February 29

February 29 is the 60th day of a leap year in the Gregorian calendar. It is sometimes called "leap day" or "bissextile day". Only leap years have February 29. This date only occurs every four years, in years that can be exactly divided by 4, such as 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024, except century years that are not multiples by 400, such as 1800, 1900 or 2100.
Events
Up to 1948
1504 - Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Native Americans to give him supplies.
1644 - Abel Tasman's second voyage to the Pacific Ocean begins.
1704 - Queen Anne's War: French forces and Native Americans attack and destroy Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing 100 men, women, and children.
1712 - February 29 is followed by February 30 in Sweden, so that they can stop using the Swedish calendar and return to the Julian calendar.
1720 - Frederick I of Sweden becomes King.
1860 - Australian bushranger Ben Hall marries Biddy Walsh at Bathurst, New South Wales.
1880 - Cutting for the St. Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland is completed.
1916 - Tokelau is annexed by the United Kingdom.
1932 - TIME magazine features odd American politician William "Alfalfa" Murray on its cover after Murray said he planned to run for President of the United States.
1936 - In Japan, the February 26 coup attempt is ended.
1940 - Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award. The award of "Best Supporting Actress" was for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind.
1940 - Finland begins Winter War peace negotiations.
1940 - Physicist Ernest Lawrence gets his 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics.
1944 - World War II: The Admiralty Islands are invaded.
From 1952
1952 - The island of Heligoland is returned to German authority.
1956 - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower says that he is running for a second term.
1960 - An earthquake in Morocco kills over 3,000 people and nearly destroys Agadir in the southern part of the country.
1964 - In Sydney, Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser sets a new world record in the 100-meter freestyle swimming competition (58.9 seconds).
1972 - Vietnam War: South Korea removes 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from Vietnam.
1972 - Hank Aaron becomes the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to sign a $200,000 contract.
1980 - In ice hockey Gordie Howe, playing for the then-Hartford Whalers, makes NHL history by scoring his 800th goal.
1984 - Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau says that he will retire as soon as the Liberal Party of Canada chooses another leader.
1988 - South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is arrested during a five-day anti-apartheid demonstration in Cape Town. 100 clergymen are also arrested.
1988 - Svend Robinson becomes the first Canadian Member of Parliament to come out as gay.
1992 - First day of Bosnia and Herzegovina's independence referendum.
1996 - In Bosnia and Herzegovina the siege of Sarajevo ends.
1996 - A Peruvian Boeing 737 crashes in the Andes, killing 123 people.
2000 - Six year old Dedrick Owens shoots and kills Kayla Rolland, also six years old, at Theo J. Buell Elementary School in Mount Morris Township, Michigan. Rolland is currently the youngest American victim of a school shooting
2004 - Jean-Bertrand Aristide steps down as President of Haiti following popular rebel uprising.
2004 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King wins the award for "Best Picture", along with 10 other awards, at the 76th annual Academy Awards.
2012 - The Tokyo Sky Tree in Tokyo, Japan, is completed at a height of 634 metres.
Births
A person who was born on February 29 may be called a "leapling". In non-leap years they usually celebrate their birthday on February 28 or March 1.
Different countries have different laws about people who are born on February 29. In Taiwan, the law says that the birthday of a leapling is February 28 in years that are not leap years.
The well-known superhero Superman is often said to have his birthday on February 29.
Up to 1948
1468 - Pope Paul III (d. 1549)
1528 - Albert V, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1579)
1724 - Eva Marie Veigel, ballet dancer (d. 1822)
1736 - Ann Lee, English-born American religious leader (d. 1784)
1784 - Leo von Klenze, German architect, painter and writer (d. 1864)
1792 - Gioachino Rossini, Italian composer (d. 1868)
1808 - Hugh Falconer, Scottish scientist (d. 1855)
1812 - James Milne Wilson, Scottish-born Premier of Tasmania (d. 1880, also on February 29)
1840 - John Philip Holland, Irish inventor (d. 1914)
1860 - Herman Hollerith, American engineer and inventor (d. 1929)
1896 - Morarji Desai, Prime Minister of India (d. 1995)
1896 - William A. Wellman, American movie director (d. 1975)
1904 - Jimmy Dorsey, American bandleader (d. 1957)
1908 - Balthus, Polish-born painter (d. 2001)
1908 - Dee Brown, American writer (d. 2002)
1912 - Taiichi Ono, Japanese inventor (d. 1990)
1916 - Dinah Shore, American singer (d. 1994)
1920 - Michele Morgan, French actress (d. 2016)
1920 - Fyodor Abramov, Russian novelist (d. 1983)
1924 - David Beattie, 14th Governor-General of New Zealand
1924 - Al Rosen, American baseball player
1924 - Carlos Humberto Romero, former President of El Salvador
1928 - Joss Ackland, British actor
1928 - Gustau Biosca, Spanish footballer (d. 2014)
1928 - Vance Haynes, American archaeologist, geologist and author
1928 - Seymour Papert, South African mathematician and computer scientist
1928 - Tempest Storm, American actress, singer and dancer
1932 - Jaguar, Brazilian cartoonist
1936 - Alex Rocco, American actor (d. 2015)
1936 - Ingemar Odlander, Swedish journalist (d. 2014)
1936 - Jack R. Lousma, American astronaut, engineer and politician
1940 - Klaus-Dieter Lehmann, German librarian and President of the Goethe Institute
1940 - Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople
1944 - Dennis Farina, American actor (d. 2013)
From 1952
1956 - Aileen Wuornos, American serial killer (d. 2002)
1960 - Cheb Khaled, Algerian musician
1960 - Richard Ramirez, American serial killer (d. 2013)
1960 - Tony Robbins, American motivational speaker
1964 - Dave Brailsford, British cycling coach
1964 - James Ogilvy, member of the extended British Royal Family
1964 - Ola Lindgren, Swedish handball player and coach
1968 - Naoko Ijima, Japanese actress
1968 - Wendi Peters, English actress
1972 - Pedro Zamora, American AIDS activist (d. 1994)
1972 - Dave Williams, American singer (d. 2002)
1972 - Pedro Sanchez, Spanish politician
1976 - Ja Rule, American rapper
1980 - Chris Conley, American musician
1980 - Simon Gagne, Canadian ice hockey player
1984 - Darren Ambrose, English footballer
1984 - Radik Zhaparov, Kazakhstani ski jumper
1984 - Mark Foster, American musician (Foster the People)
1988 - Lena Gercke, German model and television presenter
1988 - Benedikt Howedes, German footballer
1988 - Hannah Mills, British sailor
1992 - Sean Abbott, Australian cricketer
1992 - Saphir Taider, French-Algerian footballer
1992 - Perry Kitchen, American soccer player
Deaths
992 - Oswald of Worcester, Archbishop of York (b. 925)
1528 - Patrick Hamilton, Scottish religious reformer (b. 1504) (burned at the stake)
1604 - John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1530)
1868 - King Ludwig I of Bavaria (b. 1786)
1880 - James Milne Wilson, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1812, also on February 29)
1908 - John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow, 1st Governor-General of Australia (b. 1860)
1908 - Pat Garrett, American gunslinger (b. 1850)
1928 - Armando V. Diaz, Italian marshal and minister of war (b. 1861)
1944 - Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, President of Finland (b. 1861)
1952 - Quo Tai-chi, Chinese diplomat (b. 1888)
1956 - Elpidio Quirino, President of the Philippines (b. 1890)
1968 - Tore Orjasaeter, Norwegian poet (b. 1886)
1980 - Yigal Allon, Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1918)
1984 - Ludwik Starski, Polish lyricist (b. 1903)
1992 - Ruth Pitter, English poet (b. 1897)
1996 - Joe Minogue, journalist (b. 1923)
1996 - Shams Pahlavi, Persian princess (b. 1917)
2004 - Jerome Lawrence, American playwright (b. 1915)
2004 - Kagamisato Kiyoji, Japanese Sumo wrestler (b. 1923)
2004 - Harold Bernard St. John, 3rd Prime Minister of Barbados (b. 1931)
2004 - Danny Ortiz, Guatemalan footballer (b. 1976)
2008 - Janet Kagan, American writer (b. 1946)
2012 - Davy Jones, British singer, musician and actor (The Monkees) (b. 1945)
2016 - Gil Hill, American police officer and actor (b. 1931)
2016 - Hannes Lohr, German footballer (b. 1942)
2016 - Louise Rennison, British author (b. 1951)
Observances
Leap year Day
Christian Feast Day of Oswald of Worcester in a Leap year
Rare Diseases Day in a Leap year.