Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1888 — How to Find Leap Year. [ARTICLE]

How to Find Leap Year.

Every fourth is called leap year because the year'then lerips to 366 days. But. although in srgsneral way it may be said that e ery fourth year is a leap year, yet Actually every fourth year is not a lepp year. Nearly all the leading natiops have accepted the Gregorian calendar. It has been in most of them Tgirtnore than a century past. As every fourth year is not a leap year it is important to know ho?, to tell by Grego ry’s calendar just what years in tbe future will be leap year. The rules foi doing this may be outlined thus: Every year which is divisible by four without a remainder, except centurial years, is a leap year. Centurial years—such a 1800, 1900,.2000, etc.—are leap years when they are divisible by four alter striking off two of the ciphers, and then only. The year 1800 was not a leap yeai nor will 1900 be one, although 2000 wifi he entitled to that distinction. No other centurial leap year will occur after that until the year 3400. Although the Gregorian system assures a close correspondence between the solar and the civil year, yet the correspondence is not absolutely accurate The length of the mean civil year as a present computed,is 35.95 seconds greater than the solar year. This error amounts to a whole day in 3325 years. It may be corre xted. therefore, oy drop* ping the leap year every thirty-three and one-fourth centuries.