French imitate nobody. . .

and nobody imitates the French!

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 01 Mar 24 - 01:57 AM

I remember an illustration, in a book I read at primary school, illustrating why Feb 29th exists the way it does. It portrayed a Roman soldier shivering in a snowdrift, next to a calendar marked JVNE.

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Mar 24 - 05:15 AM

Ceasar minted a coin to celebrate leap year day.

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Mrrzy
Date: 01 Mar 24 - 03:08 PM

Listened to Pirates. They specify 1940.

Couldn't find an online version with dialogue, though, so it missed my all-time favorite line, delivered by the Major General:

I don't know whose ancestors they were, but I know whose ancestors the are.

An6body have it digitally with dialogue?

Subject: RE: BS: happy Leap Year Day, 29 February
From: Mrrzy
Date: 06 Mar 24 - 04:28 PM

refresh