They say every day is special — but today is extra special, because unlike every other day on the calendar, Leap Day comes only once every four years.
I took a spin through some Philly newspaper archives to find out what has happened on this infrequent 29th day of February in previous Leap Years — here are some of the stories I found.
1904: Wanamaker’s Shows Off World’s Fair Gems (Literally)
One Leap Day over a century ago, the John Wanamaker store on Market Street (now Macy’s) opened a temporary exhibition* displaying things like the “largest diamond ever cut in America,” “an exhibit of the making of men’s fine hats,” and a “reproduction of General Grant’s log cabin” — items that would be featured in the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.
“As an example to our sister cities, New York and Chicago, and as evidence of the ‘slowness’ of Philadelphia,” the store’s announcement in The Philadelphia Inquirer quipped, “we have the pleasure of announcing that Some St. Louis World’s Fair Exhibits are shown here today … TWO MONTHS BEFORE DISPLAYED IN ST. LOUIS.”
1972: 104-Year-Old Chester Resident Celebrates 26th Birthday
“If William Britt of Chester looked a little old to be celebrating his 26th birthday, it’s because he was born on Leap Day 104 years ago,” Inquirer reporter Tom Goodbody wrote in the first line of this human interest story.
Britt — born in 1868 — told the paper, “I feel fine.” He had no particularly groundbreaking secrets to longevity to share.
1988: Developer Hires Stuntman To Jump Off Hotel Roof
Joe Gilbride, a Hollywood stunt double, took a “flying leap” off the Radisson Hotel in Valley Forge and onto a plastic air mattress on Leap Day 1988, the Inquirer reported. It was a publicity stunt (no pun intended) to celebrate the hotel’s opening.
1992: A Leap Gets Married on Leap Day
Philly area resident J. Kenneth Leap — a Leap Year baby whose father, grandfather, and great grandfather were also born in Leap Years — became “the first Leap to be married in leap year” when he married Suzanne Christine Conard on Leap Day 1992, the Inquirer wrote in its “Neighbors in the News” section. How sweet!
* For access to these archived articles, you can log into ProQuest through the Free Library with your library card.
