On This Day
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Scotland begins its numbered year on January 1 instead of March 25

A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year.

A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year. The 366th day (or 13th month) is added to keep the calendar year synchronised with the astronomical year or seasonal year. Since astronomical events and seasons do not repeat in a whole number of days, calendars that have a constant number of days each year will unavoidably drift over time with respect to the seasons. By inserting an additional day—a leap day—or an additional month—a leap month—into some years but not others, the drift between a civilisation's dating system and the physical properties of the Solar System can be avoided.

An astronomical year lasts slightly less than 365⁠1/4⁠ days.

Historical Significance

A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year.

Events Before

  1. Jacob van Neck's fleet leaves Bantam, Java in modern-day Indonesia with 1 million pounds of pepper and cloves and a furt

    Jacob van Neck's fleet leaves Bantam, Java in modern-day Indonesia with 1 million pounds of pepper and cloves and a further half a ship full of nutmeg, mace and cinnamon

  2. Albert VII Archduke of Austria marries his cousin Isabella, daughter of Philip II of Spain

    Albert VII (German: Albrecht VII; 13 November 1559 – 13 July 1621) was the ruling Archduke of Austria for a few months in 1619 and, jointly with his wife, Isabella Clara Eugenia, sovereign of the…

  3. English nobleman Robert Devereux becomes Lord Lieutenant of Ireland

    Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (10 November 1565 – 25 February 1601) was an English nobleman, soldier and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. A charismatic and ambitious youth, Essex grew up in a...

  4. Jacob Corneliszoon van Necks' Dutch merchant fleet, the second to reach Indonesia, leaves Java

    Jacob Corneliszoon van Necks' Dutch merchant fleet, the second to reach Indonesia, leaves Java

  5. Italian painter Caravaggio gets his first public commission, the Contarelli Chapel in the church of San Luigi dei France

    Italian painter Caravaggio gets his first public commission, the Contarelli Chapel in the church of San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

Events After

  1. A fleet of five British East India Company vessels departs on its first voyage from London, led by James Lancaster comma

    A fleet of five British East India Company vessels departs on its first voyage from London, led by James Lancaster commanding the "Red Dragon"; the journey lasts nearly 16 months

  2. Louis Gunther of Nassau weds countess Anna Margaretha of Manderscheid

    Louis Gunther of Nassau weds countess Anna Margaretha of Manderscheid

  3. Church authorities in Rome burn Hebrew books

    Church authorities in Rome burn Hebrew books

  4. France gains Bresse, Bugey, Valromey, and Gex in a treaty with Spain

    France gains Bresse, Bugey, Valromey, and Gex in a treaty with Spain

  5. Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, leads an unsuccessful revolt in London against Queen Elizabeth

    Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, leads an unsuccessful revolt in London against Queen Elizabeth

More from the 1600s

First edition of "El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha" (Part One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is pub

First edition of "El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha" (Part One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid

English traveller Robert Shirley marries Iranian noblewoman Teresa Sampsonia at the Safavid royal court

Teresa Sampsonia was a Circassian-English noblewoman of Safavid Iran. She was the wife of the Elizabethan English adventurer Robert Shirley, whom she accompanied on his travels and embassies across...

A fleet of five British East India Company vessels departs on its first voyage from London, led by James Lancaster comma

A fleet of five British East India Company vessels departs on its first voyage from London, led by James Lancaster commanding the "Red Dragon"; the journey lasts nearly 16 months

Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in South American recorded history

Peruvian stratovolcano Huaynaputina explodes in the most violent eruption in South American recorded history

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 1, 1600?
A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year. The 366th day (or 13th month) is added to keep the calendar year synchronised with the astronomical year or seasonal year. Since astronomical events and seasons do not repeat in a whole number of days, calendars that have a constant number of days each year will unavoidably drift over time with respect to the seasons.
Why is Scotland begins its numbered year on January 1 instead of March 25 significant?
A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year.

Explore More

January 1 in HistoryYear 1600