You doubtless have heard or memorized the famous rhyme:
"30 days have September,
April, June, and November
All the rest have 31
excepting February alone
which has 28" ...
but guess what….
sometimes February has 29 days -- and when that happens, the 29th is a Leap Day !
So, what exactly is a leap day?
According to Wikipedia:
"February 29, also known as the leap day of the Gregorian calendar, is a date that occurs in most years that are divisible by 4, such as 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024.
"Years that are divisible by 100, but not by 400, do not contain a leap day. Thus, 1700, 1800, and 1900 did not contain a leap day, 2100, 2200, and 2300 will not contain a leap day, while 1600 and 2000 did, and 2400 will.
"Years containing a leap day are called leap years. February 29 is the 60th day of the Gregorian calendar in such a year, with 306 days remaining until the end of the year. In the Chinese calendar, this day will only occur in years of the monkey, dragon, and rat."
And according to the HolidayInsights.com web page: "Why the fancy calculation? The earth rotates around the sun once every 365 and about 1/4 days. So, by adding an extra day every four years, we get mighty close to keeping the calendar consistent with the earth's annual trip around the sun. And to be very precise, the earth orbits the sun every 365.242190 days."
So there you have it ! Wow! A leap day !!! Probably more than you ever wanted to know but -- now you know.
So, Today is Leap Day. Enjoy it.
