Ten News Explains Leap Day! 📆

Episode

Feb 28

LISTEN HERE

The Ten News: Season 4, Episode 32

Today on The Ten News: 📆 Ever wonder why we have an extra day every four years? Ryan & Pam explain what a Leap Year is as we get ready for a Leap Day! 🎂 A special guest joins us whose birthday falls on February 29th. Hear firsthand what it's like to celebrate a birthday that only comes around once every four years. 🤩 Learn about 4 big events that happen every 4 years including the FIFA World Cup, the Presidential Election, and more! 🗞️ Plus, 10 things you need to know from the 2 year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the U.S. returning to the lunar surface! 🛹 And, on the trivia throne: what year did Tony Hawk make a big leap?

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TRANSCRIPT:

INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO

PAM: Hi team! RYAN. RYAN?

RYAN: What’s up Pam?

PAM: Why are you standing on a desk…?

RYAN: Because it’s almost LEAP DAY and I’m practicing to be the farthest leaper.

PAM: That isn’t what Leap Day is about. I think you should get down from there…

RYAN: Okay, but I’m going to LEAP OFF right at you!

PAM: Wait wait wait wait!

RYAN: I’m getting pretty good, right? I’m Ryan Willard and I’m ready to start the show!

PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland. It’s Wednesday, February 28th.

RYAN: This is the Ten News.

PICKUP: RYAN: There’s a lot happening around the world and we want to keep you cool, kind and informed. And we gotta kick things off with our top story of the day…

RYAN: So the first thing you need to know is that…

PAM: Tomorrow, February 29th is LEAP DAY, making 2024 a Leap Year.

RYAN: I TOLD YOU! <SFX Ryan leaping and crashing>

PAM: Yeah, still not the point of the day.

RYAN: I’m not convinced. Why do we add an extra day to February every four years?

PAM: Well, you know that a regular calendar year is 365 days right? That is roughly the number of days it takes the Earth to take one trip around the Sun. But 365 is actually a rounded number. It really takes 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 56 seconds to make the trip!

This is called a “sidereal year,” and because it is slightly longer than the calendar year, the extra time needs to be accounted for. If we didn’t, it would impact our calendar year and where the seasons line up. Over a period of about 700 years, in the Northern Hemisphere our summers could happen in December and winter would be in July!

RYAN: Oh wow, this leap year thing seems helpful. I don’t want to celebrate the December holidays and drink hot chocolate during a hot summer. So I need to be ready for a Leap Year every four years?

PAM: Well, almost. A leap day every 4 years actually makes the calendar year longer by 44 minutes. Which over a very long period of time would also push our calendars back. So a leap year isn’t every SINGLE four years. The rule is that if the year is divisible by 100 and not divisible by 400, leap year is skipped. The year 2000 was a leap year, for example, but the years 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not. The next time a leap year will be skipped is the year 2100.

RYAN: So maybe it should be called a skip day? Oh I’m so good at skipping!

PAM: Haha, I’m sure you are Ryan. It is called a “leap year” because the date on the calendar “leaps” ahead two days instead of one. You may have noticed that each year, your birthday moves ahead by one day. If it was on Tuesday this year, it would be Wednesday next year. But in a leap year, it will jump two days and be on Thursday.

RYAN: My birthday is going to leap?!! That is awesome. And what else is awesome, is that I actually met someone that was born on February 29th…check out my conversation with this Leaper…

RYAN: Okay. Okay. Uh, I have someone here, and I am very curious. Who are you, where are you from, and what do you do? Um, I'm my name is Carlos.

CARLOS: I'm from Brooklyn, New York, and I'm a student, skateboarder, [00:01:30] photographer.

RYAN: Carlos, your voice sounds very deep. When were you born?

CARLOS: February 20 ninth 2004. Leap day.

RYAN: February 20 ninth 2004. So you are technically turning 5 years old tomorrow?

CARLOS: Yeah. That's correct.

RYAN: How is that possible?

CARLOS: I've only had 5 birthdays because I'm born on a special day. However, I've actually been [00:02:00] on this planet for 20.

RYAN: Got it. Okay. So do people get confused when you tell them that your birthday is on February 29th?

CARLOS: Yeah. I get mixed reactions. Some people, it might just go right over their head, and I have to remind them that that it's, like, a leap day. I guess the most common question that I've been hearing my whole life is, like, what day do you celebrate on on the off years?

RYAN: Okay. So I'm gonna ask you that question. What day do you celebrate on the off [00:02:30] years?

CARLOS: Uh, the 28th, just because I don't, um, I wouldn't wanna wait a day for no reason.

RYAN: Okay. What is the best birthday gift you've ever gotten on 1 of your special birthdays?

CARLOS: Well, I actually got a early birthday present this year. I got a, like, a really fancy film camera that I've been wanting for a while.

RYAN: Oh, like, actual film, not digital, like, actual film?

CARLOS: Yeah. That's what I my [00:03:00] school has a dark room, so I'm able to develop my film. And, um, I love the way that film looks, and I knew I wanted this 1 style of camera. And, uh, my parents were able to hook it up for the special occasion.

RYAN: And so you said you do photography. And do you also you skateboard? I do. Yeah. What what can you tell me anything about skateboarding?Because I can't stand on a skateboard myself.

CARLOS: Um, skateboarding is a lot more than just going out and standing on your or doing tricks on your skateboard. Like, why I find it so interesting is the aspect of being out in the city and exploring and skating [00:04:00] in the streets with your friends and meeting all these cool people from all different walks of life, and you all share this 1 thing in common. That's, like, the part about skateboarding that I think is the most intriguing for me. And, obviously, just like anything, the longer you do it, you end up getting decently good.

RYAN: Do you do any special skateboard tricks on leap day since it's not only your birthday, but is it about leaping and getting air?

CARLOS: Nah. But maybe I'll try to ollie over [00:04:30] something really tall on on leap day on my birthday.

RYAN: Do you have any advice for people who might have a birthday on February 20 ninth that feel weird or different because they have a different birthday than anybody else?

CARLOS: Um, I think that, like, I became I never really felt self conscious about it, although I could see how somebody might, especially at, like, younger ages than where I am right now. But I think it if you view it if it's something that [00:05:30] you're struggling with, just try to view it as something that makes you rare or special.

And, um, I always find it, like, funny when people find out that my birthday's on leap day. And, um, it it's like a nice little, like, conversation starter or just like an interesting thing.

RYAN: Okay. Well, thank you so much for joining us.

CARLOS: Of course. Anytime.
RYAN: Thank you so much for joining us Carlos! You are the coolest and most mature, five year old I’ve ever met.

PAM: Some other cool things also happen every four years. Here are four of them.

Number 1: The Presidential Election. Every state has elections each year for different elected offices, but the biggest race, the Presidential Election, only happens every 4 years. This year's event will be held on November 5, 2024.

Number 2: The Olympics. Athletes all around the world come together every 4 years for the games. The winter and summer olympics alternate every 2 years within the 4 year period. I’m excited for this year’s Summer games which will be held in Paris, France.

Number 3: The FIFA World Cup. Soccer fans know that this international soccer competition, or football competition, as they say outside of the U.S., happens every 4 years. The next one is 2026!

Number 4: The World Scout Jamborees. Do you know a girl scout or a boy scout? Then they might know about this gathering held every 4 years. According to the Scouts organization, the event is where “Tens of thousands of Scouts from all over the world come together to camp outdoors and join in fun activities where they make new friends, learn about other cultures, and develop leadership skills that will last a lifetime.”

<10 Things You Need to Know Music Intro>

PAM: Alright, we covered the number one thing you need to know today.

RYAN: Now here are 9 others! It wouldn’t be the Ten News without these nine other things! First up: Saturday, February 24th marked two years since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The war has left 3.7 million Ukrainians displaced internally, and another 5.9 million displaced outside of Ukraine. Ukraine is still seeking additional aid from the U.S. as the bill is awaiting approval from the House of Representatives. Up next, a horse named Lucky was rescued from a sinkhole in San Fernando Valley last week. The horse lived up to her name, after 60 firefighters and rescuers were able to pull the 1,200 pound animal from the dirt where she was buried neck deep. Lucky is now safe and sound!

PAM: Did you know your pet could be in the next Cadbury Bunny ad!? Your furry friend, or even scaly friend just needs a pair of bunny ears to enter Cadbury’s competition to win up to $7,000 in cash prizes and the opportunity to star in its next commercial! Last week AT&T , one of the big cell phone companies, experienced a major network outage across the United States. Customers were unable to make calls, send texts, or even access the internet. Meanwhile, T-mobile and Verizon customers were unaffected by AT&T’s service outage, but were unable to reach some AT&T customers.

RYAN: 100-year-old Palm Trees have been completely uprooted on Refugio State Beach. Local officials state that there is a combination of factors for the falling of the majestic palm trees like beach erosion, powerful tides, and the back-to-back atmospheric rivers that hit across the state. Up next, talk about some doggone good dogs. Dexter, Pilot, & Declan, facility dogs from Children’s Memorial Hospital in Houston, TX support young patients with things like taking medication & attending physical therapy. And, for Valentine’s day this year they set up a station where patients made goodie bags with the dogs, and even delivered cards to patients that couldn’t make it.

PAM: Now for some udderly messy news, a tanker truck carrying milk overturned in Auburn, MA, spilling 10,000 gallons of milk and diesel fuel onto the roadway, causing major traffic delays. The incident occurred on Route 12 westbound at Interstate 90, causing the closure of the ramp to through traffic. The food delivery service, Uber Eats, will introduce robot delivery services in Tokyo, Japan, through a partnership with robotics firm Cartken and Mitsubishi Electric next month. This marks Japan as the first international market on the Uber Eats platform to have autonomous delivery. The robots are AI & computer vision-equipped to navigate sidewalks and maintain food temperature.

RYAN: Our last headline is out of this world: The United States has returned to the lunar surface for the first time in 50 years! A spacecraft named Odysseus stuck the landing near the moon’s south pole following a 73-minutes descent from orbit. The last US-built spacecraft to land on the moon was NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

RYAN: And that was 10 Things You Need to Know.

<SFX shiny sparkly magical>

OWEN: Welcome to the Trivia Room!

CARLOS: Whatup Owen?

OWEN: Whoooooa. Cool skateboard Carlos.

CARLOS: I appreciate that. Cool throne.

OWEN: Thanks dude! I’ll let you try the Trivia Throne if I can try your skateboard.

CARLOS: Alright.

OWEN: Skateboarding has been cool for a long time, and Tony Hawk was considered the GOAT, Greatest of All Time, after completing a 900 degree vertical spin trick at the X Games. But what year did he land the 900? Was it?

1995
1997, or
1999

OWEN: The answer is…<SFX drumroll> C! 1999!!!

OWEN: Tony Hawk completed the 900 at the X Games in 1999 and won best vertical spin trick. He was technically out of tries after 10 tries! But the X Games judges said that they “make the rules as they go along” and with the support of the other skaters, Hawk continued trying until he landed it. Later that year his video game, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was released and is still considered one of the best skating games of all time.

OWEN: Thanks for playing Carlos!

CARLOS : Thanks for having me Owen!

OWEN: Ten’ers, if you have a great trivia question or want to sit on the Trivia Throne, leave us a message at 877-TEN-NEWS and we might have you on the show!

<sfx shimmer/shine fades and door closes>

RYAN: I’m not gonna lie Pam, all that leaping really tired me out. I don’t think I can do that for another four years.

PAM: I’ve actually been saving my energy for one big leap…check this out.

RYAN: Sweet fancy Moses! And a perfect landing?! Are you an Olympian or something?

PAM: Not yet, but…the Summer Olympics are coming up.

RYAN: Alright, alright, I will train you for the Olympics. But first, we gotta give Ten News Snaps to one of our listeners.

PAM: Oh yeah! But before that, here’s a quick note for the grownups.

RYAN: Time for Ten News Snaps! <Grand fanfare SFX>

PAM: A Ten’er named Slay Girly Pop said, “I like this podcast just please make more episodes.”

RYAN: We are working on that and for the grown-ups, if you want to help support the show, you can do a tax-deductible donation at the link in our show notes. The whole team thanks you for your support!

PAM: And EZ bear 20 said, “So good!” with 17 exclamation points. Alma Kimberly said, “I love the podcast” with five smiley faces.

RYAN: Thank you Slay Girly Pop, Ez Bear 20 and Alma Kimberly! And thanks for listening to the Ten News. Our episodes drop on Wednesdays. And if you want some bonus content, you could join the Ten’ers Club on our website.

PAM: “The Ten News” is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts, and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.

RYAN: The Ten News creative team is leaping like skateboarders and includes Tracey Crooks, Logan DeYoung, Corinne Catibayan, and Carson Potter. Big thanks to Carlos for stopping by and Owen for contributing to this episode.

PAM: Our Production Director is Jeremiah Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan.

RYAN: I’m Ryan Willard.

PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland, thanks for listening to The Ten News.

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LISTEN HERE

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