Leap years, those occasional occurrences when an extra day is added to February, have long fascinated and puzzled humanity. Live Science dives into the historical and scientific underpinnings of leap years, shedding light on their origins and significance in our calendar system.

The Earth’s orbit around the Sun is not precisely 365 days long. Instead, it takes approximately 365.2425 days for the Earth to complete one orbit. Without the adjustment provided by leap years, our calendar would gradually fall out of sync with the astronomical seasons, leading to significant discrepancies over time.

The concept of leap years dates back to ancient civilizations, including the Egyptians and Romans, who recognized the necessity for periodic adjustments to their calendars to align with the solar year. Julius Caesar’s introduction of the Julian calendar in 45 BCE marked a significant milestone, as it included a leap year every four years to compensate for the extra fraction of a day in the Earth’s orbit.

Live Science explores the evolution of leap years over the centuries, highlighting the refinements and adjustments made to the calendar system to improve accuracy. Additionally, leap years hold scientific significance, offering insight into our understanding of astronomy and celestial mechanics.

The transition from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in 1582, led by Pope Gregory XIII, further refined the leap year system by introducing additional rules to ensure greater precision in tracking the Earth’s orbit. Through centuries of observation, calculation, and adjustment, humanity has developed a calendar system that reflects our evolving understanding of the natural world.

Leap years not only serve a practical purpose in maintaining calendar accuracy but also contribute to our scientific understanding of astronomy. Live Science delves into the mathematical calculations and astronomical observations that underpin the determination of leap years, illustrating the intricate relationship between human timekeeping and the movements of the cosmos.

In conclusion, leap years stand as a testament to humanity’s ingenuity in navigating the complexities of time and space. Live Science’s exploration of leap years offers a fascinating journey through history, science, and culture, reminding us of our ongoing quest to unravel the mysteries of the universe and maintain the precision of our calendar system.

A lot of these yard signs have lines wittier than the entire episode of a stand-up comedy show. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some fascinating yard signs that put ‘fun’ in the word funny.

This is one hell of a smart wife. When she caught her husband cheating on her, she decided to take matters into her own hands and sold all of her now-ex husband’s belongings. We hope the guy wasn’t one of the items on sale. He wouldn’t fetch a handsome price given his cheating history, we feel!

We love a person whose life reads like an open book. They have no secrets to hide — nor do they have any skeletons lying somewhere in their closet that they need to Marie-Kondo.

Like the person behind this yard sign — they seem to be brutally honest and in the know of what their needs and wants are. They are pretty open about their financial status too and seem to be aware of the political scene. We’d give them a brownie point for that.

Health is wealth — and this person seems to be aware of the importance of a healthy regime. They, in a way, represent the broken fitness resolutions that most of us love to make every New Year.

The words ‘fat’ and ‘lazy’ in the yard sign resonates with us on a deeply personal level. We kind of feel attacked! What about you?

Here’s another funny (and powerful) yard sign about a cheating husband. This, unlike the previous one, informs us about the situation with a bit of subtext. So, this husband in question was cheating on two women at the same time while his wife was busy nursing his ailing mother.

The women, upon discovering the truth, joined forces and came up with this yard sign to make the entire neighborhood aware of this man and his poor decisions.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. But, sometimes, one man’s crap could simply be another man’s crap — as this yard sign cheekily implies.

We don’t know about you but we’re sold. This is branding at its best. Wanna join us in checking out crap? We can grab a soda and a cheeseburger later.

Some of these yard signs are so creative that they deserve a mention on this list. This one, for starters, uses reverse psychology to optimize its message.

And, it has done an excellent job at it. This can be a solid case study for how to attract customers without spending a buck. Are any B-schools seeing this? This should probably be part of some marketing curriculum.

We don’t know about you guys, but we still check underneath our beds before we go to sleep! Horror movies still get the best of us, after all. So, with that, we have to commend this realtor for pointing out that the house is actually ghost-free.

This yard sign is a clever way of selling property to those buyers who are looking to move into a house with their loved ones minus any paranormal intruders or gatecrashers. Who likes gatecrashers anyway, paranormal or not!

It seems like that the owner of this yard sign doesn’t take stealing lightly — and is slightly unforgiving in nature. He believes in waging a war against anyone that attempts to steal his sign for a second time.

And how does he do this? Simply by putting up a second yard sign, which is essentially just a warning. You’ve definitely been warned, thieves!

A lot of yard signs are full of political humor in various shades. This is one such sign from the lot. Apparently, the guy was displeased with the results of the election and he expressed his discontent by putting up a yard sign — for the entire neighborhood to see.

If you’re an avid watcher of zombie movies, you would know that zombies are going to take over the world any day now. This guy just happened to know beforehand!

A home is made of members of the family (unless you’re a family of one). This means a home includes the husband, the wife, the children, and other family members if any. They all contribute in their way to make the phrase ‘home sweet home’ a pleasant reality.

This ‘husband’ seems to have forgotten this fact by putting up a sign on the lawn. But, his wife and sons were quick to remind him that he’s alone in this particular case.

Can we stop talking for some time and maintain pin-drop silence as the grass is sleeping? Yes, the grass also needs its beauty sleep to look green, fresh, and youthful.

Let’s be a doll and not break its REM cycle— though we wonder what it must be dreaming about. Perhaps getting grazed by a lawnmower or being caressed by a soft breeze? We think we should also hit the bed for a while.

This looks like a yard sign from a boutique resort — and it’s a perfect example of why the rules and boundaries need to be established firsthand. The rules, as per this yard sign, include a set of ‘no-nos’ such as no running, no jumping, and no peeing in the swimming pool.

But, swimsuits are optional? Hmmm, that’s strange. Something about this sign seems a little backwards to us.

Why should the youth have all the fun, we say! Senior citizens have a fine sense of humor, as well, and we should let them showcase it.

This yard sign welcomes visitors to the town of Hillville and is accompanied by humorous illustrations of the problems that senior citizens face every day. It also mentions that celebrating birthdays is a faux pas in this locality.

The word infestation is predominantly used with respect to the outbreak of insects. But, here we have expanded its usage to flamingos — because this person’s lawn is full of dozens upon dozens of plastic flamingos.

He has also mentioned the reason behind these actions, stating that he would have rather spoken like good neighbors do, rather than get the police force involved. Why do we feel like this isn’t going to end anytime soon?

We have the neighborhood fashion police here, and they’re quite particular about what joggers should and shouldn’t wear. The person thinks that any runner passing by his house should be decently covered.

But, the word ‘decent’ can mean different things to different people. In any event, we bet that joggers paid no attention to this sign. After all, what gives this person the right to reprimand total strangers?

Next up is an interesting neighborhood yard sign pasted on the trunk of a tree. The sign is about a missing turtle and a pair of nunchucks. The sign’s copy reads — ‘Missing: Pet turtle and nunchucks.’

It further mentions that, though his turtle appears slow, it’s actually quite dangerous. The person is also optimistic that his turtle will eventually return home. He might — but what about nunchucks? They sure can’t travel on their own, right? Can they?

Give us a high-five or a fist bump (comments and re-shares are nice also!) if you, too, love a good sale like us! Stumbling across a good find in a sale is a feeling like no other.

This yard sign owner seems to be aware of the psychology of a sale lover. He has tapped into their minds by putting up a yard sign that reads ‘OMG Becky, Look at that sale. It is so big!’ This one is gonna be a crowd-puller, if you ask us!

Everyone is requested to maintain a safe distance — this is Lawn & Order: Special Grass Unit, after all. Any trespassers shall be subjected to strict consequences.

Therefore, we request you not to venture near the property and maintain a safe distance from it. Your cooperation is much appreciated. Thank you! Also, refrain from clicking any images should you want us to seize your electronic devices.

What came first — the chicken or the egg? If you ask people this question, chances are you will get a host of responses with no definitive answer. They probably don’t know the answer either.

This yard sign seems to have borrowed a page out of this popular concept as its copy reads, “Is it a yard sale or an inexpensive department store?” There’s one way to find out…

How well do you know cats? If your knowledge about cats is rusty, this yard sign will teach you a fact or two. This cheeky yard sign that was placed before Holly Ridge Veterinary Hospital reads — if cats could text you back, they would not.

Though it’s a purely hypothetical fact, it will help you in lowering your expectations when it comes to your pet cat.

The art of listing your property for sale is an important aspect of property sales. It should attract the potential buyer — and help you close the deal in the shortest time. So, the messaging of your listing should be bang on and as per the needs and wants of the buyer.

If you’re looking to sell your property to a price-conscious buyer, you can probably take some cues from this yard sign that suggests this property is almost as cheap as dumpster living!

We all know about the desperate housewives from Wisteria Lane. They have manicured gardens, well-maintained homes, and not-so-glossy lives. This yard sign seems to be taking place in the Wisteria Lane as it reads — ‘Desperate people selling desperate things.’

Are we desperately trying to read into something that just doesn’t exist or just desperate to meet those desperate housewives? If we really could, it would be rather swell.

Here’s your rare golden chance to meet the superhero, Batman, as he has taken some time off from his busy schedule to attend this epic yard sale. We didn’t know that Batman is also a shopaholic like us!

We have marked our calendar to attend this. Why? Because Batman is coming and we wouldn’t want to miss the chance of shopping with him. However, we doubt he would be there doing any shopping. Alfred would take care of it, wouldn’t he?

Well, we need neighbors like this one who can confess that they goofed up when they do so to avoid the misunderstanding from snowballing further. Apparently, this guy left a love note for his wife in his car.

Turned out, he had made a mistake and left the note on the wrong car. Once he realized that, he put up a yard sign explaining his side to all the parties involved in this incident — knowingly and unknowingly.

Ryan Gosling is incredibly attractive. Let’s admit it — that the man is near-perfect, flawless. So, when Ryan Gosling decides to grace the neighborhood sale with his presence, we have to re-schedule everything.

We have to make sure that we’re at that sale before time. Who knows we might end up shopping for the same things apart from that tea set he’s coming to shop for. Our fingers are toes are crossed!

If the property is too old, people tend to get curious about its history and what must have happened there years ago. Was this property visited by some celebrity or was it a site for some secret meeting?

This yard sign debunks the notion that, sometimes, such curiosity is nothing but a figment of imagination as it states that nothing happened on this spot. For all you know, something spooky did happen but they just don’t want you to know.

You must have probably come across ‘Keep off the grass’ signs on many occasions. But, how often have you come across a warning that backs it up with a litany of reasons?

Hardly any right? Well, you’re in luck as we’ve found one such yard sign that tells people to keep off the grass and not to let their pets use it as their personal restroom either. It does ring true on many levels!

Trollers are everywhere. As opposed to the prevalent belief, they’re not necessarily online creatures. They have a pretty offline presence, too — case in point being this yard sign.

Apparently, a sign that says ‘no signs on yard’ (take a moment to digest the irony behind the sign!) was trolled with a second yard sign that accepted the challenge. The games have just begun, and how!

People often have many items on their bucket list — such as witnessing the Northern Lights, scuba diving with the sharks, stealing a kiss under the Eiffel Tower, pursuing a political career, and more.

This gentleman here also has put up a yard sign very similar to the kinds you would see politicians put up. But, he doesn’t want to run. He’s simply fulfilling an experience and striking out yet another thing off the bucket list.

You have to read this yard sign carefully as it may not be what you think it is. The image on this sign is misleading at its best. Apparently, the sign is more of a cat-bashing (read the image for details) and indicates how fed up the guy is with this cat.

He, in fact, is ready to get rid of his all-time meowing cat (his words — not ours) to the person who returns his lost car keys. So, deal or no deal?