Leap Year Lore

One of the convenient fictions we live by holds that there are exactly 365 days in a year. In point of fact, the earth turns roughly 365 and a quarter times on its axis by the time it has completed a full orbit around the sun, which means that periodically the calendar has to play catch-up -- thus the convention of leap years. A leap year, of which 2008 is one, contains one extra day, February 29, for a total of 366. Read more...