2024 is a leap year; therefore, Thursday, February 29 is a once-in-four-year event.
Our last leap days were in 2020 and 2016, and the next leap year will be in 2028.
And because this is a rare occasion, people are commemorating it in various ways, with companies giving special bargains and others finally marking their February 29th birthday.
Here’s everything you need to know about Leap Day, including what it is, why it occurs every four years, and when it was formed.
What is Leap Day?
Leap days are additional days added to the calendar. During a leap year, which happens every four years, leap day is on February 29, providing the shortest month of the year with one extra day.
Why does leap day occur every four years?
The Earth’s orbit is what causes leap days and years.
The number of days it takes for the Earth to make one full rotation around the Sun is not a whole number. According to the National Air and Space Museum, the 365 days we experience are, in fact, 365.242190.
Getting rid of those 0.242190 days accumulates.
That fraction permits the seasons to align precisely each year. If leap day were removed from the calendar, the months in which we typically experience each season would alter. This would have an influence on other parts of life, such as agricultural production and harvesting.
Four 0.242190 days add up to one full day, which is why February 29 is added to the calendars of most years divisible by four, including 2024.
When do we skip Leap Day?
To compensate for decimals of time, we occasionally skip leap years, but this is uncommon. Prepare for a little math.Years divisible by 100 but not 400 are skipped, which means we skipped leap years in 1700, 1800, and 1900 but not in 2000. The next leap year, which we will skip, is in 2100.
How often do leap years occur?Here’s the next leap day after 2024, and when we’ll finally miss one.
Who invented leap day?
The notion of adding leap days is not new; it has existed for millennia, according to Britannica. Some calendars, including the Hebrew, Chinese, and Buddhist calendars, had leap months, also known as “intercalary or interstitial months,” according to the History Channel.
While Julius Caesar is frequently credited with inventing leap days, he borrowed the concept from the Egyptians. According to National Geographic, by the third century BCE, Egyptians had adopted a 365-day solar calendar with a leap year every four years.
The ancient Roman calendar includes a 23-day intercalary month known as “Mercedonius.” However, it was not a single month. According to the History Channel, Mercedonius was added to February to adjust for the gap between the Roman and solar calendar years.
When creating the Julian calendar, Caesar was inspired by the Egyptians and chose to add an extra day to the month of February every four years. The Julian calendar officially began on January 1, 45 BCE.
This approach would last several centuries, but not without problems. Caesar’s calculation of 365.25 days was near, but it didn’t match the exact 365.242190 days in the solar year. Caesar “overestimated the solar year by 11 minutes,” according to the History Channel. This meant that the Julian calendar would be one day short every 128 years, according to National Geographic.
By the 16th century, time had moved again, but not in a positive way. Major dates had shifted, including Easter. The holiday is scheduled to fall on the first Sunday following the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. At the time, Easter had shifted by around ten days.
Despite its precision, the Gregorian calendar is not perfect. The Gregorian calendar falls short once every 3,030 years, unlike the Julian calendar, which is wrong by one day every 128 years, according to the History Channel.
Upcoming leap days
This year (2024) is a leap year. The leap day will be on Thursday, February 29.
The following leap years will occur in 2028, 2032, and 2036.
Leap Day Deals: Where to Save on Food, Products, and More Feb. 29
Wendy’s, Chipotle, and Krispy Kreme are all giving promotions and free meals to celebrate Leap Day. Here’s where to get savings.
What happens if you are born on a leap year?
The rarest birthdate is February 29. Still, the History Channel reports that at least 5 million individuals celebrate their birthdays on leap day. Your chances of being born on February 29 are one- in 1,461.
Many “leaplings” (or individuals born on a leap day) will celebrate their birthdays on February 28 or March 1 in a conventional 365-day year, despite the fact that paperwork will show it as February 29.
25 never looked so good: an Oklahoma woman born on leap day celebrates her 100th birthday.
Meet Mary Lea Forsythe. She reaches 100 on Leap Day, although this is only her 25th birthday.
Just curious for more? We have you covered.
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