Why Does a Leap Day Birthday Happen?
What is a Leap Year, actually? Some call it an event, others a technicality. Every four years, February gets an extra day added to it, and the month ends up being 29 days long. The year is called a Leap Year and is a total of 366 days, as opposed to regular ones we all know are 365. Also known as an Intercalary Year, it exists in order to maintain the period synchronised with the astronomical one, or ensuring that the year remains in line with the movement of the Earth around our beloved Sun.
According to the Gregorian calendar, which is the standard one in most parts of the world, one full calendar year is technically 365 days and 6 hours. In the span of four years, these additional six hours amass to 24, or a full day, which is added to that year in the month of February. If you wonder why it is the second month that this extra day is added to, the explanation is much simpler than you might have thought. It’s just because it is the shortest month of the year.
Odds of Having a Leap Day Birthday
To be born on Leap Day is not a common occurrence, as you might have figured already. Earth’s population is nearing eight billion as of 2020 and out of those, a bit more than four million are leaplings. To put things differently, that’s just 0.05% of the entire planet’s inhabitants. That amounts to a 1 in 1461 chance for a baby to get a Leap Day Birthday and celebrate once every four years. The number represents the exact number of days in the span of a 4-year period. It may sound like nothing, but let’s put it in perspective with a few other events and the odds of them befalling you.
| Events: | Odds: |
|---|---|
| Odds of a Baby Being Born With Teeth | 1 in 3000 |
| Odds of Being Born With 11 Fingers/Toes | 1 in 500 |
| Odds of Experiencing a Plane Crash | 1 in 1 million |
| Odds of Having a Baby Genious | 1 in 1100 |
| Odds of Someone Thinking You Are Possessed | 1 in 7000 |
| Odds of Suffering a Fatal Sting From a Bee | 1 in 6 million |
| Odds of a Toilet-Related Injury | 1 in 10000 |
| Odds of Being Killed by a Meteorite | 1 in 1.6 million |
| Odds of Having Conjointed Twins | 1 in 200000 |
As you can see, there are far worse things with a much lesser chance of happening to you. Plus, to be honest, being born is nowhere near as bad as suffering an accident while being in the toilet. We think that people born on February 29 actually have a reason to feel special in a good way. Imagine if someone asks you about your age, and you want to be really specific. Instead of saying that you are 32 years old, you suddenly say that you are 8 because that would be the correct answer, technically. You guarantee yourself to shock your convo partakers and spawn awesome conversations immediately.
Other Least Common Birthday Dates
No other day of the year is capable of beating one that only comes around once every four years, that’s a fact. However, you will be surprised to know which are the other least common days that babies get to be born on. We were somewhat startled, and yet the evidence is backing it up. Check out the least four common days to give birth on as per the most recent studies:
- Christmas Day (December 25th)
- Christmas Eve (December 25th)
- New Year’s Day (January 1st)
- July 4th
An interesting trait among these dates is that they all fall on an important holiday. 4th of July is the Independence Day holiday in the United States, for those of you who are unaware. In a fascinating turn of events, Christmas Day is perceived to be that day most babies are conceived on because September 16th is estimated to be the most common birth date of the entire year. As a matter of fact, the whole month of December is favoured for putting a bun in the oven because all the most common dates aside from the Leap Day Birthday fall in the ninth month of the year. We guess the Wintery time predisposes people to snuggle and consummate more, as opposed to the hot, sticky, and sweat-inducing summer months.
Implications for People Born on Leap Day
Rarely will you encounter a leapling that would celebrate his or her birthday once every four years. What most people do is to either throw a bash on February 28th or March 1st , with the former taking the lead. It’s completely normal when you think about it. If I am born in one month, it will make far more sense for me to celebrate while the month lasts, as opposed to the next one. Within the context of the “Order of the 29’ers” these are the so-called Februarians. Rejectionists of the possibility to celebrate your Leap Day Birthday the following month. It’s everybody’s personal choice and holiday.
Veering off a bit, nowadays, life is more comfortable for the leap-year babies to live with this “burden”, but it wasn’t as easy up until a few years back. Many online services that required registration didn’t even include the date, and when people tried to register, they simply couldn’t. Other famous platforms instantly blocked users that pointed out February 29th as their date of birth. Many reports flood the internet regarding the accepted legal age around the world when the leapling teenagers officially become adults, and it all varies. Is it February 28th, or is it March 1st? Truth be told, it all varies, and you will have plenty of opportunities to encounter clerks, waiters, and managers who would not know what to do with you when you order a pint of beer at the local pub.
Famous People Who Share a February 29 Birthday
While the number of leaplings is exceptionally meager compared to the rest of the population, there is still a decent amount of celebrities that share the same Leap Day Birthday, aside from the various and obvious talents. Here are a few of them that we are pretty sure you have heard of to the very least:
- Ja Rule – Among the most popular US singers, songwriters, and above all, rappers is a Leap Day Birthday boy. In 2016, he celebrated his 10th birthday in Las Vegas even though he actually turned 40 at the time.
- Dinah Shore – The most prominent female vocalist of the 1940s, Dinah, later transitioned to TV, which, after a four-decade career, earned her a status as one of the top television stars of all time.
- Antonio Sabato Jr. – The Leapling Italian-bred Antonio has done it all. He has modelled for Calvin Klein, acted in numerous movies and TV series, danced in reality TV, and even ran for congress in the state of California.
- Pedro Sánchez – The current prime minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has a political career spanning for close to two decades. He has a doctorate and has been a Professor of Economics, as well as chief of staff for the United Nations.
- Tony Robbins – Tony Robbins is one of the most influential motivational speakers to come out of the United States, as well as a life coach, self-help author, and philanthropist.
- Mark Foster – The Lead singer of the indie-pop LA band Foster the People, Mark writes songs, composes music, and sings along with his friends and band members.
- Aileen Wuornos – Aileen “Lee” Wuornos is on this list for all the wrong reasons. She is a serial killer that murdered seven men in the early ’90s. An interesting tidbit, Charlize Theron played Lee in the movie “Monster” based on her life and snagged an Oscar for Best Actress.
- Gioachino Rossini – Gioachino is a world-famous Italian composer that gaind fame by producing The Barber of Seville, L’italiana in Algeri, Otello, and La Cenerentola.
- Superman – We know Superman is fictional, but who doesn’t know him, or recognize him, or aspire to be a superhero like him. The Kryptonian that can literally turn back time is is a Leapling you don’t want to mess with.
Popular Questions Regarding People Born on Leap Day
Leaplings have an extraordinary reason to feel special. They get to be a part of an elite club of individuals that share a common trait; to celebrate a birthday once every four years. Not that many people are familiar with why this happens, and due to this, we have added a brief yet informative section with answers regarding the most common questions right up next.