It’s the 29th of February, a very special day that literally comes along only once every U.S. Presidential election cycle.
Happy Leap Day to all!
Today’s the day every four years that we tack on an extra day to even up the whole earth rotating around the sun thing.
Probably. We think. At least that’s how we understand it. We might be making that up, but it sounds more or less true.
Leap Day, of course, is part of a Leap Year.
As such, it contains a 366th day added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or whatever.
Because February only has 28 days to start with, for some reason, the powers that be gave that month the extra day.
Leap Day has nothing to do with the election, although it does happen to coincide with that other quadrennial event.
After this one right here, future elections/Leap Years include 2024, 2028, 2032, 2036, 2040, 2044, 2048 and 2052.
We could go on.
More exciting than the election? Literally anything. But for the “Leaplings” or “Leapers” of the world, today is super special.
After all, a person born into this world on the 29th of February only gets a birthday every four years! Think about that.
The coolest thing about having a Leap Day birthday? Becoming a walking, talking conversation piece by virtue of being born.
The downside? The other three years.
When do you even celebrate? February 28 or March 1? On one hand, March 1 seems logical, as it’s the day after February 28.
Then again, it’s not even the same month if you go that route. You can’t change your birth month, right? What do you do?!
Some federal programs such as Social Security accept February 29 birthdays, though, the free market can be less reliable.
Some websites don’t even list the 29th as an option in drop-down menus! That’s a microaggression if we’ve ever seen one.
Leap Day birthdays are obviously uncommon IRL, though they are a frequent birthday for fictional TV and film characters.
Makes for some good storylines. Poor Jerry from Parks and Recreation and Cam from Modern Family come to mind.
Whichever the case, we hope that you enjoy this extra day of living today and enjoy this PSA from The Hollywood Gossip:
March 1 is not until Sunday.