Why Do We Have Leap Years?
As the end of February nears, we are approaching the Leap Year Day, which famously lands on February 29. Despite most of us being familiar with leap year traditions, less of us are familiar with the astrological reasoning behind leap years. Leap years exist because it takes approximately 365.242 days (which gets rounded to 365.25 days) for the earth to orbit the sun thus, an extra day every four years is needed to sync the Gregorian calendar with the solar calendar.
By rule, most years that are divisible by four are leap years, except for century years. Century years are leap years if they can be divided by 400. For example, the year 2000 was both a leap year and a century year because 2000 can be divided by 400. Furthermore, the next century year, 2100, will not be a leap year. The next century leap year will not occur until 2400. Another interesting fact about century leap years is that they will always start on a Saturday and the leap day will always land on a Tuesday.
In 42 BC, after a degree by Julius Caesar, the Julian Calendar started to account for an extra day to better match the solar year. This practice added an extra day, but it did not follow the century leap year rule. In the Julian Calendar, there is an 11-minute 14-second gap between the 365.242-day orbit around the sun. By 1582 AD, that 11-minute gap adds up to 10 days, which caused Pope Gregory XII to create the Gregorian Calendar. In this calendar, the term leap year is coined for the extra day every four years that falls on February 29th. Pope Gregory XII also developed rules about leap years, including the century rule. The Gregorian calendar is now only 26 seconds behind the solar calendar.
When do those who are born on a leap day celebrate, and how likely is it to be born on February 29? In the United States, there are about 187,000 people, who are known as leaplings or Leapsters, born on February 29th. There is a one in 1,461 chance to be born on a leap day. Leapers often have to wait until March 1st to celebrate their 21st birthday, especially since a leap year will never coincide with a leapling’s 21st birthday. However in Illinois, according to Harry Haupt, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Jesse White, “A person whose birthday is Feb. 29 and who is about to turn 21 during a non-leap year can renew his/her driver’s license on Feb. 28.” Each state varies in which day they determine to be a leapling’s official birthday.
In the United States, all presidential elections fell on leap years except for the very first election in 1789. After then, every presidential election coincides with a 366-day long year. The Declaration of Independence was also signed on a leap year, in 1776. Additionally, The Summer Olympics falls on a leap year.
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