Photo: Getty Images
Happy Leap Day! Don’t start jumping just yet, though; this holiday has nothing to do with frogsorballet. It’s more about catching up to the Gregorian calendar and the sun’s rotation.
Leap Day is the rarest of dates where anything can happen — especially for thoselucky enough to have been born on Feb. 29— but it’s not without its merits or share of historical happenings.
To learn more about the elusive holiday, here are a few fun facts about Leap Day.
What Is a Leap Year?
Julius Caesar.Science Source/Photo Researchers History/Getty
Science Source/Photo Researchers History/Getty
The Gregorian calendar, a.k.a. the one used in most parts of the world, is usually made up of 365 days, but every four years we have a year with 366 days — a Leap Year. It’s not just some arbitrary add to make us work one extra day in February, however; thereasons for having it are actually scientific.
It takes approximately 365 days for the Earth to complete its orbit around the sun. We say “approximately” because it really takes 365.2422 days for a full revolution. It’s pretty hard to have .2422 of a day (although anything’s possible with along enough nap) so every four years, there is a Leap Year to catch up.
You may think that adding one measly day like that doesn’t amount to much, but it does!
Fun Fact:Julius Caesar was the one to come up with the initial solution, adding a day to February, while Pope Gregory XIII (who’s responsible for the Gregorian calendar) made a few revisions that have become our current calendar.
How Often Is a Leap Year?
Getty
A Leap Year occurs every four years, but because of math, there are a few times in history when every fourth year has not and will not be a Leap Year.
What Happens If You Were Born on a Leap Year?
Ja Rule.Paras Griffin/Getty
If you are born on Feb. 29, you’re not just birthday twins withJa Rule, you’re alsotechnicallyaging slower than other people. Okay, so you’re still aging, but you only celebrate your birthday every four years, which means that if you’re turning 40 years old, you’d only technically be 10. The good news is, you can still celebrate at Chuck E. Cheese without being judged!
The odds of being born on Leap Day are pretty slim: on any given day, there’s a 1 in 365 chance you were born, but on Leap Day, the odds are 1 in 1,461.
It might be quite the dilemma for leaplings — a nickname for someone with a Leap Day birthday — to decide which day to celebrate: Feb. 28 or March 1. It’s all about personal preference.
Here Are Some Fun Leap Year Activities
Matthew Goode and Amy Adams in ‘Leap Year’.Benderspink/Kobal/Shutterstock
Benderspink/Kobal/Shutterstock
If you’re not into rom-coms, give the Leap Day episodes ofModern Family,Parks and Recreation,The Middleand30 Rocka go.
Don’t forget to check outspecial dealsavailable for the holiday, includingnew breakfast items.
Happy Leap Day!
source: people.com
