The year 2016 holds exciting things. Events such as the Olympics, a Presidential Election and Leap Day will occur this year, occasions that do not happen regularly. Check out this list to learn more about these rare happenings.
Leap Day
How often it occurs: Every four years
The Egyptians discovered the need for leap day around 30 BCE, but the rest of the world didn’t realize its importance until Julius Caesar rose to power. Up until that point Europe had followed the lunar calendar, based on the cycles of the moon. When Julius came to power he met with different astronomers and and created the “Julian Calendar”, although this calendar helped realign the Roman calendar, it overlooked that there was .242 of a day left over. In order to fix that, in 1582 Pope Gregory XIII invented the “Gregorian Calendar”, which includes an extra day of the year every four years. This calendar remains the calendar that the world uses today.
Blue Moons
How often it occurs: Every 2.7 years
When two full moons happen to fall in the same month, astronomers call it a Blue Moon. “Blue” does not refer to its hue, but rather from the Old English term meaning “betrayer”. The last blue moon appeared in August of 2012. The saying “Once in a blue moon” refers to the moon because it was so rare. The new definition of a blue moon came to be in the 1970s. The next Blue Moon will show up Jan. 31, 2018.
Presidential Elections
How often it occurs: Every four years
The first Presidential Election occurred January 7, 1789, when George Washington was elected. Back then, the runner up to the presidency became the vice president, which was John Adams. Now, elections differ because of the 25th amendment which allows the President to nominate a candidate for Vice President that then has to be confirmed by a majority of the House of Congress. Elections take place every four years, on the first Tuesday in November. For 2016, Election Day will be Nov. 8. Take a look at The Politician for more information on the 2016 Presidential Race.
Olympics
How often it occurs: Every four years
The olympics first originated in ancient Greece in the year of 776 BCE. As legend has it the games came from the Greek god Zeus fighting his father Kronos for control of the world. Originally there was only one game called the one-stade race where the competitors would run the length of the stadium (200 meters). As the game grew more popular, more games were introduced. In 708 BC, sports such as wrestling, running, jumping and discus became a part of the games. This year the games will be hosted in Rio, starting Aug. 5 and ending Aug. 21.
Halley’s Comet
How often it occurs: Every 75 years
Unlike other comets, this one periodically passes by Earth, which means we can predict when the next one will occur. The comet was named after Edmund Halley who discovered the comet was an event that would happen over and over again. Halley’s Comet was actually first observed in 239 B.C. by the Chinese. Halley’s comet last passed the Earth in 1986, so the comet will next appear in the night sky in the year 2062.
