FEB 29! 7 things you never knew know about Leap Year

Leap Year, with its extra day on February 29th, is a fascinating anomaly in our calendar system. Unlike the usual 365 days in a year, Leap Year adds an extra day to help synchronize the calendar year with the solar year, which is approximately 365.2422 days long. This adjustment ensures that our calendars stay in alignment with the Earth’s revolutions around the sun.

The concept of Leap Year dates back to the time of Julius Caesar, who introduced the Julian calendar in 45 BCE. However, the Julian calendar slightly overcompensated for the extra time, leading to a misalignment over the centuries. In the 16th century, Pope Gregory XIII implemented the Gregorian calendar, which we use today, refining the leap year system to better match the solar year.

The rules for determining a Leap Year are simple: a year divisible by 4 is a leap year, except for years divisible by 100. However, a year divisible by 400 is still a leap year. For example, the year 2000 was a leap year, even though it’s divisible by 100, because it’s also divisible by 400.

Leap Day, February 29th, is a day that occurs only once every four years, making it a rare and special occasion. Traditionally, it’s seen as a day when social norms can be reversed, and women are encouraged to propose to men—a custom dating back to the 5th century in Ireland.

While Leap Year may seem like a quirky adjustment to our calendars, it plays a crucial role in keeping our timekeeping systems in harmony with the celestial rhythms of our planet.

Here are 7 things you didn’t know about this all important year

1. Julius Caesar introduced the first calendar leap year in 46 B.C. 

The Earth takes exactly 365 days, five hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds to circle the sun. The occasional Feb. 29 was introduced to ensure we don’t lose six hours every year.

2. Leap year babies are called “leapers” or “leaplings.”

You’d get a special name, too, if you had to wait four years to celebrate your birthday.

3. Feb. 29 has traditionally been a day on which women were allowed to propose to men.

Sounds hopelessly outdated for the 21st century, but this is the way it has worked in many cultures for centuries!

4. Some cultures consider Feb. 29 an unlucky day.

In Italy, people say, “Anno bisesto, anno funesto,” which loosely translates as, “leap year, doom year.”  In some countries, like Greece, people warn against planning weddings during leap years.

5. Feb. 29 is not really a legal day.

Many companies don’t recognize Leap Day as a “valid day.” They make leapers choose either Feb. 28 or March 1 as their birthday instead.

6. Lots of people work for free on Feb. 29.

Most employees who are paid fixed monthly incomes will work for free on Feb. 29 because their wages are likely not calculated to include the extra day.

7. There are two “Leap Year Capitals of the World.”

If you want to celebrate this special day in a big way, head to Texas — or New Mexico. Anthony, Texas and Anthony, New Mexico both claim the title “Leap Year Capital,” while holding lavish, multi-day celebrations each leap year.