February 29, also known as leap day or leap year day, is a date added to leap years. A leap day is added in various solar calendars, including the Gregorian calendar standard in most of the world. Lunisolar calendars instead add a leap or intercalary month.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about February 29th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about February 29th in history!
Table of Contents
- Global Celebrations
- Historic Events
- Famous Birthdays
- Heartbreaking Deaths
Global Celebrations
- International Sword Swallowers Day
- International Tongue Twister Da
- International Underlings Day
- Leap Year Day.
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – February 29
1796: Ten years of peaceful trade due to the Jay
Treaty between the United States and Great Britain.
1892: St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated
1916: The United Kingdom annexes Tokelau
1916: South Carolina raises the minimum working age from twelve to fourteen years old for factory, mill, and mine workers
1940: Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award for her performance as Mammy in Gone With The Wind
1960: 12,000 dead and 12,000 injured when the 5.7 Mw
Agadir earthquake hits coastal Morocco
1972: South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from Vietnam
1996: 123 passengers and crew perish when Faucett Flight 251 crashes in the Andes
2008: Price Harry is removed from his tour of Afghanistan after the foreign media leaked his deployment
2012: Tokyo Skytree construction is finished making it the tallest tower in the world
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, February 29
1736: Ann Lee, American founder of Shakers (d. 1784)
1812: Sir James Wilson, Premier of Tasmania (d. 1880)
1904: Jimmy Dorsey, American bandleader (d. 1957)
1916: Dinah Shore, American singer and actress (d. 1994)
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, February 29
1880: Sir James Wilson, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1812) – He is the only person known to have been born and died on February 29!
2012: Davy Jones, English singer, songwriter and actor (The Monkees) (b. 1945)
