Feb. 21, Monday -- Presidents Day. Malcolm X killed, 1965. Nixon in China, 1972.
Feb. 22, Tuesday -- George Washington born, 1732. Moon on the Equator.Feb. 23, Wednesday -- 1960, wrecking crews began to demolish Ebbets Field, home to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Rotary Club founded, 1905.
Feb. 24, Thursday -- St. Matthias. Winslow Homer born, 1836. Honus Wagner born, 1874.
Feb. 25, Friday -- 16th Amendment (authorizing an income tax) ratified, 1913.
Feb. 26, Saturday -- Grand Teton National Park established, 1929. Levi Strauss born, 1829.
Feb. 27, Sunday -- Sexagesima. 22nd Amendment ratified, 1950. J. Steinbeck born, 1902.
Ask the Old Farmer's Almanac: It it true that the word "bowdlerize" takes its name from a real person? --N.B., Trevose, Pa.
Answer: That's the unexpurgated truth. Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825) was a doctor from Scotland who, being offended by certain passages in Shakespeare and other classics of his day, decided to edit his own editions. His "Family Shakespeare," published in 1818, censured from the original text any phrases or words that he considered to be indelicate or inappropriate for family reading groups. For his extreme sensitivity to the propriety of other people's text, Thomas Bowdler's name became associated with the word, "bowdlerize" meaning expurgate.
You'd be right in assuming that Bowdler was widely attacked for his prudery, but don't conjecture that he was widely ignored. Just the opposite! His 10-volume edition of the Family Shakespeare was reprinted several times over. He also bowdlerized the six-volume "History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" (Gibbons) and common conjectures say that it was his omissions to this work that may have led to his name being taken as the modern-day synonym for expurgate.
He died on Feb. 24, 1825, more known for his editing than for his doctoring.
Ask the Old Farmer's Almanac: What can you tell us about George Washington's personal life? --G.K.A., Shawnee Mission, Kan.
Answer: George Washington was born on Feb. 22, 1732 (although this year we celebrate Presidents Day on Feb. 21). George was one of nine presidents who never attended college, and like every president until Jimmy Carter, he was born at home. Like virtually every president since, he wore glasses, at least some of the time, and his hair -- even if it hadn't been powdered -- was predominantly white. (Monroe and Pierce were exceptions to the white-haired presidents; they showed a handsome dark brown.) In his youth, Washington was considered romantic and emotional -- and loved to dance.
It is said that Washington was a shy man, especially as a youth, but he was not so shy that he couldn't associate with pretty women. He proposed marriage to (and was rejected by) at least two women before his eventual wife-to-be, Martha Custis, accepted him. Perhaps his minimal financial resources had something to do it, but that would be pure speculation. For a time, he was also seriously enamoured of a married woman, Sally Fairfax, the wife of one of his friends. His letters to Sally were clear about the extent of his affection, even while he was engaged to another, which almost made a scandal. It is believed that he and Martha Custis formed a solid and affectionate marriage, however, but records of this are scarce, since she burned all his letters after his death on Dec. 14, 1799.
Like a more recent presidential candidate, Maine's Sen. Edmund Muskie, George Washington saw no shame in tears. On Dec. 4, 1783, Washington wept copiously as he left the officers of his revolutionary army in New York, kissing each of them on the forehead. His infantrymen lined up before him as he headed off to Annapolis, where Congress was meeting, and Washington's tears could be observed as he left for the ferry. Fortunately for America, public reaction to Washington's tears didn't derail his political aspirations.
Ask the Old Farmer's Almanac: I know Feb. 29 makes an extra day in this year, but why, exactly, is it called a leap year? Who's leaping? --J.U., Carson City, Nev.
Answer: There are a couple of different answers to this question, so we'll let you choose your favorite. One theory is that the "bisextile year" as it's sometimes called was not recognized by English courts of law, so any business done on Feb. 29 was recorded as being accomplished on Feb. 28. Legally, Feb. 29 had no status and was "leapt over" or skipped in the ledgers, as if it never existed.
A more popular argument is that the common years (not leap years) have 52 weeks plus one day, while the leap years have 52 weeks plus two days. The results of this are apparent if you try to figure out what day of the week your birthday or Christmas or some other date-fixed event will fall on. If Valentine's Day (always Feb. 14) in 1998 was on a Saturday, for example, then Valentine's Day 1999 can be assumed to fall on a Sunday, since neither year was a leap year. Valentine's Day 2000 also follows the pattern, falling on a Monday, because the leap day in this February hasn't occurred yet. But Valentine's Day 2001 is not on Tuesday but instead "leaps over" this day and falls on the Wednesday, because the leap day in February 2000 has skewed the formula. This "leaped" day caused by the 366th day in leap years is credited with bestowing the name.
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