Show IL 1141 me or gre a t E v eng t W T A ELMO SCOTT WATSON 29 Is approaching to remind us that mint this Is leap year a year of days dais instead of hence februarys 29 days instead of its usual 28 the reason for the extra day in in tho the month and the extra day dabin in the year Is connected with some tinkering with the calendar by several men away back tn in ancient times the first one to do it was vas the roman em cm perlor calus julius caesar who in 40 B 0 established a calendar on the basis of each solar year consisting co of SM 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 caesars caesara Cae sars calendar was gaining 11 minutes on old father time every year so augustus caesar julius successor tried hta his hand at tinkering with the calendar and ordered that there be no ino leap year for 12 years next the pontiffs took a hand in the matter by inserting ser ting an extra day every third 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 spring equinox falling upon march 11 instead of march 21 to correct this error rope pope gregory XIII in 1582 ordered that the year should consist of days only with the extra day added every fourth year to make a bissextile or leap year in order to pr present further irregularity it was decided that a year ending a century should be bissextile only at the end ot of each fourth century la in this way three days aie are saved in years because the lapse of 11 minutes each year sear makes about three days in the period of four centuries so while 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 sear even if it Is divisible by four unless it if la Is divisible by so 1000 was wag the last leap year of this character and the year 2000 will be the next one now that we nye 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 la in american history took place during leap years the discovery ot of america by columbus in 1492 1402 the landing of the pilgrims in 1020 the birth of washington Washl neton 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 de leon found florida ima 1504 french expedition built fort st caroline in florida and the occupants were nere massacred by the spanish IBOS 1508 the french took back fort st caroline and massacred the spanish new mexico explored explored by a spanish missionary sio nary 1584 sir walter raleigh explored virginia and virginia was wai named hy by queen elizabeth 1612 first bricks manufactured in america made in virginia 1610 first cultivated tobacco raised in virginia 1620 ninety young women sold in virginia a as a 8 settlers e wives nt at pounds of tobacco each first cargo of negro slaves sold at jamestown 1024 1624 dutch landed eight men to take possession of new york 1028 salem mass blass founded by john endicott 1032 1632 first church begun in boston king charles gave maryland to lord baltimore G Il hartford artford conn and providence R I 1 founded as colonies harvard university founded ICO first book printed in ameriam nt at cambridge mass blass the day bay psalms book 1044 1644 three hundred virginia settlers massacred by indians IGIS 1018 first instance of capital punishment tor for witchcraft in massachusetts colony 1052 10 2 swedes took delaware from the dutch first farst quakers came to america lind and were ft ere expelled espel led from now new en england hind ifal king charles save gave its his brollier brot lier the duke ot of boric tind and albany the grant known as new jersey british took new amsterdam from the 0 f inde end ence 76 0 landin landing y of columbus 1492 dutch and changed its name to ne new york maine was nas organized under jurisdiction of massachusetts first permanent settlement made in michigan by pere marquette at sault ste marle marie 1072 1672 parliament imposed first customs duties in A america al erlea it fit lit it Ameri american cai whale fishery started from nantucket 1678 nathaniel bacon rebellion in virginia 1680 colony of new hampshire separated from massachusetts charleston S 0 founded 1634 1684 the french built a tort fort at niagara falls 1692 1090 twenty persons killed in massachusetts for witchcraft college of william and mary founded in virginia 1600 cargo of negroes from africa sold in rhode island and boston 1704 first regularly published newspaper in america issued the boston news letter 1708 1703 new york negroes plot to seize city and kill all whites several whites killed and 19 negroes convicted 1720 first clocks imported to america hour glasses used before first iron made in america at forge at coventry pa ila 1732 georgia chartered by the king last of the 13 colonies to be formed 1730 1736 augusta ga founded first newspaper printed in virginia the williamsburg gazette 1710 south carolina legislature prohibited teaching negroes to write 1752 new year set at january I 1 in english colonies heretofore beginning on march 25 1750 first settlement in tennessee 1704 1764 british army under general amherst took canada from the F reach french 1701 1761 commons voted it had the right to tax the american colonies without representation louisiana given to spain by france 1708 1768 doston boston instituted nn an embargo on british goods british troops occupied boston 1772 F first arst umbrella imported to america at baltimore from india burning of british ship gaspee 1770 1773 victory at trenton first permanent settlement in california yerba buena on the site of san francisco 1780 Ben benedict edlet arnold went to the british as a traitor and andre br british tish e captured and executed as a spy first buildings erected nt at cincinnati cin nati 1784 F first arst antislavery anti 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 daily newspaper in america philadelphia the pennsylvania packet and general advertiser 1788 new federal constitution adopted in all states but rhode island and north carolina 1792 first republican party organized later to become democratic party headed by thomas jefferson washington elected reelected re president 1790 tennessee admitted to union cleveland founded 1801 constitution amended to provide modern method of electing president and vice president 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 mccan trip in the world orld 1812 war with england angland nn gland louisiana admitted os as a state first cotton mill at fall river mass blass 1810 indiana admitted as a state alist savino savings banks founded in united states at blila hoton boston and new york 1820 slave sla e trading by citizens of united states forbidden by congress under jie penalty nalty of death fo yr w j V irth of washington 1732 7 7 anding odthe of the pilgrims halgrims j 20 great national road first federal highway completed from cumberland to wheeling built in 14 years at cost of 1821 1824 lafayette visited united states anti slave sao trade treaty signed with england first piece of machine made flannel in world manu manufactured in massachusetts 1823 1828 protective tariff raised as big issue first time in united states first trip in united states by a locomotive on a railroad 1832 first rebellion of a state the united states and first declaration of secession by south carolina over the tariff source of the mississippi river discovered first application of chloroform by inhalation 1830 1831 texas rebels from mexico and the massacre of the alamo takes place first astronomical 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 goodyear first vulcanized ru rubber abber first american newspaper on pacific coast printed at oregon city 1848 treaty of peace with mexico united unit ed states gaining huge territory gold found in sacramento valley california 1852 telegraph fire alarm system invented and installed in boston manufacture of galvanized iron begun in united states at philadelphia first railroad from the east built into chicago the michigan southern railway 1850 F first arst passage of a vessel from the great lakes milwaukee to europe via wellington canal first wooden paving laid in united states at chicago bessemer process of steel making proven 1860 lincoln elected determining circumstances of the civil war south carolina legislature convened just before the election and colled called a convention contention which passed a secession law on december 20 first wild oil speculation caused by discovery of oil in pennsylvania first pony esp ext iress completing journey from missouri to san francisco in nine days 1804 shermand 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 mail in transit in railway mall mail cars first put into 1 effect lincoln reelected elected re 1808 1868 president dent johnson charged for impeachment and tried the senate voting him guilty by 35 to 19 but the action falling failing tor for lack of constitutional majority 1872 boston fire loss 1870 1876 centennial of independence celebrated at philadelphia at cost of custer battle in montana 1880 international postage rate of 5 cents an ounce adopted discovery of gold at juneau alaska 1884 greely 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 1802 grover cleveland elected president homestead steel strike and riots in pittsburgh 1800 election of president mckenley utah admitted to the union 1904 1004 theodore roosevelt elected president Ident louisiana purchase exposition at st louis 1908 Formation of progressive party under leadership of roosevelt william VIII Iam II 11 taft elected president 1912 1012 woodrow wilson elected president admission of arizona and new mexico to the union 1910 1913 raid by pancho villa followed by invasion of mexico by american troops federal reserve act passed woodrow wilson reelected elected re 1920 warra warren G hording harding elected president ilent nineteenth amendment to the constitution proclaimed 1921 1021 calyin coolidge elected president first airplane trip mound around the world florid 1928 1028 herbert hoover elected president kellog logs antiwar anti antl war treaty signed in paris 1032 1031 1 by western newspaper union |