Leap Years (Real)

Why?

Author: Aaron Rice
Date: 1997/02/03
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Leap years are a pain. Every so often they come along and dump an extra day on the end of February; a month so many people wish to progress out of post-haste. As if February wasn't already unique enough, having only twenty-eight days under normal circumstances. This is especially bad for people who are awaiting events in March, though in later months, people will have already adjusted to the change.

And what about those who are born on the 29th February? Do they have to wait four years for their next birthday? I don't believe I have never met anyone born on this day, but if one of those people is reading this article, I would very much like to hear from them!

In fact, the idea of having "leap years" was thought up to offset the difference between the normal calendar year of 365 days, and the solar year, which is roughly a quarter of a day longer.

If the current, or any other, year is a leap year, it must be divisible by four, but not by one hundred. The exceptions to this are those years that are divisible by four hundred. This means:

1. 1996 was a leap year [1];
2. 1997 is most definitely not a leap year;
3. 1998 will not be a leap year;
4. 2000 will be a leap year; and
5. 2100 will not be a leap year [2].

This author wishes he could write this article on the 29th February, but he cannot be bothered to wait until the year 2000.

[1]	Think back; it wasn't that long ago.
[2]	Of course, this hardly seems to make a lot of difference to anybody alive at this moment, as most of them stand little or no chance of ever seeing the year 2100.