(Undated) — Today is when the calendar plays catch-up. An extra day is tacked on to the end of February every fourth year to mark Leap Year. This is because a full-year Earth orbit around the sun actually takes 365 days plus an additional six hours. Anyone whose birthday is on the Leap day of February 29th can be referred to as a “Leapling” or “Leaper.”
For centuries, the extra day in February was the only time a woman could propose marriage to a man. There’s a legend that in fifth-century Ireland, St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women often waiting a long time for men to propose. St. Patrick declared women could be the ones to pop the question on the extra day of February 29th during a leap year.
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Georgia Snover/gc
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Metro Networks Inc.
02-29-2012 01:16:28
