29th February occurs every 4 years. These are known as leap years. Years that are evenly divisible by 4, such as 2008, are leap years. However, there are some exceptions in century years. A century year, which ends in two zeros, is not a leap year unless it is also evenly divisible by 400.

The additional day was first added to the other 365 days with the introduction of the Julian calendar. This extra day every four years brings the solar year of 365¼ days into line with the calendar year of 365 days.

29th February is the one day of the year on which, traditionally, women can propose to men. It was considered that as the day also had no legal status, it was reasonable to assume that tradition had no status, so women took advantage of this and proposed to the man they wanted to marry. A law once existed in Scotland forbidding a man to refuse a proposal made to him, punishable by a large fine.

A person who is born on 29th February may be called a 'leapling'. In non-leap years they may celebrate their birthday on 28th February or 1st March, but for legal purposes, in Britain, their birthday is 28th February. Statistically, about one in 1,461 births is a leapling and there are an estimated 4.1 million worldwide.

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1528The death of Patrick Hamilton, Scottish churchman and an early Protestant Reformer in Scotland. He travelled to Europe, where he met several of the leading reforming thinkers, before returning to Scotland to preach. He was tried as a heretic by Archbishop James Beaton, and was burned at the stake in St Andrews.

1692The birth, in Manchester, of John Byrom, English poet and the inventor of a revolutionary system of shorthand. It marked a significant development in the history of shorthand and was used by John and Charles Wesley, the founders of Methodism, in their coded diaries. He is also remembered as the writer of the lyrics of the hymn 'Christians Awake, salute the happy morn.'

1736The birth of Ann Lee, also known as Mother Ann. A Manchester-born blacksmith's daughter, she emigrated with a handful of followers to the USA in 1774 and founded the American Society of Shakers, a development of the English religious group 'The Quakers'.

1796The Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain came into force. It was credited with averting war, resolving issues remaining since the ending of the American Revolution and facilitated peaceful trade between the two nations.

1840The birth of John Philip Holland, Irish engineer who developed the first submarine to be formally commissioned by the U.S. Navy, and the first Royal Navy submarine, named the Holland 1.

1864The first Peabody Trust dwellings were opened in Commercial Street, London, for the "artisan and labouring poor".

1964The Queen's cousin, Princess Alexandra, gave birth to a son at her home in Surrey. The baby, James Robert Bruce, who was more than a week overdue, is believed to be the first-ever royal baby to be born on 29th February.

1992The death of Ruth Pitter, English poet. She was the first woman to receive the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry (1955). In 1974, she was named a 'Companion of Literature', the highest honour given by the Royal Society of Literature.

201244 year old PC David Rathband, the policeman shot at and blinded by gunman Raoul Moat who killed three people in two days (July 2010) committed suicide.

2020 Centenarian Doris Cleife, from Portsmouth, celebrated her 25th birthday on Saturday, February 29th!

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