Happy Leap Day

Yes, it's the 29th of February, a day we get to meet every 4 years. It's awesome for those who are born on this day, because you can stay young till you die. Someone born 64 years ago can truthfully say that their age is 16.

Some interesting event that happened on the 29th of February:

• 1504 – Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Native Americans to provide him with supplies.
• 1712 – February 29 is followed by February 30 in Sweden, in a move to abolish the Swedish calendar for a return to the Old style.
• 1796 – The Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain comes into force, facilitating ten years of peaceful trade between the two nations.
• 1864 – American Civil War: Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid fails – plans to free 15,000 Union soldiers being held near Richmond, Virginia are thwarted.
• 1916 – Child labor: In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill, and mine workers is raised from twelve to fourteen years old.
• 1940 – For her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award.
• 1944 – World War II: The Admiralty Islands are invaded in Operation Brewer led by American General Douglas MacArthur.
• 1960 – An earthquake in Morocco kills over 3,000 people and nearly destroys Agadir in the southern part of the country.
• 1964 – In Sydney, Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser sets a new world record in the 100-meter freestyle swimming competition (58.9 seconds).
• 1988 – South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is arrested along with 100 clergymen during a five-day anti-apartheid demonstration in Cape Town.
• 1992 – First day of Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum.
• 1996 – Faucett Flight 251 crashes in the Andes, killing 123 people.
• 2004 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide is removed as President of Haiti following a coup.

Famous leaplings, or leap year babies:

• 1692 – John Byrom, English poet (d. 1763)
• 1792 – Gioachino Rossini, Italian composer (d. 1868)
• 1828 – Emmeline B. Wells, American women's rights advocate (d. 1921)
• 1896 – Morarji Desai, Prime Minister of India (d. 1995)
• 1904 – Rukmini Devi Arundale, Indian dancer and founder of Kalakshetra (d. 1986)
• 1908 – Alf Gover, English cricketer (d. 2001)
• 1960 – Khaled, Algerian raï musician
• 1972 – Antonio Sabàto, Jr., Italian-born actor
• 1976 – Ja Rule, American rapper and actor