Find: Leap Year Clippings

This year is a Leap Year, which means we get an extra day on February 29 for a total of 366 days in the year. Want to learn a little more about the origins and traditions of Leap Year? Newspapers.com has got you covered.

If you want to find out about the more about the history of Leap Year, check out the clippings below:

• An article about why we have Leap Years
  
• An article about ancient Egypt’s connection to Leap Year
• A list of Leap Day facts
  
• A 1912 article about proposed alternatives to the Leap Year system
• A 1752 act of Parliament regarding proposed changes to the calendar, including Leap Year

Or if you’re more interested about Leap Year traditions, try reading the following:

• An article about Leap Year legends in different countries

One of the most common Leap Year traditions in the United States and Great Britain in previous centuries was the idea that during a Leap Year, women could propose marriage to men. Over the years, the tradition also grew to include the custom of holding Leap Year dances and balls, which were Sadie Hawkins-type events where the women were in charge and asked the men to dance.

Check out the following clippings from over the centuries about the “Ladies’ Law” Leap Year tradition:

• A 1796 reminder to women about the upcoming Leap Year
• A description of an 1848 Leap Year ball
• A humorous 1852 poem called, “Why Don’t the Girls Propose?”
• An 1864 call for a revival of the Leap Year “law”
• A list of eligible bachelors for women to pursue during the 1880 leap year
• A facetious 1892 article about how to make a Leap Year proposal
• A 1940 article about a Leap Day “manhunt” in an Illinois city

Want to learn more about Leap Year and its traditions? Start a search on Newspapers.com.