Today is leap day, making 2024 a leap year. It’s a pretty special occasion that typically occurs once every four years, with the previous leap years occurring in 2020 and 2016. People who are born on this day are called leaplings, and while they likely celebrate their birthdays on February 28th each year, on the 29th it feels extra special.
Scroll down to learn more about leap day and some of the celebrities that were born on the unique date:
What is leap day?
© GettyImagesLeap day is an extra day that gets added on to the calendar. It’s added to February since it’s already the shortest month of the year.
Why does it happen every four years?
Leap year occurs every four years due to the Earth’s orbit. While we know that it takes around 365 days for the Earth to circle the sun, it actually takes 365.242190 days for the Earth to complete its revolution. Every four years, these decimals add up to a full day, one that’s thrown into February to make our lives easier.
Celebrities born on Leap Day
© GettyImagesAs Leap day is a pretty rare occurrence (the odds of being born in it are 1 in 1,461, according to PEOPLE) there are few celebrities that were born this day. These include Ja Rule, Mark Foster, Antonio Sabato, Tony Robbins, Dinah Shore, and Dennis Farina.
