Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1888 — Why The Year 1900 will uot be a Leap-Year. [ARTICLE]

Why The Year 1900 will uot be a Leap-Year.

At the introduction of the Julian calender, the equinox fell on the 25th of March, and at the time of the acting of the Council of Nice, which was held in 325 A. D. the eqWinox fell on the 21st of March. When the reformation of the calendar was made in 1582 A. D., it had (that is the equinox had) retrogad-A to the 11th of March. In order restore the equinox to its former place, Pope Gregory XIII. directed ten days to be suppressed in the calendar; and as the error in the Julian intercalation was now 7 found to amount to three days in 400 years, he ordered the intercalations to be omitted on all the centenary years excepting those which are multiples of 400. According to the Gregorian rule of intercalation, therefore, every year of which the number is divisable by four without a remainder, is a leap year, excepting the centenial years, which are only leap years when divisible by four after omitting the two ciphers. Thus 1600 was a leap year, but 1700, 1800 and 1900 are common years; 2000 will be a leap year.—Enc. Brit. F. W. Reubelt.