The quadrennial bonus day is meant to balance out our imperfect calendars with the Earth’s orbit around the sun. It takes our planet roughly 365 ¼ days to make that trip, so every four years, we get that extra day to keep the calendar steady.
There are only about 5 million people in the whole world who were born on February 29, with the odds of being born on Leap Day standing at about 1-in-1,461.
Feb. 29 occasionally jumps into our pop-culture consciousness, like on “30 Rock,” when Jack Donaghy called it “an extra day to do business.” Or when we try to figure out how old Queens-born rapper Ja Rule — born on Feb. 29, 1976 — is.
Leap Day free food and specials Feb. 29, along with exclusive deals for Leaplings
Five things you might not know about Leap Day.