Leap Year 2024: Interesting Facts You Need to Know
Sophia Loren (Author) Published Date : Feb 29, 2024 18:36 ISTEntertainment
February is usually a short month as it only has 28 days. But why February 2024 has 29 days? Do you also have the same question? And so are we. It is because 2024 is a leap year. Know what's a leap year? If not, read on to know about it.
What's a Leap Year?
In simple words, a leap year comes once in every four years. It adds an extra day to the February month. So, we will have 366 days in a leap year. That is why we have February 29, counting to 366 days in a leap year. As said earlier, the Leap Year comes every four years on the years that are divided by four. For example, 2020, 2024, 2028, and so on. These years will have 366 days each. The extra day will be added as February 29.
History of Leap Year
The history of leap year will take you to the ancient Romans, 45 BCE. The reason is that the Roman calendars had ten months with a total of 304 days. The Roman emperor Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar. This has included a leap year every four years in coincidence with the approximate solar year length of 365.25 days.
Importance of Leap Year
The calendar that we use these days is named the Gregorian calendar. The extra day in a leap year is known as a leap day. The leap day helps to ensure the calendar is relevant to Earth's natural rotation.
If this day is not included, then the calendar will not be in synchronization with the calendar. Over the year, it will lead to seasons starting sooner every year. Adding this extra day to every year will help maintain the proper occurrence of seasons and timings.
Additional Interesting Facts About Leap Year
Some superstitious beliefs are found in leap years. People would say babies born on February 29th will have many talents and luck. People born on February 29th will only get a chance to celebrate their birthdays once in four years. If you're born on February 29th, you will celebrate your birthday with approximately around 5 million people across the globe. People born on this day are known as leaplings or leapers.
