Happy LEAP DAY!

Yea! An extra day this month...who doesn't need that?! I for one can use all the extra time, life can throw at me!

But what is up with this seemingly random, extra day in February?! How did we get it? Why do we have it?

Marjorie Dorfman answers those questions in her article, To Leap Or No?: The Story of Leap Year. Here is a brief excerpt...

The ancient Egyptians used a calendar with twelve months of thirty days each, for a total of three hundred and sixty days per year. About 4,000 BC they added five extra days at the end of every year to bring it more in line with the solar year (365 1/4 days).

In 45 BC the Julian calendar was established and was used in the west until 1582. According to this calendar, each year contained twelve months and there was an average of 365.25 days in a year. This was achieved by having three years containing 365 days and one year containing 366 days.

This is just a small glimpse into how this extra day was established. To read the entire article click HERE.

enjoy the extra time we've been given!

-dw