Sourced from Digital on Yahoo under "Leap Year".
Various computer system services, assume that the year 2000 will be a
leap year.
One can never be sure but there is strong historical precedent for
presuming the calendar
will still be in use in the year 2000.
When Rome emerged as a world power, the difficulties of making a calendar
were well known.
In 45 BC, Caesar made one year 445 days long to bring the calendar back in
step with the seasons.
The new calendar, had months 30 or 31 days, with every fourth year a leap
year. Caesar decreed the year would star ton the first of January. As
Caesar's year was 11 1/2 minutes short the vernal equinox
began to drift. In 1545 Pope Gregory XIII reformed the calendar again. For
long range accuracy, a formula was adopted - every fourth year a leap
year except for century years not divisible by 400. Thus 1700, 1800 and
1900 would not be leap years, but 2000 is . Making the Gregorian calendar
sufficiently correct for most ordinary purposes. It still falls behind
very slightly . Every 3 years a leap second is added so please be careful to
adjust your system clock in 2003.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
Gerard Flaherty FRACGP 67 Hopkins Street Moonah Tasmania 7009 AUSTRALIA
(The Island south of Australia)
email : [log in to unmask]
Fax 61-03 62781257(new 1996)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|