The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1896-02-08
CALENDAR CURIOSITIEs.
No More Leap Years for Seven
Years After the Present.



The introduction of an additiona
day into the calendar once in foul
wears is necessary to prevent the az
erage year from being too short Al
the same time it makes the average
year little too long. This additional
length is so slight that il accumulate.
very slowly. Nevertheless, it does &C.
cumulslte, and by the enc of century
it amounts TO nearly day. For that
reason once in hundred years the adj.
ditional day which marks year as
leap year is omitted, and the average
length of the year is reduced.
/ The English law determined in 1851
on reforms III this calendar, and from
those we draw ard use. The original
determination of the calendar was made
4 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 I,
as many had it. In the same year II
days were dropped from the calendar.
from the 81 to the 18th, inclusive. so
that what would have been the 18th he
came the Cd
With this change effected. the re-
mainder of the calendar followed its
usual course BY this change the day
which would have been December Is
became January 5. 1t was from this
that the latter derived its 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 G, and from that time until this
that is the day of the month called by /
that name.
In Riders british Merlin for 1901 I
we find it stated that 1900 is not to be
a leap year. while 1901 is to be the fifth
leap year biseXtile, or leap yenr, and
the first year of the goth century. For
this century the first leap year was
1903, which is described rs such in the
almanacs which were then current.
One old almanac for 1scO (Moore's,
names the year as the fourth after BIZ
seXtile, or leap year. and then states
that. in spite of its being the fourth
year from leap year, .79G. the month of
February had only % days. Follow
ng this fashion. 1902 is called the sixth
year after bisextile, and 1908 the
seventh.
Curious as all this appears to us, it !
S precisely what we will soon do. {
seven years there viii b.
10 February % after 1896 All of the :
births ard other events which occur on
hat unfortunate day of The month will
ave no opportunity to celebrate their l.
That eccentric date, Feb A
uary 20, will then have an opportunity I,
Or renown brought on by its absence.
The calcndar adjustment by which a
hese matters were arranged reaches
'rwarl to a distance that is startling
, one whose term of life is the 20 years
man. 1t declared that the years l.
700, 1000, POO, 200, or any hundrcdth I,
'ar in time to come, shall consist OF a
IS days and no more. Butthc fact also
mains that this adjustment Of the
lendar was not quite accurate. The
lie day omitted once in a century made re-
e average year very little too
ort Le
To remedy this defect the adjusters Ar
ade the following exception to the Ao
lie making the hundredth year of 365 i
Us, except every fourth hundredth
ar beginning with the year 1000. -
lese years viii be leap years-that is.
e years 1900, 2400, $500. 5000 win have ny
February 30. But their daye arc not
great concern to us.-N. V Herald. ins