Leap Day

Sure, it only comes around every four years. Yet that doesn't mean nothing interesting has happened on February 29th in history.

The first Leap Day was in the year 45. It was also the last day of the year in the Roman calendar.

February 29, 1692 saw the first accusations of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. Hey, I didn't say everything which happened was good.

Hattie McDaniel won an Academy Award on Leap Day in 1940, the first African American woman to earn the honor.

Bandleader Jimmy Dorsey (1904) quarterback Fran Tarkenton (1932) and Michigan astronaut Jack Lousma (1936) were all born on Leap Days.

The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album won the Best Album Grammy on February 29, 1968.

Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves signed the first $200,000 per year contract in baseball history in Leap Day 1972.

So it doesn't happen much, but February 29 has its historical highlights. Happy Leap Day!