Leap Year 2024: Why February Gets Extra Day Every Four Years?

This year, February has an extra day, making it 29 days instead of the usual 28. This happens because this year will be a leap year 2024, which occurs every four years. Google release a doodle to celebrate Leap Day 2024 on February 29th. The doodle featured a playful animation of a frog leaping across a pond with the letters “Google” forming the background landscape.

2024 marks a leap year, making Thursday, Feb. 29, a once-in-every-four-years phenomenon. Leap years usually happen every four years, although there are exceptions. Our last leap days were in 2020 and 2016, and the next leap year will occur in 2028.

As this day is a rare occurrence, people are celebrating in various ways, with businesses offering special deals, and individuals born on Feb. 29 finally celebrating their birthdays. Google also released a delightful doodle for Leap Day 2024, which fell on February 29th! It featured a playful animation of a frog gracefully leaping across lily pads, with the letters “Google” forming the background landscape.

Well, our calendar is based on the time it takes Earth to orbit the sun, which is about 365 days and a little more. To be exact, it’s 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds. These extra hours add up, so we have leap years to make up for them.

Leap years are occasionally skipped to account for fractions of time. Years divisible by 100 but not 400 are skipped. For example, leap years were skipped in 1700, 1800, and 1900, but not in 2000. The next leap year to be skipped will be in 2100.

Who Created Leap Day?

Leap Day is in February because of ancient Roman history. Back then, the Romans didn’t really like February much, so it ended up being the month with the fewest days. Julius Caesar added Leap Day to the calendar, they adopted it from the Egyptians who added one day in February. However, it wasn’t until Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 that we got the calendar we use today.

Upcoming Leap Days 2024 is a leap year, with the extra day falling on Thursday, Feb. 29. The next special years will occur in 2028, 2032, and 2036.

Also See: South Korea’s Birth Rate Hitting A New Low In 2024

Feb. 29 is the rarest birthday, occurring once every four years. People born on leap day, known as “Leaplings,” often celebrate on Feb. 28 or March 1 during non-leap years, although official documents may list their birthday as Feb. 29.

In conclusion, leap day is a fascinating aspect of our calendar system, reminding us of the intricacies of timekeeping and the natural cycles of our planet.