50 years ago, timekeepers deployed the newly invented leap second
Excerpt from the January 12, 1974 issue of Science News
The leap second’s time is nearly up. Scientists will retire the tool used to reset atomic clocks by 2035.
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Happy leap second! — Science News, January 12, 1974
A “leap second” has been invented … to keep time signals used by navigators in step with the actual motion of the Earth. The latest leap second was celebrated New Year’s Eve at the stroke of midnight Greenwich Mean Time, when around the world … radio stations added an extra “beep” to their hourly time signals.
Update
Time is running out for the leap second.