If this were a leap year,
like in nineteen eighty,
It would still be February
Which seems a bit shady.
They always say March...the lion and the lamb. I always thought this was some kind of mid-eastern meal or something, but apparently what they are talking about is the weather. Sometimes in March it seems like the beast of winter is still upon us. Other times it seems like a gentle lambs warm breath is soothing us. Either way, give me July. Sweaty sheep and sleeping lions...just the way I like it!
February has 29 days every leap year. Leap years are necessary because years are not actually 365 days long. They are actually 365.24219 days long. This is really close to 365.25 days, which equates to an extra day every 4 years.
There is one exception to the leap year rule involving century years, like the year 1900. Since a year is actually slightly less than 365.25 days, adding an extra day every four years results in about three extra days being added throughout 400 years. For this reason, only one out of every four century years is considered a leap year. Century years are only considered leap years if they are evenly divisible by 400. Therefore, 1700, 1800, 1900, and 2100 were not leap years. But 1600 and 2000 were leap years.
Julius Caesar and his astronomer, Sosigenes, are the ones responsible for the excruciatingly long February every four years. Some say that he really did it to stab his Senators in the back and have an extra work day. I'd say they got even.
So now you know why it isn't February anymore. And Roberta Flack will forever remind you of the Ides of March. Have a great week
Time marches on
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