Show emoi AWI by ELMO SCOTT WATSON 29 is approaching to remind us that this Is leap year a year of days instead of hence februarys 29 days instead of its usual 28 the reason tor the extra day in the month and the extra day in the year Is connected with some tinkering with the calendar by several men away back in ancient times the first one to do it was the roman cm perlor calus julius caesar who in 46 B 0 established a calendar on the basis of each solar year consisting of days and six hours but rather than bother with the one fourth of a day each year the six hours were saved up and a whole day added to every fourth year which was to be known as a leap year when presumably time leaped ahead one day this calendar was defective for the solar year actually consists of days five hours and 49 minutes therefore caesara caesars Cae sars calendar was gaining 11 minutes on old father time every year so augustus caesar julius successor tried his band at tinkering with the calendar and ordered that there be no leap year tor 12 years next the pontiffs took a hand in the matter by in bertang an extra day every year instead of every fourth year and by the year 8 B 0 they had added 12 such days instead of only nine when the march of time brought humanity down to the sixteenth century it was discovered that the year was ten days off schedule the equinox falling upon march 11 instead of march 21 to correct this error pope gregory XIII in 1582 ordered that the year should con alst of days only with the extra day added every fourth year to make a bissextile or leap year in order to present further irregularity it was decided that a year ending a century should be bissextile only at the end of each fourth century in this way three days are saved in years because the lapse of 11 minutes each year makes about three days in the period of four centuries so it Is true that every year which Is divisible by four Is a leap year there Is the exception that a year which ends a century Is not a leap year even if it Is divisible by four unless it Is divisible by so was the last leap year of this character and the year 2000 will be the next one now that we are started on another leap year will history repeat itself and bring to pass events of great importance as it has in the past for no less than four of the greatest events in american history took place during leap years the discovery of america by columbus in 1492 the landing of the pilgrims in 1020 the birth of washington in 1732 and the signing of the declaration of independence in 1770 in addition to these there have been a great number of other important events in our history occurring during leap year as witness the following chronological record 1508 thomas aubert sailed up the st lawrence river 1512 ponce da leon found florida 1564 french expedition built fort st caroline in florida and the occupants were mas acred by the spanish 1568 the french took back fort st caroline and massacred the spanish 1580 new mexico explored by a spanish flonary elo nary 1584 sir walter raleigh explored virginia and virginia was named by queen elizabeth 1612 first bricks manufactured in america made in virginia 1016 first cultivated tobacco raised in virginia 1620 ninety young women sold in virginia as settlers wives at pounds of tobacco each first cargo of negro slaves sold at james yown 1624 dutch landed eight men to take posses don of new york 1628 mass founded by john endacott Endl cott 1632 first church begun in boston king charles gave maryland to lord baltimore 1636 bartford ford conn and providence R 1 founded as colonies harvard university founded 1640 first book printed in america at cambridge mass he bay psalms book 1644 three hundred virginia settlers mas acrid by indians 1648 first instance of capital punishment tor witchcraft in massachusetts colony i 1652 swedes took delaware from the dutch 1650 first quakers came to america and yere expelled from bew england 1601 king charles gave bis brother the duke 0 york and albany the grant known ns new jersey british took new amsterdam from the dutch and changed its name to new york maine vas organized under jurisdiction of massachusetts first permanent settlement made in michigan by pere marquette at sault ste marle 1672 parliament imposed first customs duties in america fi I 1 t american whale fishery started from nathaniel bacon rebellion in virginia colony of new hampshire separated from massachusetts charleston S cl founded the french built a fort at niagara falls 1692 twenty persons killed in massachusetts for witchcraft college of william and mary founded in virginia cargo of negroes from africa sold in rhode island and boston 1704 first regularly published newspaper in america issued the boston news letter 1708 new york negroes plot to seize city and kill all whites several whites killed and 10 negroes convicted 1720 first clocks imported to america hour glasses used before first iron made in america at forge at coventry pa 1732 georgia chartered by the king last of the 13 colonies to be formed augusta ga founded first newspaper printed in virginia the gazette 1740 south carolina legislature prohibited teaching negroes to write 1752 new year set at january 1 in english colonies heretofore beginning on march 25 1756 first settlement in tennessee 1764 british army under general amherst took canada from the french commons voted it had the right to tax the american colonies without representation louisiana given to spain by france boston instituted an embargo on british goods british troops occupied boston 1772 first umbrella imported to america at baltimore from india burning of british ship gaippe victory at trenton first permanent settlement in california yerba buena on the bite of san francisco 1780 benedict arnold went to the british as a traitor and andre british captured and executed as a spy first buildings erected at cincinnati 1784 first antl slavery law in connecticut gradually abolishing slavery ship empress of china of boston sailed from new york on first voyage direct from united states to china first dally newspaper in america philadelphia the pennsylvania packet and general advertiser 1788 new federal constitution adopted in all states but rhode island and north carolina 1793 first republican party organized later to become democratic party headed by thomas jefferson washington re elected president 1700 tennessee admitted to union cleveland founded 1801 constitution amended to provide mod ern method of electing president and vice pres ident 1808 law halting importation of slaves in effect january 1 steamboat phoenix built by john stevens went from new york to philadelphia by sea first steamboat to make an ocean trip in the world 1812 war with england louisiana admitted as a state first cotton mill at fall river mass admitted as a detate first savings banks founded in united states at ehla boston and new york 1820 slave trading by citizens of united states forbidden by congress under penalty of beaty great rational road first federal highway corn plated from cumberland to wheeling built in 14 years at cost of 1700 1824 lafayette visited united states antl slave trade treaty signed with england first piece of machine made flannel in world manu fractured in massachusetts 1828 protective tariff raised as big issue first time in united states first trip in united states by a locomotive on a railroad 1832 rebellion of a state against the united states and first declaration of secession by south carolina over the tariff source of the mississippi river discovered first apall cation of chloroform by inhalation texas rebels from mexico and the massacre of the alamo takes place first astro observations made in united states 1840 adams express company founded first successful daguerreotypes made in new york chesapeake and ohio canal completed from georgetown to cumberland miles at cost of 1844 morse introduced magnetic telegraph and charles goody ear first vulcanized rubber first Amerl cin newspaper on pacific coast printed at oregon city 1848 treaty of peace with mexico united states gaining huge territory gold found in sacra mento valley california 1852 telegraph fire alarm system invented and installed in boston manufacture of gal iron begun in united states at philadelphia first railroad from the east built into chicago the michigan southern railway first passage of a vessel from the great lakes milwaukee to europe via welling ton canal first wooden paving laid in united states at chicago bessemer process of steel making proven lincoln elected determining circumstances of the civil war south carolina legislature convened just before the election and called a convention which passed a secession law on december 20 first wild oil speculation caused by discovery of oil in pennsylvania first pony express completing journey from missouri to san francisco in nine days 1861 shermans Sher mans march from atlanta to the sea admiral farragut blockades mobile earlys raid to within seven miles of washington postal money order system put into effect sorting of mall in transit in railway mall cars first put into effect lincoln elected reelected re president johnson charged for impeach mant and tried the senate voting him guilty bv 85 to 19 but the action falling for lack of constitutional majority 1872 boston fire loss 1870 centennial of independence celebrated at philadelphia at cost of caster battle in montana 1880 international postage rate of 5 cents an ounce adopted discovery of gold at juneau aliska 1884 arcely arctic party survivors rescued by commander Sch leys relief expedition 1888 president approves chinese exclusion bill works on theology and religion published in united states this year 1892 grover cleveland elected president nome steel strike and riots in pittsburgh election of president mckenley utah admitted to the union 1001 theodore roosevelt elected louisiana purchase exposition at st bouts louts 1908 formation of progressive party under of roosevelt william n taft elected president 1012 woodrow allson elected president admission of arizona and new mexico to the union 1910 by pancho villa followed by inva elon of mexico by american troops federal reserve act passed woodrow allson elected reelected re 1020 warren G harddng elected president nineteenth amendment to the constitution pro claimed 1021 calvin cooledge elected president first airplane trip around the world 1028 herbert hoover elected president kel logg antl war treaty signed in paris 1932 by warn union |