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August 7, 2025 13 mins

Food for Thought Thoughts with Dark Cancer

Season 2, Episode 4: Why We Have Leap Years: A Guide to Time

Have you ever wondered why we have an extra day in February every four years? In this episode, Dark Cancer takes a fascinating detour to explain the science, history, and complex rules behind the Leap Year.

This is your ultimate guide to understanding this strange quirk of our calendar. The host explains that a leap day is necessary to keep our modern Gregorian calendar in sync with the Earth's actual orbit around the sun. Without it, our seasons would drift by 24 days every century!

This episode is a deep dive into the mechanics of time, covering:

  • A clear definition of a leap year and a "tropical year."
  • The three specific and surprising rules used to calculate a leap year.
  • The history of the leap year, from its invention by Julius Caesar to its refinement in the Gregorian calendar.
  • A fascinating look at how other calendars (Hebrew, Chinese, Islamic, and Indian) handle the concept of leap years, with some adding an entire extra month.

Connect with the Podcast:

#LeapYear #LeapDay #Time #Calendars #History #Science #Astronomy #GregorianCalendar #JuliusCaesar #EssentialSkills #DidYouKnow #FunFacts #Podcast #DarkCancerMedia #FoodForThought #2020 #HistoryFacts #HowItWorks #TimeExplained

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