Today is a Leap Day, and only appears every four years, making it a unique and fun occasion. Here are some interesting facts to celebrate this special day:

• Balancing the Calendar: Every four years, February gains an extra day, creating a leap year. Why is this? It takes the Earth approximately 242189 daysto orbit the sun, but our Gregorian calendar has only 365 days. Without the extra day, we’d lose almost six hours each year, leading to a significant calendar drift over time.
• The concept of leap years dates back to Julius Caesar, who introduced the first leap year around 46 B.C. His Julian calendar declared any year divisible by four as a leap year. However, it wasn’t until Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar over 1,500 years later that the math was fine-tuned.
• Leap Year Math: Technically, it’s not every four years. While Caesar’s idea was close, his math needed adjustment. Now, there’s a leap year every year divisible by four, but century years (ending in 00) must also be divisible by 400. So, the year 2000 was a leap year, but 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not.
• The “Leap Year Baby”: Around 5 million people worldwide share this rare birthday, making them “Leaplings” or “Leapers”. The odds of being born on February 29th are roughly 1 in 1,461!
• Leap Year Fun: January, April, and July always start on the same day during leap years. In 2024, they’ll all begin on a Monday.
• Double the Proposals: In some cultures, tradition dictates that women can propose marriage to men on Leap Day, reversing the usual custom.
• Leap Second Surprise: While not directly related to Leap Day, scientists occasionally add a “leap second” to clocks to account for the Earth’s slowing rotation. However, these are being phased out after 2035.