10 weird and wonderful things that happened on February 29:
In 46 BC the first Leap Year day happened. The Romans added an extra day to make their calendars agree with the Earth's orbital period.
In 1904 Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenber Sr., was born near Hamburg, Germany. As if being a leap year baby wasn’t enough, he got saddled with all those names!
In 1984 Lisa Dluchik was born in Swindon. Her mother, Suzanne, was born on 29 February 1956. The odds of a mother and daughter sharing a Leap Year birthday are two million to one.
In 1968 Dr. Jocelyn Bell Burnell announced the discovery of the first Pulsar, a star which emits regular radio waves.
In 1692 the inciting incident of the Salem Witch Trials occurred. Abigail Williams and Ann Putnam, two young girls from Salem, Massachusetts, accused three local women of using witchcraft to torment and bewitch them.
In 1288, a law came into effect in Scotland whereby it became a crime for a man to refuse to marry a woman who made a proposal to him. If he refused, he was required to pay a fine.
In 1996, the first Euro coins were struck at Pobjoy Mint, Isle of Man.
In 1984, a Swiss court ruled that the villagers of Zermatt own the Matterhorn.
In 1504, Christopher Columbus used a lunar eclipse to frighten hostile Jamaicans. He told them he would cause the moon to disappear if his crew didn't get help with food and supplies. That night, as Columbus knew from his almanac, there was a total lunar eclipse. The following day, the natives gave in.
In 2000, Sir Elton John stormed out of the opening of his new Broadway musical show, Aida, after 15 minutes complaining that his songs had been ruined.
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