1 post tagged “leap year”

It happens every four years, and this year is one of them. On February 29, it will be time to celebrate Leap Year Day once again. This long-standing tradition has been going on for centuries and still carries a feeling of mystery every time the day approaches. Those who were born on Leap Year Day still debate which day to commemorate their birthday. If you’ve never really given this Leap Year phenomenon a second thought, here are some facts that might help you appreciate the day (and year) even more.

Leap Year Day Babies Possess Odd Talents
One theory that accompanies Leap Year is that babies born on February 29 (called “Leaplings”) have special talents and charms. Unfortunately, the only time these talents are actually “usable” are on their birthday, meaning the one day out of every four years. Babies have a one in 1,506 chance to be born on February 29. There are also a Worldwide Leap Year Birthday Club and a Worldwide Leap Year Festival as well.

Leap Year Day Babies Have No Golden Birthday
A “Golden Birthday” refers to when your age and the date of your birthday match up. For instance, if you were born on September 15, your “Golden Birthday” would be when you turned 15 on September 15. Leap Year Day babies, however, would need to live to be 116 to celebrate their 29th birthday on February 29.

You’re in Great Company
If you were born on February 29, you have something in common with some very famous people. Possibly the most famous of these people is Superman. According to his creator, Superman was born on February 29. His 50th birthday occurred during a Leap Year, though. If you do the math, it doesn’t work out. He would either turn 48 or 52 during a Leap Year unless he was born in 1784.

Sadie Hawkin’s Day
If you have a teenage daughter, you’ve probably heard of the Sadie Hawkins Dance at a school. The tradition started hundreds of years ago when people considered Leap Year Day to be the only acceptable day in which women could make marriage proposals to men. Today, however, Sadie Hawkins refers to girls asking guys of their choice to a dance. Some schools do this dance only during Leap Years, but others celebrate it every February.

Julius Caesar did it Differently
During the days of Julius Caesar, February had 30 days. Instead of adding an extra day every four years, Caesar just skipped February 30 three out of every four years. It’s a subtle difference, but it seems far off from the method we use today!

Caesar Augustus Shortened the Month
Thanks to Caesar Augustus, February is the anomaly as the month with fewer days than any other month on the calendar. He corrected an error in counting Leap Years. He took February 30 and added it to the newly-named August (the month named after him) so it could have 31 days. That gave February 29 days during Leap Years.

One great thing about Leap Year is that it gives you one extra day during the year to test drive one or several of the fine luxury automobiles found at one of our Philadelphia Mercedes-Benz retail centers. But, of course, any day of the year is a great day to experience the luxury and comfort of a Benz automobile.

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