1. The Earth takes approximately 365.242189 days – or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds to circle once around the Sun. This is called a tropical year. Leap days are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth's revolutions around the Sun. Without an extra day on February 29 nearly every four years, we would lose almost six hours every year. After only 100 years, our calendar would be off by approximately 24 days.
2. People born on February 29 are called "leaplings" or "leapers".
3. The Honor Society of Leap Year Babies is a club for people born on Feb. 29. More than 10,000 people worldwide are members.
4. The odds of being born on a leap day are 1 in 1500.
5. The frog is a symbol associated with February 29. Did you know? The Australian rocket frog can leap over two metres.
References:
- 20 Fun Facts about Leap Years | Live The Journey
- Why Do We Have Leap Years?
Image credit:
- https://resize.hswstatic.com/w_907/gif/leap-year-2.jpg
- https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/GettyImages-911222156.jpg
- https://www.simplemost.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/img_5865.jpg
- https://secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02153/frog_2153983b.jpg
