97 things happened on 29 February, from AD 468 to 2024. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1796 · 230 years ago
The Jay Treaty between Great Britain and the United States came into force. Signed in 1794, it helped the two countries avoid war and settled problems left over from the end of the American War of Independence. Britain agreed to leave its forts on US land, mo…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
The Jay Treaty between Great Britain and the United States came into force. Signed in 1794, it helped the two countries avoid war and settled problems left over from the end of the American War of Independence. Britain agreed to leave its forts on US land, most of them around the Great Lakes. The treaty led to ten years of peaceful trade between the two nations.
UK story
The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence withdraws Prince Harry from a tour of Afghanistan after news of his deployment is leaked to foreign media.
Explorer Christopher Columbus and his hungry crew were stranded on Jamaica, and local people had stopped bringing them food. Using a book of astronomy tables, Columbus knew a total eclipse of the Moon was coming. He warned that God was angry and would make the rising Moon look 'inflamed with wrath'. When the Moon turned red that evening, the frightened islanders brought supplies again.
Sweden's calendar had a 30 February. In 1700 Sweden began changing to the new Gregorian calendar slowly by skipping leap days, but a war stopped the plan. This left Swedish dates out of step with both the old and the new calendars. To go back to the old Julian calendar, King Charles XII ordered an extra day in 1712, so February had 30 days and the year had 367.
At the 12th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Hattie McDaniel won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in the film Gone with the Wind. She became the first African American to win an Oscar. McDaniel was also a singer-songwriter and comedian. In 2006 she became the first Black Oscar winner to be honoured with a US postage stamp.
The first issue of La Bougie du Sapeur, a funny French newspaper, was printed. It is only published on leap day, 29 February, so a new issue comes out just once every four years. That makes it the world's least frequently published newspaper. Its editor-in-chief, Jean d'Indy, has helped to produce it since 1992.
South African archbishop Desmond Tutu was arrested along with about 100 other church leaders during a protest against apartheid in Cape Town. Apartheid was a system of laws in South Africa, from 1948 to 1994, that kept people of different races apart and gave white people the most power. Tutu was the first black African to become Archbishop of Cape Town and campaigned for human rights.
Construction of Tokyo Skytree, a broadcasting and observation tower in Tokyo, Japan, was completed. It had reached its full height of 634 metres the year before, becoming the tallest tower in the world. Only two structures on Earth are taller: the Burj Khalifa and Merdeka 118. Broadcasting towers like this send out television and radio signals.
Luxembourg became the first country in the world to make public transport free across the whole nation. Free public transport means passengers do not pay any fares. Instead, it is paid for in other ways, such as by the government through taxes or by businesses as sponsors.
Odo, count of Paris, is crowned king of West Francia (France) by Archbishop Walter of Sens at Compiègne.
Abel Tasman's second Pacific voyage begins as he leaves Batavia in command of three ships.
Ulrika Eleonora, Queen of Sweden abdicates in favour of her husband, who becomes King Frederick I on March 24.
Polish nobles form the Bar Confederation.
St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated.
James Madison University is founded at Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States as The State Normal and Industrial School for Women by the Virginia General Assembly.
The Piedra Movediza (Moving Stone) of Tandil falls and breaks.
In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill and mine workers is raised from 12 to 14 years old.
The Czechoslovak National Assembly adopts the Constitution.
The Victorian Football League created the Brownlow Medal to honour deceased administrator Charles Brownlow, now awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League.
The February 26 Incident in Tokyo ends.
Finland initiates Winter War peace negotiations.
In a ceremony held in Berkeley, California, physicist Ernest Lawrence receives the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics from Sweden's consul general in San Francisco.
World War II: The Admiralty Islands campaign began when American forces assaulted Los Negros Island, the third largest of the Admiralty Islands.
South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from South Vietnam as part of Nixon's Vietnamization policy in the Vietnam War.
Gordie Howe of the Hartford Whalers makes NHL history as he scores his 800th goal.
Pierre Trudeau announces his retirement as Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister of Canada.
Svend Robinson becomes the first member of the House of Commons of Canada to come out as gay.
Costello's, a New York City bar popular with journalists, writers, novelists, and cartoonists, closed.
A referendum is begun in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the determination of Bosnian independence.
The Siege of Sarajevo officially ends.
Angelina Jolie wears a White Marc Bouwer dress to the 76th Academy Awards, which has since been placed on numerous lists for best red carpet fashion.
Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was overthrown following popular rebel uprising.
North Korea agrees to suspend uranium enrichment and nuclear and long-range missile tests in return for US food aid.
Muhyiddin Yassin is appointed as the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia, amid the 2020 Malaysian political crisis.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “The Jay Treaty between Britain and the United States comes into force”?
C: 1796. 1796 — that’s 230 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year was Hannah Mills born?
A: 1988. 1988 — that’s 38 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: Columbus uses a lunar eclipse to get food on Jamaica. 1796: The Jay Treaty between Britain and the United States comes into force · 2012: Work is finished on Tokyo Skytree, the world's tallest tower · 1504: Columbus uses a lunar eclipse to get food on Jamaica Find it on the page
“Columbus uses a lunar eclipse to get food on Jamaica” happened in 1504. How many years ago was that?
A: 522 years. 2026 − 1504 = 522. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 29 February.
Gioachino Rossini was an Italian composer famous for his 39 operas. Born on 29 February, he could only celebrate his real birthday in leap years. He began composing by the age of twelve, and his first opera was performed when he was 18. His most popular works include the comic opera The Barber of Seville. His opera William Tell is one of his longest.
UK story
Hannah Mills is a Welsh sailor who won three Olympic medals for Team GB in the 470 class of sailing boat. She won silver with Saskia Clark in 2012, then gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. She then won gold again with Eilidh McIntyre at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She has also been world champion twice.
Well-known people who died on 29 February.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 29 February somewhere in the world.
UK story
In a leap year, February gets an extra day, the 29th, to keep the calendar in step with the seasons as the Earth travels around the Sun. By an old Irish tradition, also found in Scotland and other parts of the UK, women may propose marriage to men on this day. Legend says Saint Bridget asked Saint Patrick to allow it, and he agreed to one day every four years.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “February 29” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.