A look back on Journal Sentinel headlines that made Leap Day front pages, going back 144 years

Leap Day only comes around once every four years. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has published more than 30 front pages on Leap Days since 1880 in the history of its publication.

For this year's Leap Day, we decided to pull the front pages to see what made headlines in 30 previous Leap Day editions. Here's a look.

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Saturday, Feb. 29, 1908: Driver walks home after narrow escape; Horse killed and wagon demolished

"After being picked up on the pilot of a flying locomotive, tossed in front of it for a block like a football and finally thrown thirty feet down an embankment, Frank Tuess, aged 20...picked himself up and started to walk..the accident occurred last night on the Milwaukee road tracks near Oklahoma-av."

Friday, Feb. 29, 1924: $10,000 Suit Stirs Bus War; Lines' Control Put Up to Federal Court in Damage Action

"The controversy over the right to operate motor buses in Milwaukee without a permit from the city may be decided in federal court after a suit for damages was filed against the Electric Co. as a result of the death of Harold McIntosh, who was killed by a bus Dec. 28."

Wednesday, Feb. 29, 1928: Children Warned of Colds' Danger

"These colds are the most contagious of all diseases. They are frequently transferred to children by inconsiderate people who cannot abstain from visiting when suffering from this infection themselves, or what is still worse, fondle and kiss the well child."

Monday, Feb. 29, 1932: Tagging 'Officials'

"Federal employees are chagrined because they received police tags for parking their cars too long near the federal building. A number of them seem to feel that the area around that building is a sort of District of Columbia- a tract set aside for the use of federal employees. Also, a number of them may think they are "officials" and therefore privileged to park where and as they please."

Saturday, Feb. 29, 1936: Train pushes car 50 feet; auto and driver undamaged

"Petro Beltran, 38, escaped injury Saturday morning when his automobile was struck by a Milwaukee road freight train on the S. Sixtieth St. crossing and was pushed about 50 feet along the railroad right of way."

Thursday, Feb. 29, 1940: Revoke their licenses!

"A Milwaukee motorist a few days ago was brought into court on a reckless driving charge. Fortunately, in a collision with a streetcar, he and the passenger escaped with minor injuries."

Tuesday, Feb. 29, 1944: Father Brooks is made Marquette U President; Native of Wisconsin and Graduate of University

"Before the meal began a young scholastic, Felix Hager, S.J., who is on the faculty of Marquette high school, arose and read an order from the Rev. Z.J. Maher, S.J., St. Andrew on the Hudson, N.Y., which made Father Brooks president of Marquette."

Sunday, Feb. 29, 1948: Miami Police shots greeted holdup gang; Wounded man ditched by pals as attempt to find doctor they could trust failed

"Three former Milwaukeeans were being held Saturday at Miami, Florida, after a badly wounded gangster had been found on an uninhabited island in the Florida keys. Members of the wounded mobster's gang had sought unsuccessfully to obtain medical care for him after he had been shot in a recently attempted burglary."

Friday, Feb. 29, 1952: Milk goes up cent a quart

"A 1 cent quart boost in milk prices was announced Friday by several major Milwaukee dairies. The raise will send the price of a quart of home delivered regular milk to 21 cent and 22 cent for homogenized."

Wednesday, Feb. 29, 1956: Zoo gets aid of Waukesha; One firm has given $500 to purchase 5 Spider Monkeys

"The campaign for funds to stock the new Milwaukee county zoo has spread to Waukesha county."

Thursday, Feb. 29, 1968: Romney Withdrawal puts pressure on Rockefeller

"The situation in Wisconsin in the wake of Gov. George W. Romney's withdrawal as a candidate for president was best characterized by a top Romney supporter in the state. He said 'Deal the cards. It's a new hand.'"

Tuesday, Feb. 29, 1972: County Oks 9 mile farm exemption

"Exemption of the former nine mile farm in Bayside from property taxes so it can be used for a nature center was approved Tuesday by an 18 to 4 vote of the County Board."

Sunday, Feb. 29, 1976: Missing boy's body found in Whitnall

"The body of a 14 year old Franklin boy, who had been missing eight days, was found Saturday in a wooded area of Whitnall Park. Hales Corners police called the case a homicide."

Friday, Feb. 29, 1980: UW minority has stalled, regents are told

"Although gains were reported in recruiting minorities over the past several years, the two reports found that the universities were having difficulty retaining students. Minority students tended to leave school for reasons including inadequate high school preparation, unreceptive and alien campus environments and inadequate career counseling."

Wednesday, Feb. 29, 1984: Local officials need guts, protection; an editorial

"Local elected officials, who usually serve many hours for little or no pay, sometimes must make tough decisions sure to anger some segment of the citizenry. The cause of good government requires that those officials have better insulation from the whims of the electorate than they now have."

Monday, Feb. 29, 1988: County plans to add 10-12 airport gates

"Plans by Northwest and Midwest Express Airlines to expand service at Mitchell Airport have led to a proposal to expand the number of gates at the airport by nearly 50%."

Saturday, Feb. 29, 1992: Group promotes fear, Arreola says; Chief discounts charges that squads are stripped from South Side districts

"Police Chief Philip Arreola questioned the motives of a South Side community group whose members demanded that his department stop dispatching squad cars from their part of town to other neighborhoods."

Thursday, Feb. 29, 1996: Brewers to make deadline; team confident, sees no need for new investors

"The Milwaukee Brewers don't need new investors and will be able to meet their financial commitment to the new stadium by the March 22 deadline."

Tuesday, Feb. 29, 2000: Senate sues agency over farm tax break

"State government sued itself, with the state Senate paying for a lawsuit seeking to block the Department of Revenue from fully implementing major tax breaks for farmers this year."

Sunday, Feb. 29, 2004: The pain of death

"In Wisconsin, Blacks [sic] between the ages of 15 and 24 are 18 times more likely to die from homicide than their white peers. This disparity is far worse here than nationwide; across America, young Blacks are seven times more likely to be victims of homicide than young whites."

Friday, Feb. 29, 2008: Deal made on police pay

"After more than two years of wrangling, Democrats and Republicans reached a deal on ending pay for Milwaukee police officers charged with committing serious crimes."

Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012: Sample collector defends his work

"Dino I. Laurenzi Jr., the collector at the center of the Ryan Braun drug-testing controversy, said he followed proper procedures in storing test samples in the basement of his home."

Monday, Feb. 29, 2016: Trump lacks crossover vote appeal

"Polls show that 86% of Wisconsin Democratic voters view Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump unfavorable, compared with 63% for Cruz and 57% for Rubio."

Saturday, Feb. 29: 2020: Harley president and CEO steps down

"Harley-Davidson president and CEO Matt Levatich stepped down from the company, ending his career of 26 years at the world's largest manufacturer of heavyweight motorcycles."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Leap Year 2024: See front page headlines from past Leap Days