Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1896-02-10
ENI1EtDAR CURIasITIES.
No More Leap Years for Seven
Years After the Present.
Thing That Happens Once In Every
Ono Hundred Years - Curious
Facts Cleaned from Old
Almanac.

A1mAnACSs
The introduction of On additional
day into the calendar once in four
years is necessary to prevent the av-
erage year from being too short. At
the same time it makes the average
year Il little too long. This additional
length is SO slight that it accumulates
very slowly. Nevertheless, it does ac-
cumulatc, and by the end of n century
it amounts to nearly day. For that
reason once in Il hundred years the adj
ditional day which marks a year as
leap year is omitted, and the average
length Of the year is reduced.
The English law determined in 1851
on reforms in this calendar, and from
those we draw and use. The original
determination of the calendar was made
by the pope, and afterward it was
adopted by all the countries except
Russia and the cast. From January
~, 1852 the civil year was made to be-
gin on that date, and not on March 1,
as many had it. In the same year II
days were dropped from the calendar,
from the Sd to the 18th, inclusive, so
that what would have been the 18th be-
came the I'd.
With this change effected, the re-
mainder of the calendar followed it's
usual course. BY this change the day
which would have been December 25
became January 5. 1t was from this
that the latter derived it's name of Old
Christmas day.
The further regulation of the calen-
dar occurred in emitting the year 1900
from the number Of leap years. There
fore, in 1901, Old Christmas day fell on
January 6, and from that time until this
that is the day Of the month called by
that name.
In Riders British Merlin" for 1901
we find it stated that 1900 is not to be
a leap year, while 1901 is to be the fifth
lea? year biseXtile, or leap year, and
the first year of the Goth century. For
this century the first leap year was
1904, which is described as such in the
alhanacs which were then current.
One old almanac for 1900 (AIoore'sl
names the year as the fourth after BIZ
seXtile, or leap year, and then states
that. in spite of it's being the fourth
year from leap year, 170G, the month of
February had only 90 days. Follow
ing this fashion, 1902 is called the sixth
year after biseXtile, and 1903 the
seventh.
Curious as all this appears to us, it
is precisely what we will soon do.
Throughout seven years there Will b.
no February 20 after 1896. All of the
births and other events which occur on
that unfortunate day of The month will
have no opportunity to celebrate their
anniversary. That eccentric date, Feb
ruary 20, will then have an opportunity
for renown brought on by it's absence.
The calendar adjustment by which
these matters were arranged reaches
forward to q distance that is startling
to one whose term of life is the 20 years
of man. 1t declared that the years
1900, 1900, 300, 1900, or any hundredth
year in time to come, shall consist Of
3G5 days and no more. But the fact also
remains that this adjustment of the
calendar was not quite accurate. The
one day omitted once in century made
the average year a very little too
short.
To remedy this defect the adjusters
made the following exception to the
rule making the hundredth year of 365
days, except every fourth hundrcdth
year beginning with the year 1000.
These years will be leap years-that is.
the years 1000, 240O, $500. 1900 will have
February 20. But their daye arc not
of great concern to us.-N. Y. Herald.