Leap Year — history and events

A leap year is a year in which there are 366 days, not 365. Today is just that "extra" day – February 29th, so we tell you how and why it appeared in the calendar. 

The first leap year in history was 45 BC. This year, by decree of Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar, the Julian calendar was created. It was developed by a group of Alexandrian astronomers. The astronomical solar year with a duration of 365 days and 6 hours was taken as a basis. To compensate for the annual 6-hour lag, every fourth year consisted of 366, not 365 days. 

But over time, it became clear that the Julian calendar still does not reflect the real state of things 100% correctly. In fact, the average duration of an astronomical year is approximately 365 days, 5 hours and 49 minutes. Out of 11 minutes in 128 years, one more day is added up. 

By 1582, the difference between the actual occurrence of the vernal equinox and its calendar date, March 21, was 10 days. Then, by decree of Pope Gregory XIII, a calendar reform was carried out. According to the new rule, every fourth year has become considered a leap year, except for those whose number is a multiple of 100, but not divisible by 400 without remainder. Thus, the leap years 1700, 1800 and 1900 did not become leap years. The dates were adjusted according to astronomical events, and the new calendar was called the Gregorian calendar. 

There are many legends and superstitions associated with leap year. Many people believe that significant events cannot be planned for this year: weddings, the birth of children, job changes, long trips, etc. Similar beliefs are associated with the date of February 29th itself. Of course, there is no scientific evidence for this. There have been many negative and positive events in leap years. 

Here are a few events from the history of Russia: 
● 1812. The beginning of the Patriotic War against Napoleon.
● 1908. The fall of the Tunguska meteorite in Siberia near the Podkamennaya River.
● 1986. The Chernobyl disaster.
● The year 2000. The Kursk submarine disaster killed 118 sailors and officers.
● 2020. WHO has announced a coronavirus pandemic. 

But many negative events in history did not happen in leap years, for example, the First World War (1914), the Second World War (1939), the collapse of the Soviet Union (1991).
 
At the same time, leap years brought with them positive developments. Here are the most striking of them:    
● Year 988. The Baptism of Russia.    
● The year 1240. The Neva Battle.    
● The year is 1380. The Battle of Kulikovo.  
● 1920. The end of the civil war.    
● 1980. The Moscow Olympiad.    

Many famous, successful and talented people were born in leap years: Vladimir Putin, Guy Julius Caesar, Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Dickens, Anatoly Wasserman, Ivan Shishkin, Ilya Repin, Viktor Vasnetsov.