Hey there, curious minds! Did you know that every four years, an extra day is added to our calendar? It’s called a leap year! But wait, there’s more to it than just an extra day. Are you ready to learn amazing facts about leap years? Get ready to discover some awesome facts that will leave you jumping for joy!
When is Leap Year?
A Leap Year occurs every 4 years. Leap Day is held on February 29th. During a Leap Year, there are 366 days in the year instead of 365. February 29th is called Leap Day.
Why do we have a Leap Year?
Why do we have a Leap Year? It has to do with the Earth and the Sun.
You may have heard that the Earth takes 365 days to orbit the sun. We call this a solar year. But it takes a little longer than 365 days. It actually takes 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds to orbit the sun.
Every four years, we add an extra day to our calendar to make up for those little bits of extra time.
Yearly Calendar
The solar year is supposed to coincide with our calendar year (we use the Gregorian calendar), but without the leap year, it won’t. Why?
That extra time it takes for the Earth to complete its orbit around the sun adds up.
So, every 4 years, an extra day is added so that the solar year will stay in line with our calendar year.
Even with the extra day added every 4 years, the calendar is still off by 11 minutes and 14 seconds.
To fix this problem, the leap year is canceled 3 times every 400 years.
When is Leap Year?
In order for it to be a leap year, the year must be evenly divided by 4.
If the year can be evenly divided by 100, is it not a leap year unless it can also be evenly divided by 400.
If January 1st (the first day of the year) and December 31st (the last day of the year) fall on different days of the week, it is a Leap Year.
upcoming leap years:
- 2024
- 2028
- 2032
- 2036
- 2040
- 2044
- 2048
- 2052
- 2056
- 2060
Leap Year Facts for Kids
The Egyptians were the first to start Leap Year.
The Romans later followed the Egyptians and picked the date February 29th
Different cultural calendars deal with leap year differently. The Chinese calendar adds a whole Leap Month every 3 years. The Tabular Islamic Hijri calendar has a 30-year cycle of 11 Leap Years, which have 355 days, and then 19 years, which have 354 days.
Sometimes, babies born on Leap Day are called leaplings.
People who have a birthday on February 29th often celebrate on March 1st.
The U.S Presidential Elections and the Summer Olympics happen during Leap Years.
In Ireland, a woman were allowed to propose to a man on Leap Day.
In European countries, leap day is also called Bachelor’s Day. If a man turns down a marriage proposal from a woman, he has to pay a penalty.
In Scotland, it was considered bad luck to be born on Leap Day.
In Greece, it was considered bad luck to get married during a Leap Year.
