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reetings from Australia. 

Welcome to this Red-Letter Day. Below you will find today's global celebrations, birthdays and events.

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Pip Wilson

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Today is

Know that it's your decisions, and not your conditions, that determine your destiny.
Anthony Robbins, motivational speaker and author, born on February 29, 1960

If you can't, you must. If you must, you can.
Anthony Robbins

Deciding to commit yourself to long term results, rather than short term fixes, is as important as any decision you'll make in your lifetime.
Anthony Robbins

Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.
Anthony Robbins

The truth of the matter is that there's nothing you can't accomplish if: (1) You clearly decide what it is that you're absolutely committed to achieving, (2) You're willing to take massive action, (3) You notice what's working or not, and (4) You continue to change your approach until you achieve what you want, using whatever life gives you along the way.
Anthony Robbins

Action is the foundational key to all success.
Anthony Robbins

All personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs. So how do we change? The most effective way is to get your brain to associate massive pain to the old belief. You must feel deep in your gut that not only has this belief cost you pain in the past, but it's costing you in the present and, ultimately, can only bring you pain in the future. Then you must associate tremendous pleasure to the idea of adopting a new, empowering belief.
Anthony Robbins

For changes to be of any true value, they've got to be lasting and consistent.
Anthony Robbins

Your life changes the moment you make a new, congruent, and committed decision.
Anthony Robbins

More Anthony Robbins quotes

One of the ideas we facetiously entertained was that it might be little green men – a civilization outside in space somewhere trying to communicate with us.
Jocelyn Bell, British astronomer, who announced on February 29, 1968 the discovery of the pulsar

February 29 is the 60^th day of a leap year in the Gregorian Calendar (an honour normally held by March 1), with 306 days remaining. A year which has a February 29 is, by definition, a leap year. This date only occurs approximately every four years, in years evenly divisible by 4, such as 1992, 1996, or 2004, with some exceptions in century years.
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Leap Year Day

January and February were introduced into the Roman calendar by Numa Pompilius (d. 673 BCE) the second king of Rome. Februare meaning 'purification', this was the month of expiation and purification for Romans. Numa arranged for it to have 29 days except in leap years when it had, by the intercalation of a day between the 23^rd and 24^th, thirty.

When Caesar Augustus added a 31^st day to the month named after him, so that it would not lack the dignity of having the full complement of days, he took a day from February, which could least spare it.

Now we drop a day from each century except those of which the ordinal number can be divided by four – again we take it from February. So February lost its 29^th day in 1800 and 1900 and will again in 2100, 2200, and so on.

Bissextile

"We add a day to February in leap year, but the Romans counted 24 February twice, and called it dies bissextus (sexto calendas Martius), the sextile or sixth day before 1 March. This day was reckoned twice (bis) in leap year, which was called annus bissextus."
Ivor H Evans, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Cassell, London, 1988

"In 46 BC, Julius Caesar … created a calendar system that added one leap day every four years. Acting on advice by Alexandrian astronomer Sosigenes, Caesar did this to make up for the fact that the Earth's year is slightly more than 365 days. In modern terms, the time it takes for the Earth to circle the Sun is slightly more than the time it takes for the Earth to rotate 365 times (with respect to the Sun – actually we now know this takes about 365.24219 rotations). So, if calendar years contained 365 days they would drift from the actual year by about 1 day every 4 years. Eventually July (named posthumously for Julius Caesar himself) would occur during the northern hemisphere winter! By adopting a leap year with an extra day every four years, the calendar year would drift much less. This Julian Calendar system was used until the year 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII added that leap days should not occur in years ending in '00' except if divisible by 400, providing further fine-tuning. This Gregorian Calendar system is the one in common use today. Therefore, even though this year 2000 ends in '00', it remains a leap year, and today is the added leap day. That makes today the first leap day for a centurial year since year 1600 and the second such leap day of the Gregorian Calendar."   Source

Women, grab your partner

There is a tradition that women may make a proposal of marriage to men only on February 29; this is a tightening of an older tradition that such proposals may only occur in leap years. 

In 1288 the Scottish Parliament legislated that any woman could propose in Leap Year. The man may, of course, refuse but, by tradition, he should soften the blow by providing a kiss, one pound currency and a pair of gloves (some sources say a silk gown). This law was adopted in France, Switzerland and Italy and the tradition was carried to America.

In Al Capp's comic strip Li'l Abner, a similar custom called 'Sadie Hawkins Day' was commemorated on or around November 9 (qv) each year. On Sadie Hawkins Day, in the hillbilly town of Dogpatch, a race was held for spinsters, in pursuit of all the local bachelors who must marry if caught. Sadie Hawkin's Day functions are still held in some places, and by association with the older tradition, sometimes now occur on or around February 29.

I have no idea what the custom is if either the spinster or bachelor should happen to be bissextile.

Comix, comics and cartoons in the Book of Days

People who are born on this day generally celebrate their birthdays on March 1 and have a special birthday celebration in Leap Years.

Olympic Games are held in Leap Years; likewise US presidential elections.

The length of the year is 365.242199 days.

Leap Year Day will also be Shrove Tuesday in 2028, and Ash Wednesday in 2096.

Sometimes, this is also called Bachelors' Day.

"A century year, that is, a year which ends in two zeroes 1800, 1900, 2000, etc., is not a leap year unless it is also evenly divisible by 400. This means that the year 2000 was a leap year and 2400 will also be one, but 1800 and 1900 were not leap years, and the years 2100, 2200, and 2300 will not be leap years either ...

"In the comic operetta The Pirates of Penzance, Frederic, born on February 29, was not apprenticed to a band of pirates until his 21st birthday, in theory until he is 84 years old.

"This day may be colloquially termed a leap day, though in the Roman calendar it was February 24 in a leap year which was added, giving the name of "bissextile" day or extra sixth day in the lead up to the 'Calends' of March. In the European Union, February 29 only officially became the leap day in 2000."

Source: Wikipedia

Intercalary day

"(Lat. inter, between; calare, to proclaim solemnly). an intercalary day is a day inserted between two others, as 29 February in a Leap Year; so called because, among the Romans, this was a subject of solemn proclamation."
Ivor H Evans, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Cassell, London, 1988

The ladies propose, and, if not accepted, claim a silk gown. St Patrick, having 'driven the frogs out of the bogs', was walking along the shores of Lough Neagh, when he was accosted by St Bridget in tears, and was told that a mutiny had broken out in the nunnery over which she presided, the ladies claiming the right of 'popping the question'.

St Patrick said he would concede them the right every seventh year, when St Bridget threw her arms round his neck, and exclaimed, "Arrah, Pathrick, jewel, I daurn't go back to the girls wid such a proposal. Make it one year in four." St Patrick replied, "Bridget, acushla, squeeze me that way again, an' I'll give ye leap-year, the longest of the lot." St Bridget, upon this, popped the question to St Patrick himself, who, of course, could not marry: so he patched up the difficulty as best he could with a kiss and a silk gown.

The story told above is of no historic value, for an Act of the Scottish Parliament, passed in the year 1228, has been unearthed which runs thus:

 

"A booklet published in London in 1606 spells out the same sort of permission in these delightful words: 'as every leap yeare doth return, the ladyes have the sole privilege during the time it continueth of making love, either by wordes or lookes, as to them it seemeth proper.' Interesting to note that from 1288 to 1606, the privilege applied to the entire year, but by 1710, as preserved in this quotation from The Arbiter of Polite Comportment, it had narrowed to just one day: 

"Ladies have a full and absolute license to propose marriage to single gentlemen on February the 29th; and if the gentleman is so rude as to refuse, he is infallibly bound to give the spurned lady a present, which is usually a pair of new gloves on Easter Day."  School of the Seasons

"There is a Greek superstition that claims couples have bad luck if they marry during a leap year. Apparently one in five engaged couples in Greece will avoid planning their wedding during a leap year."   Leap Year Traditions

Why are there no leap year days in the 13 Moon Calendar?    Leap Year explained

Leap Year: How the World Makes Up for Lost Time    Leap Year Festival     More    More    And more

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First Sunday in Lent, Burgbrennen, Luxembourg A note about the dating of items in Wilson's Almanac On the first Sunday in Lent (Invocabit), fires are lit on the hills. The word is derived from the Latin verb comburere, ('to burn'), the first syllable being dropped and the second one corrupted to 'burg'. Originally Burgbrennen was a pagan rite symbolising the victory of the sun over winter. Young boys used to go from house to house, begging for straw, wood and faggots. They would make a bonfire which, in Christian times, featured a wooden cross. The 'burg' is still set alight by the most recently married man (probably a reminiscence of an old pagan fertility ceremony). Sometimes a wheel is put on top of the pole and covered with rags soaked in oil, reminiscent of the Catherine Wheel (see November 25). The people of Luxembourg traditionally also burn such a bonfire at Easter, representing the rebirth of nature; the St John's Eve burg (June 23) evoking the summer solstice; and finally the Martinmas fire standing for the fading away of Autumn. Luxembourg Traditions in USA   "The custom of kindling bonfires on the first Sunday in Lent has prevailed in Belgium, the north of France, and many parts of Germany … It seems hardly possible to separate from these bonfires, kindled on the first Sunday in Lent, the fires in which, about the same season, the effigy called Death is burned as part of the ceremony of 'carrying out Death'." Frazer on Lenten fire festivals of Europe   Intercalation Intercalation is the insertion of an extra day or month into some calendar years to make the calendar follow the seasons. The solar year does not have whole number of days, but a calendar year must have a whole number of days. The only way to reconcile the two is to vary the number of days in the calendar year.  In many calendars, this is done by adding to a common year of 365 days, an extra day (leap day or intercalary day): this makes a leap year of 366 days. The solar year does not have a whole number of lunar months either, so a lunisolar calendar must have a variable number of months in a year. This is usually 12 months, but sometimes a 13th month (an intercalary or embolismic month) is added to the year. See also   calendar Julian calendar Gregorian calendar Iranian calendar  Hebrew calendar Hindu calendar     Chinese calendar  Source: Wikipedia   Egyptian day (dies egypticus, dies ægypticus or dies mala), unlucky day in Medieval Europe. ("But, notwithstanding, I will trust the Lord" was the associated saying.) Ayyám-i-Há (Intercalary Days in the Bahá'í calendar), Bahá'í Faith (Feb 25 - Mar 1) Feast day (alternate) of Pope St Hilarius, 46th Roman Catholic pope, from 461 to 468; commemorated today or February 28 Click for Eastern Orthodox liturgical days    Shop saints Sacred Phurbu Procession (Tibet): three-edged sacred dagger Source: The Phoenix and Arabeth 1992 Calendar Sounkyo Ice Festival, Sounkyo Onsen (spa), Hokkaido, Japan (Jan 29 - Mar 5) Time of the Old Woman, Morocco (Feb 25 - Mar 4) Kwan Yin's first birthday "By tradition Kwan Yin has three metaphysical birthdays that track her evolution into a bodhisattva."   Source Deities of many cultures in the Book of Days    More on Kwan Yin Quadragesima Sunday The first Sunday in Lent; so called because it is, in round numbers, the fortieth day before Easter.   Leap Year in the news       1468 Pope Paul III, last Renaissance pope (1534 - '49) 1692 John Byrom, English poet best remembered for the hymn, 'Christians awake! Salute the happy morn', for his epigrams, and, above all, his coinage of the phrase Tweedledum and Tweedledee 1736 Ann Lee (d. 1784), daughter of a British blacksmith, founder of the United Society of Believers in Jesus Christ's Second Appearing ('Shakers') 1792 Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (d. November 13, 1868), Italian composer of many operas (William Tell; The Thieving Magpie) 1840 John Philip Holland (d. 1914), Irish-American engineer who developed the first submarine to be formally commissioned by the US Navy 1852 Frank Gavan Duffy (d. 1936), Australian judge 1860 Herman Hollerith (d. 1929), American statistician, businessman and the promulgator of the punch card 1896 Morarji Desai (d. April 10, 1995), Prime Minister of India. Desai's appearance in Sydney in 1978 figured in evidence in the Hilton Bombing case. 1896 William A Wellman, American director, director of the first picture to win an Oscar (1928) Wings, starring Clara Bow and Gary Cooper; Wellman was the father-in-law of actor James Franciscus 1904 Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenberdorft, Sr, born near Hamburg, Germany; he had a given name for every letter in the alphabet, and shortened it to Mr Wolfe Plus 585, Sr. This is said to be the world's longest name officially used by a person. (I would think that his son tied in first place.)   Source 1904 Jimmy Dorsey (d. 1957), alto saxophonist and clarinettist who, with his brother, Tommy Dorsey, was a big band leader 1908 Balthus (Balthazar Klossowski de Rola; d. 2001), painter 1908 Dee Brown (d. 2002), writer, historian 1916 Dinah Shore (d. February 24, 1994), singer 1920 Howard Nemerov (d. 1991), American winner of the Pulitzer Prize 1936 Alex Rocco, American actor 1940 Patriarch Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople 1944 Dennis Farina, American actor 1952 Tim Powers, writer 1952 Bart Stupak, US politician 1956 Bob Speller, Canadian politician 1956 Peter Brouwer (LDB No. 1 in the Leap Year Babies Honor Society which he founded in 1997) 1956 Aileen Carol Wuornos, serial killer   1960 Tony Robbins, motivational speaker. Robbins is the inventor and proponent of what he refers to as neuroassociative conditioning, which is based on neurolinguistic programming (NLP). Robbins has authored a number of best-selling books, including Unlimited Power and Awaken the Giant Within. His best known tape program is known as Personal Power II; other programs include Get the Edge! and Lessons in Mastery. Anthony Robbins quotes at the Scriptorium    More   1960 Heidi Henriksen, the first of three Henriksen siblings born in Norway on consecutive Leap Days 1964 Olav Henriksen (born at 00:30), second of three Henriksen siblings born in Norway on consecutive Leap Days 1964 James RB Ogilvy, son of English princess Alexandra 1968 Leif-Martin Henriksen (born at 01:10), third of three Henriksen siblings born in Norway on consecutive Leap Days 1972 Antonio Sabato Jr., Italian-born actor 1972 Dave Williams (d. 2002), American singer (Drowning Pool) 1972 Pedro Zamora (d. 1994), Cuban-born American AIDS activist 1976 Ja Rule, American rapper and actor More Leap Day babies   February 29 showbiz births, deaths and marriages     Phew!! 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