Friday, February 29, 2008

Happy Leap Year!

Why do we have leap year?

What's the deal with Feb. 29? It's pretty basic. The pattern of our lives depends on it: The current calendar needs the extra hours to stay aligned with Earth's orbit. Otherwise, we'd have winter in July — in about 10,000 years.

If you were born on Feb. 29 in the shortest month of the year, the plus side is that you're part of an exclusive birthday club. And you can blame the 28 days on this calendar, which began with March.

If you're an unmarried woman, leap year's got your name on it, thanks to the Irish tradition of Ladies' Privilege, which back in the day gave women proposal rights. In America, we call it Sadie Hawkins Day.

(I didn't write this, it's off MSN-shocker)