As this day only comes around every four years, we wanted to know more about it!
Artwork:
Today's Google Doodle.
Statistics:
Statistically, a baby has a 1 in 1,461 chance of being born on a Leap Day.
Poem:
Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Save February, she alone
Hath eight days and a score
Til leap year gives her one day more.
Birthdays:
Those born on Leap Year are considered “leaplings,” and generally celebrate their birthdays on either February 28 or March 1 during a non-Leap Year. Famous leaplings include rapper Ja Rule.
Irish legend:
According to Irish lore, the Leap Year came about due to a deal that St. Bridget struck with St. Patrick designed to allow women to propose to men every four years.
Greek culture:
In Greece, marriage in a leap year is considered unlucky and as many as 20% of engaged couples in will avoid getting married during a leap year
Real reason for it:
The ancient Egyptians realized that a solar year is roughly “365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds. So that means that periodically, or every four years to be precise, an extra day needs to be added in somewhere to help balance things out, hence an extra day in February every four years. Julius Caesar officially added the year into Roman calendars 2,000 years ago.
