"The Significance of Leap Years: Unraveling Traditions, Superstitions, and Implications"

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Source: PBS NewsHour
"The Significance of Leap Years: Unraveling Traditions, Superstitions, and Implications"
Photo: PBS NewsHour
TL;DR Summary

Leap years, with their extra day added to February every four years, help keep the 12-month calendar aligned with Earth's movement around the Sun. The concept dates back to ancient Rome, where a solar calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar and later refined by Pope Gregory XIII into the Gregorian calendar. Without leap years, the calendar would gradually fall out of alignment with the seasons. Other calendars, such as the Jewish and Islamic calendars, have their own methods of timekeeping. Astronomy, originating as a way to make sense of daily lives, exemplifies how humans found order in seemingly chaotic conditions, with ancient methods still persisting today.

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