The Salem witch hunt has begun.

1708
Peter issues a decree on the laying of the Biysk fortress

1784
Leo von Klenze was born - the founder of architectural trends on the principle of ""new - a little rebuilt antique"". And the Marquis de Sade was transferred to the Bastille, where in five years he would write three of his most famous and outrageous novels.

1792
Gioacchino Rossini is born.

1812
Napoleon appoints commanders in his army. Alexander I is considering a gas lighting project in the capital of his empire.

1816
The Grand Duchess is getting married - of course, a prince. The Russian emperor takes care of widows and the country's legislation.

1828
Aubert's opera The Mute of Portici (or Fenella) premiered.

1832
Charles Darwin explores the Brazilian jungle during the Beagle expedition.

1856
The Crimean War is over.

1860
Herman Cholerite is born.

1880
The St. Gotthard Tunnel was completed.

1888
The Russian Empire is full of cultural events. Performances are played, writers write letters. In Europe, Engels wrote something of little interest to Liebknecht. In America, another round of a court case, which eventually dragged on for a quarter of a century and led to a change in the rules of forensic evidence.

1892
An international commission has been set up to regulate fur seal hunting. It was one of the first examples of international cooperation in the field of animal protection.

1896
Talented organizers and creative personalities were born all over the world on this year and day.

1900
According to the Gregorian calendar, 1900 is a common year; according to the Julian calendar, it is a leap year.

1904
The Russo-Japanese War is one of the first in the 20th century. And in Europe they dance and sing.

1908
Liquid helium was obtained at the Leiden Laboratory. The Oryol Central was created in Russia. Football is played in Brazil.

1912
Joseph Stalin flees from exile. Russia is helping to conclude a Serbian-Bulgarian treaty. Workers are on strike in Bodaibo.

1916
Strikes, pogroms, sunken ships, orders and everything that accompanies the world war. In Moscow, poets are self-elected as Presidents of the globe.

1920
The Red Army is pushing the atamans Denikin and Annenkov. The first constitution was approved in the Czech Republic. The Kapp putsch began in Germany.

1924
After the civil war, culture revives. Surrogate money is prohibited. Vladimir Kryukov is born - the chairman of the KGB and a member of the State Emergency Committee.

1928
The Central Electoral Commission and Council of People's Commissars of all levels produce documents. Writers write letters. The artists are performing. The ships are being built. Celebrities are born.

1932
In Finland, an armed rebellion of the Nazis. The last emperor of China is still trying to lead the state.

1936
Niels Bohr proposed a planetary model of the structure of the atom.

1940
Hitler fools the American diplomat. Black Hetty McDaniel wins an Oscar.

1944
Soviet troops are successfully advancing in all directions.

1948
The President of Peru criticizes opponents. Irina Kupchenko was born.

1952
The USSR sends notes to America because of the Katyn affair. Stalin is sent a letter about Paulus. The Academy of Arts thinks about talented children. End and start testing aircraft. Raisa Smetanina is born in the village of Mokhcha.

1956
Airplanes are flying. The unjustly accused and shot generals have been rehabilitated. Islamic Republic of Pakistan established. In Finland, the President has resigned. In Korea, articles are published that fully support the opinion of the country's leader.

1960
The largest earthquake in Morocco. Flights of cruise missiles and new aircraft. Movie premieres. Writers and at least one serial killer were born.

1964
Launching a Soviet nuclear submarine. The message of the Americans about the existence of a new strategic fighter aircraft. The Pact on Arab Cultural Unity was signed.

1968
Launched ships and submarines. The Il-18D aircraft crashed.

1972
V. Vysotsky sings in Moscow. In the United States, John Lennon begins the fight for an American visa.

February 29 is one of the most mysterious phenomena for many. Do you know that not every 4th year is a leap year, but in history there is also February 30? Not? Then read our article. "First Smolensky" figured out the scientific and historical foundations of what is happening, as well as the human prejudices associated with this.

Gregorian and Julian calendars. What is the difference?

In 45 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar introduced a new calendar, later called the Julian. Together with the astronomer Sosigen, Caesar came to an amazing discovery - the astronomical year lasts 365 and 6 hours. Later, scientists will find out that during this time the Earth makes a complete revolution around the Sun and, as it turned out, it is not a multiple of the number of revolutions of the planet around its axis (that is, it is not equal to the whole number of days).

Thus, in order to compensate for the day running over 4 years, it was decided to increase every fourth year in the calendar by one day. In principle, it could have been any other day - summer, spring or autumn, but it was decided to stop on February 29, and not, say, on December 32.

I must say that Caesar miscalculated a little and set a leap year every third year. Only 36 years after his death, Emperor Augustus corrected the unfortunate mistake.

Even more interesting is the situation with leap years in the Gregorian calendar, adopted by Pope Gregory XIII on October 4, 1582. In this calendar, the duration of the year is somewhat less and equal to 365.2425 days, that is, it contains 97 leap years for every 400 years. In the Gregorian calendar, the rule applies: a year whose number is a multiple of 400 is a leap year, other years whose number is a multiple of 100 are not leap years. All years, the number of which is a multiple of 4, but not included in the previous group, are leap years.

The difference in counting leap years is the main difference between the two calendars. The Orthodox live according to the Julian calendar, the Catholics live according to the Gregorian. That is why, speaking of the Russian Empire and the chronology, there are concepts of old and new styles. For example, the year 1900 is not a leap year according to the Gregorian calendar, but it is a leap year according to the Julian calendar. To date, the difference between the calendars is 13 days and continues to increase.

The Gregorian calendar is much more accurate than the Julian calendar: it gives a much better approximation to the tropical year (the length of time it takes for the sun to complete one cycle of seasons). Today, the entire secular world lives according to the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, it is wrong to assume that every fourth year is a leap year. The scoring system is somewhat more complicated.

In 1699, the Kingdom of Sweden decided to keep up with world trends and switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. To do this, it was proposed to skip leap years for 40 years in order to equalize the calendar difference (at that time it was 10 days). But something went wrong and 1704 and 1708 were leap years in Sweden. In 1712, it was decided to completely abandon the reform. Then, in order to return to the Julian calendar, in February 1712, another day was added. So it appeared on February 30 in Sweden.

In 1929, the USSR decided to introduce the Soviet revolutionary calendar, where each month lasted 30 days, and the week - 5 days. The remaining 5 or 6 (for leap years) days of the year were called nameless holidays. The idea was abandoned already in 1931. At the same time, February 30 also appeared twice (1930 and 1931) in the Soviet calendar.

Some scientists believe that due to the error of the Gregorian calendar in 3328, February 30 will also have to be introduced in order to equalize the calendar year with the tropical one. However, other scientists, on the contrary, believe that the day should be taken away, not added.

Leap prejudice

There is a sign that every leap year must be very difficult and even unsuccessful. It turns out that in many ways, this is an exclusively Russian tradition. The fact is that February 29 is Kasyan's day. The attitude of the Orthodox towards this saint is very twofold. Kasyan, one of the followers of Christ, refused to help the farmer pull out the stuck cart, which Christ asked him to do. This was done by Nikolay, who was walking beside him. And then Christ said: “You have done a good deed, Nicholas. People will remember you twice a year - in May and December. And you, Kasyan, for not helping, will be remembered only once every four years. In some areas, Kasyan is not even revered as a saint, and his name is reputed to be shameful. It is believed that it was this attitude of the people towards Kasyan that created a negative image of February 29 and the leap year as a whole.

Another interesting fact is that in Scotland in a leap year, it is not men who woo women, but vice versa.

Did you know that not every 4th year is a leap year? Why is a leap year considered unlucky, and what signs are associated with it?

What does leap year mean?

1. A leap year is a year with 366 days instead of 365 as usual. An extra day in a leap year is added in February - February 29 (leap day).
The extra day in a leap year is necessary because it takes just over 365 days to complete one revolution around the Sun, or rather 365 days, 5 hours, 48 ​​minutes and 46 seconds.
Humans once followed a calendar of 355 days with an extra month of 22 days every two years. But in 45 B.C. Julius Caesar, together with the astronomer Sosigenes, decided to simplify the situation, and the Julian 365-day calendar was developed with an extra day every 4 years to compensate for the extra hours.
This day was added in February as it was once the last month in the Roman calendar.
2. This system was supplemented by Pope Gregory XIII (who introduced the Gregorian calendar), who introduced the term "leap year" and declared that a year that is a multiple of 4 and a multiple of 400, but not a multiple of 100, is a leap year.
So according to the Gregorian calendar, 2000 was a leap year, but 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not.

What are leap years in the 20th and 21st centuries?

1904, 1908, 1912, 1916, 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036, 2040, 2044, 2048, 2052, 2056, 2060, 2064, 2068, 2072, 2076, 2080, 2084, 2088, 2092, 2096

February 29 - leap day

3. February 29 is considered the only day when a woman can propose marriage to a man. The tradition began in 5th century Ireland when Saint Brigid complained to Saint Patrick that women had to wait too long for a proposal from worshipers.
Then he gave women one day in a leap year - the last day in the shortest month, so that the fair sex could propose to a man.
According to legend, Brigitte immediately knelt down and proposed to Patrick, but he refused, kissing her on the cheek, and offered her a silk dress to soften the refusal.
4. According to another version, this tradition appeared in Scotland, when Queen Margaret, at the age of 5, announced in 1288 that a woman can propose to any man she likes on February 29th.
She also made it a rule that those who refused had to pay a fine in the form of a kiss, a silk dress, a pair of gloves, or money. To warn fans in advance, a woman was supposed to wear trousers or a red petticoat on the day of the proposal.
In Denmark, a man who refuses a woman's marriage proposal must provide her with 12 pairs of gloves, and in Finland, fabric for a skirt.

Leap year wedding

5. One in five couples in Greece avoid getting married on a leap year, as it is believed to bring bad luck.
In Italy, it is believed that in a leap year a woman becomes unpredictable, and at this time there is no need to plan important events. So, according to the Italian proverb "Anno bisesto, anno funesto". ("Leap year is a doomed year").

February 29

6. The chances of being born on February 29 are 1 in 1461. Around the world, about 5 million people were born on a leap day.
7. For many centuries, astrologers believed that children born on a leap day have unusual talents, a unique personality, and even special powers. Among the famous people born on February 29, one can name the poet Lord Byron, the composer Gioachino Rossini, the actress Irina Kupchenko.
8. In Hong Kong, the official birthday for those born on February 29th is March 1st in normal years, while in New Zealand it is February 28th. If you time it right, then traveling from one country to another, you can celebrate the longest birthday in the world.
9. The city of Anthony in Texas, USA is the self-proclaimed "leap year capital of the world." A festival is held here every year, where those who wish from all over the world, born on February 29, gather.
10. The record for the largest number of generations born on a leap day belongs to the Keogh family.
Peter Anthony Keogh was born February 29, 1940 in Ireland, his son Peter Eric was born February 29, 1964 in the UK, and his granddaughter Bethany Wealth was born February 29, 1996.

11. Karin Henriksen from Norway holds the world record for having the most children on a leap day.
Her daughter Heidi was born on February 29, 1960, her son Olav on February 29, 1964, and her son Lief-Martin on February 29, 1968.
12. In the traditional Chinese, Jewish and ancient Indian calendar, not a leap day is added to the year, but a whole month. It is called the "intercalary month". It is believed that children born in a leap month are more difficult to raise. In addition, it is considered unlucky to start serious business in a leap year.

Leap year: signs and superstitions

Since ancient times, a leap year has always been considered difficult and bad for many undertakings. In folk beliefs, the leap year is associated with Saint Kasyan, who was considered evil, envious, stingy, unmerciful and brought misfortune to people.
According to legend, Kasyan was a bright angel to whom God entrusted all plans and intentions. But then he went over to the side of the Devil, telling him that God intends to overthrow all satanic power from heaven.
For betrayal, God punished Kasyan, ordering him to be beaten on the forehead with a hammer for three years, and in the fourth year he was released to the ground, where he committed unkind deeds.
There are many signs associated with a leap year:
First, you can't start anything on a leap year. This applies to important matters, business, major purchases, investments and construction.
Also, in a leap year, it is not recommended to change anything, as this will not bring the desired result and can even become disastrous. During such a period, you should not plan to move to a new house, change jobs, divorce or marriage.

Is it possible to get married or get married on a leap year?

A leap year is considered extremely unlucky for marriage. Since ancient times, it was believed that a wedding played on a leap year would lead to an unhappy marriage, divorce, infidelity, widowhood, or the marriage itself would be short-lived.
Such a superstition may be due to the fact that in a leap year, girls could woo any young man they liked who could not refuse an offer. Often such marriages were forced, and therefore family life was not set.
However, it is worth treating these signs wisely and understanding that everything depends on the spouses themselves and on how they build relationships. If you still planned a wedding, there are several ways to mitigate the "consequences":
Brides are advised to wear a long wedding dress that covers the knees to make the marriage last.
The wedding dress and other wedding accessories are not recommended to give to anyone.
The ring should be worn on the hand, not the glove, as wearing the ring on the glove will cause the spouses to take the marriage lightly
To protect the family from troubles and misfortunes, a coin was placed in the shoes of the bride and groom.
The bride must keep the spoon from which the groom ate, and on the 3rd, 7th and 40th day after the wedding, the wife had to give her husband to eat from this spoon.

What can not be done in a leap year?

· In a leap year, they do not carol at Christmas time, as it is believed that you can lose your happiness. Also, according to a sign, a caroler who dresses in an animal or a monster can take on the personality of evil spirits.
· Pregnant women should not have their hair cut before childbirth, as the child may be born unhealthy.
In a leap year, you should not start building a bathhouse, which can lead to ailments.
· In a leap year, it is not recommended to tell others about your plans and intentions, as luck may turn away.
· It is not recommended to sell or exchange animals and you should not drown kittens, as this will lead to poverty.
· Do not collect mushrooms, as they are believed to become poisonous.
In a leap year, there is no need to celebrate the appearance of the first tooth in a child. According to the sign, if you invite guests, your teeth will be bad.
You can not change jobs or apartments. According to you, the new place will turn out to be bleak and restless.
· If a child was born in a leap year, he should be baptized as soon as possible, and godparents should be chosen among blood relatives.
· Elderly people should not buy things for the funeral in advance, as this may hasten death.
You can not get divorced, because in the future you will not be able to find your happiness.

All life on Earth is determined by the proximity to the Sun and the movement of the planet around it and around its own axis. A year is the time during which our planet flies around the Sun, and a day is the time for a complete revolution around its axis. Of course, it is very convenient for people to plan their affairs by weeks, to count a certain number of days in a month or a year.

Nature is not a machine

But it turns out that for a complete revolution around the Sun, the Earth rotates around its axis not the full number of times. That is, there is not a full number of days in a year. Everyone knows that this happens 365 times and this corresponds. In fact, a little more: 365, 25, that is, an extra 6 hours accumulate in a year, and to be completely accurate, an extra 5 hours, 48 ​​minutes and 14 seconds.

Naturally, if this time is not taken into account, then the hours will add up to a day, those to months, and in a few hundred years the difference between the generally accepted and astronomical calendar will be several months. For social life, this is completely unacceptable: all holidays and memorable dates will be moved.

Such difficulties were discovered quite a long time ago, even under one of the greatest of them - Gaius Julius Caesar.

Caesar's order

The emperors in ancient Rome were revered on a par with the gods, had unlimited power, so they just remade the calendar with one order, and that's it.

In ancient Rome, the whole year was based on the celebration of calends, non and ides (as the parts of the month were called). In this case, February was considered the last. Thus, in a leap year there were 366 days, and the extra day was in the last month.

After all, it was quite logical to add a day in the last month of the year, in February. And, interestingly, not the last day was added, as it is now, but an additional day before the calendars of the month of March. Thus, in February there were two twenty-fourths. Leap years were appointed after three years, and the first of them happened already during the life of Caesar Gaius Julius. After his death, the system went astray a little, because the priests made a mistake in the calculations, but over time, the correct calendar of leap years was restored.

Now leap years are considered a bit more complicated. And this is due to those few extra minutes that are obtained by introducing a full extra day every four years.

New calendar

The Gregorian calendar, according to which secular society currently lives, was introduced by Pope Gregory at the end of the 16th century. The reason the new calendar was introduced is because the old timekeeping was inaccurate. By adding a day every four years, the Roman ruler did not take into account that in this way the official calendar would be ahead of the generally accepted one by 11 minutes and 46 seconds every four years.

At the time of the introduction of the new calendar, the inaccuracy of the Julian was 10 days, over time it has increased and is now 14 days. The difference increases every century by about a day. It is especially noticeable on the day of the summer and winter solstices. And since some holidays are counted from these dates, the difference was noticed.

The Gregorian leap year calendar is a bit more complex than the Julian calendar.

Structure of the Gregorian calendar

The Gregorian calendar takes into account the difference in the official and astronomical calendar of 5 hours, 48 ​​minutes and 14 seconds, that is, every 100 years one leap year is canceled.

So how do you know which year is a leap year and which is not? Is there a system and algorithm for canceling an extra day? Or is it better to use

For convenience, such an algorithm is actually introduced. In general, every fourth year is considered a leap year, for convenience, years that are multiples of four are used. Therefore, if you need to find out whether the year of your grandmother's birth or the start of World War II was a leap year, you just need to find out whether this year is divisible by 4 or not. Thus, 1904 is a leap year, 1908 is also a leap year, but 1917 is not.

A leap year is canceled when the century changes, that is, in a year that is a multiple of 100. Thus, 1900 was not a leap year because it is a multiple of 100, common years are also 1800 and 1700. But an extra day does not accumulate in a century, but in about 123 years, that is, again it is necessary to make amendments. How do you know which year is a leap year? If a year is a multiple of 100 and a multiple of 400, it is considered a leap year. That is, 2000 was a leap year, just like 1600.

The Gregorian calendar, with such complex corrections, is so accurate that there is extra time, but we are talking about seconds. Such seconds are also called leap seconds, so that it is immediately clear what it is about. There are two of them a year and they are added on June 30 and December 31 at 23:59:59. These two seconds equalize astronomical and universal time.

How is a leap year different?

A leap year is one day longer than usual, it has 366 days. Earlier, back in Roman times, this year there were two days on February 24, but now, of course, the dates are counted differently. This year in February there is one more day than usual, that is 29.

But it is believed that the years in which there is February 29 are unlucky. There is a belief that in leap years the death rate rises, various misfortunes occur.

Happy or unhappy?

If you look at the mortality chart in the USSR in the second half of the 20th century and in Russia, you can see that the highest level was recorded in 2000. This can be explained by economic crises, low living standards and other problems. Yes, 2,000 was a leap year (since it's divisible by 400), but is that the rule? 1996 is by no means a record holder in terms of mortality; in 1995, which preceded it, the mortality was higher.

This indicator reached its minimum mark in almost half a century in non-leap years, but in 1986 the mortality rate was also low, much lower than, for example, in 1981.

Many more examples can be cited, but it is already clearly seen that mortality does not increase in “long” years.

If you look at the birth rate statistics, then you can’t find a clear relationship with the length of the year either. Leap years of the 20th century did not confirm the theory of misfortune. The birth rate both in Russia and in European countries is falling evenly. A slight rise is observed only in 1987, and then the birth rate begins to grow steadily after 2008.

Maybe a leap year determines some tension in politics or predetermines natural disasters or wars?

Among the dates of the beginning of hostilities, you can find only one leap year: 1812 - the war with Napoleon. For Russia, it ended quite happily, but, of course, it was a serious test in itself. But neither the year of the revolution of 1905 nor 1917 was a leap year. The year the Second World War began (1939) was certainly the most unfortunate year for all of Europe, but it was not a leap year.

In leap years, an explosion also occurred, but such events as the Chernobyl disaster, the tragedy in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, volcanic eruption and other disasters happened in the most ordinary years. The list of leap years in the 20th century does not at all coincide with the mournful list of misfortunes and catastrophes.

Causes of misfortune

Psychologists believe that all statements about the fatality of a leap year are nothing more than superstition. If it is confirmed, they talk about it. And if it is not confirmed, they simply forget about it. But the expectation of misfortune in itself can “pull” trouble. It is not for nothing that often happens to a person exactly what he is afraid of.

One of the saints said: "If you do not believe in omens, they will not be fulfilled." In this case, it could not be more useful.

Leap year in Hebrew

The traditional Jewish calendar uses lunar months, which are 28 days long. As a result, the calendar year according to this system lags behind the astronomical one by 11 days. An additional month in the year is regularly introduced for adjustment. A leap year in the traditional Jewish calendar consists of thirteen months.

Leap years for Jews are more common: out of nineteen years, only twelve are common, and another seven are leap years. That is, the Jews have much more leap years than in the usual case. But, of course, we are talking only about the traditional Jewish calendar, and not about the one according to which the modern state of Israel lives.

Leap year: when is next

All our contemporaries will no longer face exceptions in the calculation of leap years. The next year, which will not be a leap year, is expected only in 2100, this is hardly relevant for us. So the next leap year can be calculated very simply: the nearest year that is divisible by 4.

2012 was a leap year, 2016 will also be a leap year, 2020 and 2024, 2028 and 2032 will be leap years. It is quite easy to calculate this. Of course, it is necessary to know this, but do not let this information scare you. And in a leap year, wonderful and joyful events happen. For example, people born on February 29 are considered lucky and happy.

The leap year, in which an extra day is added to the end of February every four years, is due to a discrepancy between the solar system and the Gregorian calendar. The Earth's full orbit around the Sun takes exactly 365.2422 days, but the Gregorian calendar has 365 days. So leap seconds - and leap years - are added to keep our clocks (and calendars) in sync with the Earth and her seasons.

Why is the extra day in February and not in another month?

All other months in the Julian calendar have 30 or 31 days, but February fell victim to the ego of the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus. During the time of his predecessor Julius Caesar, February had 30 days and the month of his name - July - 31, while August had only 29 days. When Caesar Augustus became emperor, he added two days to "his" month to make August as long as July. So February fell victim to August in the battle for extra days.

Julius Caesar vs. Pope Gregory

The Roman calendar did have 355 days, with an additional 22-day month every two years, until Julius Caesar became emperor in the 1st century and ordered the astronomer Sosigenes to develop a better system. Sosigene settled on 365 days a year, with an extra day every four years to include additional hours, and so February 29 was born. Because an earth day is not exactly 365.25 days, Pope Gregory XIII's astronomers decided to remove three days every 400 years when they introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582. The calculations have worked since then, but the system would have to be rethought after about 10,000 years.

Technically, a leap year doesn't occur every four years.

2000 was a leap year, but 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not. A leap year is every year that is divisible by four, except for those years that are both divisible by 100 and not divisible by 400. The added centuries rule (versus the simple "every four years") was an additional correction to compensate for the fact that an extra day every four years was too much of a correction.

What is a leap second?

Leap years are not directly related to leap seconds, but they were all introduced for the purpose of keeping our clocks and calendars in line with the revolutions of the Earth. Leap seconds were added to bring the Earth's rotation in line with atomic time. The leap second was added at the end of June last year, when just after midnight the dials showed 11:59:60. Atomic time is constant, but the Earth's rotation is gradually slowing down by about two thousandths of a second per day. So leap seconds are critical to ensure that the time we use doesn't accurately deviate from time based on the Earth's rotation. If this is not checked, eventually we will come to the fact that the clock will show noon at night. The leap second can sometimes cause problems for some networks that rely on precise timings. When the last leap second was added in 2012, Mozilla, Reddit, Foursquare, Yelp, LinkedIn, and StumbleUpon reported crashes, as well as problems with the Linux operating system and programs written in the Java language.

Other calendars need leap years too

The modern Iranian calendar is a solar calendar with eight leap days added every 33 years. The Indian National Calendar and the Revised Calendar of Bangladesh arrange their leap years so that the leap day is always close to February 29 in the Gregorian calendar.

What if you were born on February 29th?

The chance of being born on a leap year is 1 in 1461. People who were born on February 29th are called "leaplings" or "leapers" (from "leap year" - leap year). In common years, many of them choose either February 28th or March 1st to celebrate their birthday, while purists stick to February 29th. Some suggest that those born just after midnight on February 29 should celebrate their birthdays on February 28, while those born just before midnight on March 1 should celebrate their birthdays on that day. Those born around noon are less fortunate when it comes to choosing. About 4.1 million people worldwide were born on February 29th.

Famous people born on a leap day

The chances of your birthday falling on a leap day are extremely slim - 1 in 1461 to be exact - and there's a pretty mixed bag of famous people born on that day.

• Frederick is a character in The Pirates of Penzance
• John Byrom - Romantic poet
• Pope Paul III - 16th century pontiff
• George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower - 19th century musician
• Ann Lee - leader of the Shaker sect
• Gioacchino Rossini - Italian composer
• Charles Pritchard - British astronomer
• Sir Dave Brailsford - English cyclist and coach
• Tony Robbins - motivational speaker
• Alan Richardson - composer
• Darren Ambrose - English footballer
• Ja Rule (Jeffrey Atkins) - rapper

Photo: Sir Dave Brailsford changed the fate of British cycling

Why do women propose to men on a leap year?

Leap year is also known as the time when women can propose to men.

According to one theory, this tradition dates back to the 5th century, when, according to legend, the Irish nun Saint Bridget complained to Saint Patrick that women had to wait too long for proposals from suitors. Saint Patrick then allegedly gave women the opportunity to do it themselves every four years. Until the 19th century, no one thought that the tradition would become commonplace. There is also a theory that Margaret, Queen of Scots was behind the legendary Scottish law of 1288. The law gave unmarried women the freedom to propose during a leap year, and the man who refused had to pay a fine. True, this story is dubious at best - after all, Queen Margaret was only eight years old when she died, and scholars have been unable to find a record of the law.

Others argue that the tradition of women proposing on this day dates back to a time when a leap year day was not recognized by English law. According to this theory, if the day had no legal status, it was acceptable to break with the custom that it was the business of the men to propose. In Denmark, if a man declines an offer, he is required to give the woman 12 pairs of gloves, while in Finland, the penalty is fabric for a skirt.

Leap year capital

The city of Antonia, which lies on the border between Texas and New Mexico in the United States, is the self-proclaimed Leap Year Capital of the World. The four-day leap year festival held there every leap year includes a huge birthday party for all children born on that day.

According to a study by Beefeater, 20% of women said they would like to propose to their partner. Despite this, nearly a third of the women said they would be concerned about their partner's reaction. However, more than half of the men (59%) would like their girlfriends to get down on one knee. To that end, the chain has created a "Leap Year Package" just in case you want to ask this question at one of their establishments.

Research by The Stag Company has found similar results, with more than half of the men saying they would accept a proposal from their girlfriend and the majority saying they would like their girlfriend to present them with a ring. However, only 15% of the women said they would consider the offer.

Leap year proverbs

In Scotland, a leap year is considered bad for cattle. That is why the Scots sometimes say: "Leap year has never been a good year for sheep."

In Italy, where they say "anno bisesto, anno funesto" (meaning leap year, fateful year), there are warnings against planning special events such as weddings. What is the reason?

"Anno bisesto tutte le donne senza sesto", which means "In a leap year, women are fickle".

Other Leap Year Facts

The Summer Olympic Games are always held on a leap year.

In Greece, couples often avoid getting married on a leap year, believing it brings bad luck.

Food for thought: If you work for a fixed monthly salary, you will have to work one more day than usual for the same salary.

As mentioned above, a year that is divisible by 100 but not by 400 is not technically a leap year. Therefore, 2000 was a Gregorian leap year, as was 1600. But 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years. "There's a good reason for this," said Ian Stewart, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Air Force. - "There are 365 days in a year and a quarter more - but not exactly. If it was accurate, then you could say that this happens once every four years." The decision of Pope Gregory and his astronomers should be rethought in about 10,000 years, Professor Stewart points out.

Leap years are also known as intercalary years.