7 things that happened on February 29

Historically speaking, February 29th – we know this after this little research – is more important than you might immediately think. But see for yourself:

Christopher Columbus knew that a lunar eclipse would occur on February 29, 1504 and took advantage of the opportunity. On his fourth voyage to the New World, he and his crew were stranded in Jamaica. They obtained food through trade with natives. However, when the Spanish mistreated the native population, they no longer wanted to do business with them.

Because a lunar eclipse was imminent, the sailor told the chiefs that the gods were evil and would therefore take the moon from them. When the moon actually ‘disappeared’ from the sky, they asked his forgiveness. Columbus accepted this on the condition that he would be given food again – and thus saved himself and his people from impending famine.

At the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, more than 200 defendants were accused of witchcraft. The first accusations are said to have been made (depending on the source) on February 29, 1692, much to the dismay of the thirty suspects – including men – who were convicted at the end of the trial. 19 of them were hanged

The whole nonsense started because a doctor interpreted the symptoms of a pastor’s daughter and her cousin as the result of witchcraft and ended with everyone pointing the finger at the neighbors and accusing them of having a connection with the devil.

Also on February 29, an important piece of Swiss history was written: in 1880 the top tunnel in the Gotthard was cut. The then new method of blowing up dynamite caused a stir. But no matter how progressive the approach was, the appalling working conditions on site were just as backward. While the summit tunnel was being built, 177 workers were killed.

Before the decision was made on the Gotthard, projects on the Lukmanier, the Grimsel, the San Bernardino and the Splügen were also discussed. Thanks to the efforts of railway entrepreneur Alfred Escher, the choice fell on the Gotthard, which is still of great importance for Swiss transport today.

After three days of almost non-stop passionate discussions, parliamentarians of the Prague National Assembly adopted Czechoslovakia’s first constitution on February 29, 1920. The memorable first sentence read: “The people are the sole source of all state power in the Czechoslovak Republic.”

Only eighteen years later, in September 1938, did this change, because the border area populated by a majority of Germans, the so-called Sudeten area, had to be ceded to Germany as a result of the Munich Agreement.

On February 29, 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to win an Oscar for her supporting role in the film “Gone with the Wind.” She played the maid Mammy in it. The actress, who died in 1952, left her historic award to Howard University in Washington, where it suddenly disappeared and never appeared again.

The Academy awarded the largely black university a replacement Oscar last October.

On Leap Day in 1960, a very special place opened in Chicago: the first Playboy Club to exist anywhere. There you could eat prime rib, the best entertainment from famous entertainers such as Bobby Short, a stylishly decorated interior and – of course – beautiful women in skimpy rabbit costumes who served the guests.

Hugh Hefner said the original idea was to create a place where friends could meet. The Chicago club’s concept has been adopted around the world, including in Japan, Jamaica and England. It was also common for an exhibition in front of the club to show which celebrities were currently in the establishment.

An Oscar ceremony that perhaps more of you will remember was that of February 29, 2004. At that time, the most popular and final part of the “Lord of the Rings” series was awarded an Oscar.

(anb)