Exactly one year ago, today didn’t exist. And we’re not talking about some metaphysical space/time debate here – February 29 simply wasn’t around. So 2008 is clearly a leap year – but where did leap year come from? Isn’t it a little odd that we get an entire extra day every four years? Of all the day-to-day mysteries we ponder – Why we can’t get it right during election season? Why we can’t all treat each other a little better? Who drank the last of the milk? – the story of leap year isn’t exactly clamoring to be told.
Unlike Daylight Savings Time, a relatively recent calendarial innovation, leap year goes back to the time of the Romans – it was first instituted by Julius Caesar around 45 B.C. as a way to keep festivals occurring during the same season annually. The problem is that the actual length of the year – one complete orbit by the Earth around the Sun – is actually 365.242 days. By adding one day to February every four years, Caesar could keep his calendar intact.
But there is one exception to the leap year rule, and it involves century years (like 1900). Because the measurement of days isn’t exact, adding an extra day every four years results in about three extra days being added over a period of 400 years. To keep everything straight, only one out of every four century years is considered a leap year – ones that are divisible by 400. Meaning that 1700, 1800 and 1900 weren’t leap years, and 2100 won’t be either. But 1600 and 2000? Leap years both.
So what does this have to do with anything? Leap year is, after all, just one of those little occurrences we nod our heads over and say, “Isn’t that neat?” But in this case, we’re talking about a calendar that’s been around for 2,000 years and has required very little overhaul. See anything else nearby that durable? The creation of leap years isn’t just some historic marvel – it’s a reminder, on a very basic level, of what the human brain is capable of.
It’s easy to forget, with GPS systems, the Internet and other modern technological innovations, that machines weren’t always around to do our bidding. Doing long division is becoming as much of a lost art as the foxtrot. So if you consider the ingenuity required to devise a calendar using instruments no more precise than the passing sun, leap year takes on a whole new meaning. It’s not just a “bonus day” every four years. It’s a living reminder of the power of human inquisitiveness and creativity, something we usually take for granted when we power up our computers or switch on the TV. It’s a gift that reminds us just what we’re capable of.