By Edwin Cooney
The 29th of February only visits us
once every 1461 days, so why not give it a little notice? After all, we celebrate the groundhogs and valentines
of February, the lions, lambs and madness of March, the fools of April, the
mothers of May, the flags, graduates, and fathers of June, our national
independence in July, drooping dogs in August, labor in September, the ghosts
and goblins of October, the turkeys and pumpkins of November, tots and toys in
December and, most fervently, new beginnings in January. Thus, this question: what do orchestra leader Jimmy Dorsey, 1930’s
baseball player John “Pepper” Martin of the famous St. Louis Cardinals Gashouse
Gang, power-hitting third baseman Al Rosen of the Cleveland Indians (and,
later, baseball executive of the seventies, eighties, and nineties), Henri
“Rocket” Richard of the NHL Montreal Canadians center, and singer Gretchen
Christopher, female lead of the Fleetwoods of the late 50s and early 60s have in
common?
They all were “leap yearlings,” a term
used by Ms. Raenell Dawn, President of The Society of Leap Year babies, which
was featured in a story recently by Adrian McCoy in the Pittsburgh Post
Gazette. Okay! You may say “so what!” but time and the dates that mark time do
offer us a worthwhile perspective on both our personal time and national
circumstances.
What is it like to have an official
birthday only once every four years while all of your siblings and friends
enjoy a guaranteed birthday celebration each year? It’s a rarity and oddity most children don’t
have to face and rarities and oddities make a huge difference to us when we’re
young and impressionable. As for adults,
it has to be frustrating when it comes to filling out forms. Then, of course, there are the well-meaning
friends who constantly razz you as to whether you should celebrate your
birthday on February 28th or March 1st.
Finally, there are those who invariably criticize you no matter what
your own attitude is. If you react to it
at all you are criticized for taking it too seriously and if you don’t seem to
care, well, that’s also a sin!
Other birthdays also invoke special
reactions from both friends and family.
If you’re born after November 15th or before the 15th of January, it’s
likely that an aunt will send you a Christmas present that is also for your
birthday. Then, of course, it can be
tough to have to celebrate your birthday with a twin sibling—or even worse two
triplet siblings. Of course, if you’re
so inclined, you can take some comfort from sharing your birthday with a
celebrity such as one listed above.
Then there is the historical significance
of events that occurred on February 29ths of the past. Get a load of these!
On Thursday, February 29th, 1504, Christopher
Columbus used knowledge of a coming lunar eclipse to frighten and thus control
hostile native tribes in Jamaica.
On Monday, February 29th, 1796,
President Washington announced completion of the Jay Treaty signed with Great
Britain which turned out to be the most unpopular act of his presidency. (The
reason for the treaty’s overall unpopularity was that the good Chief Justice
John Jay didn’t get the British to stop boarding American naval and merchant
ships illegally with American sailors who were born in England and taking them
back for British service.)
On Thursday, February 29th, 1940, the
movie version of Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind” won eight Oscars at the twelfth presentation by the American
Academy of Movie Arts and Science.
On Wednesday, February 29th, 1956,
President Eisenhower announced he would seek re-election to a second term
despite the severe heart attack he’d suffered the previous September 24th while
vacationing in Denver, Colorado.
On Monday, February 29th, 1960, the
first Playboy Club opened, with bunnies and all, in Chicago.
On Thursday, February 29th, 1968, the
Beatles’ Lonely Heart’s Club Band won a Grammy awarded by the American Academy
of Recording Arts and Science.
On Thursday, February 29th, 1968, the
Kerner Commission on racial relations appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in
the United States issues its gloomy report.
“America is a nation consisting of two major races, separate and
unequal” asserted its chairman Illinois Governor Otto Kerner.
On Tuesday, February 29th, 1972, Hank
Aaron, two seasons away from tying and breaking Babe Ruth’s 714 home run record,
is the first player to sign a $200,000 baseball contract.
On Friday, February 29th, 1980, the
Detroit Red Wings’ Gordie Howe became the first hockey player to score 800
career goals.
On Wednesday, February 29th, 1984,
exactly 28 years after President Eisenhower decided to continue his career
despite his heart attack, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, made
the decision to step down and end his nearly 15 years as Canada’s most
eloquent, glamorous and controversial politician.
There you have a selected list of
historical events that occurred on the calendar’s rarest of dates. Wise, foolish, frivolous and important events
occur every day of our lives. Still, our
very designation of February 29th, which has been determined as crucial to mark
the earth’s rotation around what might be called “heavenly bodies”, thus
becomes naturally imbued with human values reflecting all of those values
within its comparatively limited notoriety in human awareness.
If February 29th lacks value then, as
sure as you and I were born, so does every other date on the calendar!
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED,
EDWIN COONEY
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