Volume 18 , Issue 9

Leap Year, Feb. 29, 1892

According to the Mckinney, Texas newspaper, The Democrat, dated 10 March 1892, Thursday, page 2, we found this mention of "A New Feature About Leap Year," written by the Editor of "The Democrat."

Found on Newspapers.com

February, the 29th, is a date we don't get to write often. Believing that the subject will be of interest to some, we will dwell at some length uno the origin and history of leap year. "Leap Year is a year happening every fourth year and every fourth hundred year, and consisting of 366 days on account of the addition of a day in the month of February, which then consists of 29 days. This day is added to include the nearly six hours, which the sun takes up in his course, besides the 365 days allowed for it in other years. In the calendar devised by Julius Caesar and called the Julian calendar, the ordinary year contained 365 and every fourth year 366 days."

As the actual excess in time was not quite six hours in common years, it followed that as century after century passed the seasons fell gradually away from their true dates. At the end of the 16th century to correct this state of things ten days had tone dropped. "Russia has never adopted this correction, hence a telegram sent fromMcKinney to St. Petersburg would reach that city on the 19th day of February. The next hundredth year leap year will be in 2000.
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