How the Legendary Day Took a Quantum Leap

It’s a word that can be used as an idiom phrase or exaggeration when conversing, such as “They took a leap of faith,” “Look before you leap,” “He grew by leaps and bounds,” and “Take a quantum leap."

It became a word made famous in 1968 when astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon and said, “That's one small step for a man, one giant leap forward for mankind.

It also is known as a place when tales of romantic tragedy have taken place. In one such legend, Princess Winona leaps to her death from a high cliff rather than marry a suitor she does not love.

However, there is only one Leap Day.

Every four years, an extra day is added to the 28 days of February, giving the month 29 days. Here are some fun facts about February 29th:

• The Egyptians were the first civilizations to observe leap day. Emperor Julius Caesar is credited with being the first to incorporate leap year into the Julian calendar in 46 B.C. Without leap year, the seasons eventually would be mixed up and we would be celebrating Christma in July.                                                                          
• While most people believe it takes Earth 365 days and six hours to revolve completely around the sun, with those six hours spread over four years adding up to a full day, it actually takes 365 days and five hours, 49 minutes. To fix that discrepancy, leap year is skipped once every 128 years.
• Old Scottish farmers believed that leap year disturbed the forces of nature, which would lead to lower crop yields and sicken sheep. More recently, others thought that leap year babies are rowdy and disobedient. Maybe ask Jennifer Lopez. Her twins were born four years ago, on Feb. 29, 2008.
• If you were born on leap day and turn 16 or 21 on any year other than leap year, chances are you will have to wait an extra day for your driver’s license or to drink alcohol. Most states make “leapers” wait until March 1 for those privileges.
• In folklore, St. Patrick consented to a day in which women who were sick of waiting for their procrastinating men to pop the question were allowed to propose to their man. Today, more than 10,000 marriages are expected to occur in the U.S. Why? Well, it’s easy to remember and you only have to buy an anniversary gift once every your years.
• Twenty-nine days still falls short of the other 11 months, which at least have 30. Has there ever been a Feb. 30th? Yes, once. The double leap day occurred in Sweden in 1712 when leaders of the country had switched calendars and then switched back. Maybe that’s where “Look before your leap,” came from.

Do you have more fun facts? Were you born on Leap Day? Share your story and facts in the comments section below.