in_the_media
Leap Day key to planting seeds at right time
Posted Feb 24, 2012
Media Outlet:
USA Today
Leap Day keeps seasons timely and calendars precise, and is an excuse for women to propose marriage, or is simply an extra day to enjoy. “Julius Caesar first adopted the Leap Day concept from the Egyptians,” says Yury Grabovsky, math professor at Temple. “He figured out he could make a precise calendar by adding a day every four years. Precision was very important because if you planted seeds at the wrong time of year, you might have famine on your hands.”