Flashback Friday: A birthday every 4 years
KELOLAND.com
by: Collete Stellinga
Posted: Feb 28, 2025 / 08:30 AM CST
Updated: Feb 28, 2025 / 06:53 AM CST
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It is said to be the rarest day of the year to have a birthday, that’s because February 29th only comes around once every four years. In this week’s flashback Friday Ann Parker takes us back to 1984 to welcome some Sioux falls leap day babies into the world.
The bloom of eternal youth that’s the gift given the leap year baby at least youth in numbers when Rachel Lee Hilt enters kindergarten she will be just one year of age. Now that first birthday four years from now will set the pattern for the rest of her life. She’ll be able to get her first drivers license when she’s four, run for president at eight, and collect social security at sixteen. But all of those privileges can not erase the fact that one birthday every four years is three birthdays too few. Travis Landon Johnson was born hours ago but this was the first he’d caught wind of his future birthday plans.
“He’s just gonna have to celebrate his birthday a little earlier or a day later I guess.”
If Travis doesn’t seem to like his special birthday now he should look on the bright side a leap year birthday celebration should be four times the fun of any normal birthday, and that’s something to look forward to.
Ann Parker Keloland News.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Leap Day is Feb. 29: How old is a leap year baby in 2025? We did the birthday math for you
Happy early birthday, leaplings! Though 2025 is not a Leap Year, celebrate your birthday month February (or March, for some people). Millions of you got to celebrate the actual Leap Day, Feb. 29, in 2024 — with the next one taking place in 2028.
But you already knew that!
We know you know how old you are. But non-leaplings may still wonder about Leap Day math. We can calculate our age in dog years, so why not Leap Day years?
But unlike the canine formula — anyone can multiply their age by 7 to get the answer — the Leap Day math applies to people born Feb. 29.
Those born on that day don’t always get to celebrate their actual birthday since that date occurs only every four years. But not to worry, someone born on Leap Day still gets to celebrate a birthday (see below).
For example, John Dunbar, executive editor of The Daytona Beach News-Journal, gets it: On Feb. 29, 2024, he “turned” 15, “so I am still not old enough to drive,” he joked. “People always ask me what day I celebrate my birthday on. When I was a kid, it was (February) the 28th because I wanted my birthday present. When I grew up I switched to March 1 because it seemed more honest.”
Dunbar is always counting the days and, er, years until Feb. 29: “It’s always a special day to have an actual birthday,” he said in a 2024 Leap Year story on news-journalonline.com. “I used to have big blowout parties, but I’m pretty mellow about it these days.”
How old would you be if you were born on Leap Day? We did the math for you.
I was born on Leap Day.How leap year birthdays work legally, why February has 29 days in 2024
Leap Day is Feb. 29. The most recent Leap Day was Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. The next is Tuesday, Feb. 29, 2028.
Our calendar is not entirely in sync with our planet’s trip around the sun.
A common year has 365 days on the calendar while a leap year boasts that extra day. Their purpose is to keep our calendar in sync with the seasons and solar year, or the length of time it takes the earth to complete its orbit around the sun, which is about 365¼ days, according to timeanddate.com.
Every four years, we have 366 days on the calendar. If we didn’t observe leap years, our seasons would be messed up as our equinoxes and summer and winter solstice would no longer align with the seasons.
“If there were no leap years, the seasons would completely swap every 750 years, i.e. the middle of summer would become the middle of winter − calendar climate change,” astronomy expert Dr. Stephen Hughes of Queensland University of Technology said in a Feb. 29, 2012 (a Leap Year) article on AsianScientist.com.
Those born on that day don’t always get to celebrate their actual birthday — since that date occurs only every four years. Someone born on Leap Day typically celebrates birthdays on Feb. 28 or March 1. But Feb. 29 is still used for identification and important documents.
How old are you technically if you were born on Leap Day? If you were born on Leap Day 1924, you would be 100 years old, or 25 in Leap Day years. On Feb. 28, 2025, or March 1, 2025, you would be 101 years old in real life and “still 25 in Leap Day years.”
The year must be evenly divisible by 4. If the year can be evenly divided by 100, it is not a leap year unless the year is also evenly divisible by 400, according to mathisfun.com. For example, 2000 and 2400 are leap years, but 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300 and 2500 are not.
We’ve done the math for you in our age guide − it shows your age in “human” years and Leap Day years. This guide shows your actual age and Leap Day years. As of Feb. 27, 2025, if you were born on Feb. 29 …
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
When is the next Leap Year and Leap Day? It’s Feb. 29, 2028. 2020 and 2024 were both Leap Years.
When is Leap Day? Is 2025 a Leap Year?
Why does Leap Day occur once every four years?
If your birthday is on Feb. 29, which day do you use to celebrate? What date do you use for official documents or ID?
Happy birthday! How old would you be if you were born on Leap Day?
Trabajo Cooperativo
Once every four years, the calendar gifts an extra day, February 29, to realign our earthly schedules with the celestial dance above—thanks to ancient Romans, a wily Caesar, and a determined pope. For those born on this day—”leaplings”—life unfolds with an intriguing rhythm, where birthdays materialize quadrennially. Their age becomes a source of both hilarious confusion and profound reflection.
Picture this: John Dunbar, a sprightly executive editor, humorously finds himself announcing he’s “15 and still not old enough to drive,” though he’s seen far more than 15 winters. Leaplings like Dunbar navigate the world of birthday celebrations with a unique set of rules. As children, many claim February 28 as their stand-in birthday, eagerly anticipating presents a day early. Adulthood often sees a shift to March 1, embracing an honest passage of time.
On non-leap years, leaplings embody a curious paradox: living among us yet tethered to their distinct timeline. This anomaly invites conversations where age morphs into a playful calculation. Imagine being born on February 29, 1924—today, you’d mark your centennial, sharing your leap-aged 25 with chuckles about a life measured in both years lived and leap years celebrated.
Curiosity lingers on what prompts such a bizarre calendrical phenomenon. Simple, yet complex: a true leap year divides evenly by 4. However, harmony demands exceptions—centuries divisibly elude the leap unless divisible by 400 (hello 2000, goodbye 1900!).
Notable leaplings pepper the public scene, from the rhythmic rapper Ja Rule to motivational dynamo Tony Robbins, each embracing their eccentric birthday. Meanwhile, history painted darker shades with leaplings such as Aileen Wuornos, one of America’s infamous female serial killers, underscoring that even the most rare birthdays witness life’s full spectrum.
The leap year narrative remains a charming quirk in our temporal fabric. In the end, a leapling’s life ebbs and flows, a reminder of how time can be a construct conceived out of necessity. In every non-leap interval, the world spins, birthdays are celebrated, and February 29 stands as an invisible milestone many await eagerly, offering a romantic illusion of youth’s preservation, yet advancing in the calendar of life like everyone else.
Leap years have fascinated humanity since the calendar’s inception, providing a unique blend of historical intrigue, mathematical precision, and personal stories. As we dive deeper into this alluring concept, we uncover facts not fully explored in many discussions of leap years and their significance.
How Leap Years Work: A Deeper Dive
At the core, a leap year is designed to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth’s revolutions around the sun. While the common year is 365 days, an actual solar year is approximately 365.2425 days. Over time, this discrepancy accumulates, which is why leap years add an extra day, February 29, every four years. However, there’s a complexity to the system:
1. Basic Rule: A year is a leap year if it is divisible by 4.
2. Exception 1: If the year is divisible by 100, it is not a leap year.
3. Exception 2: However, if the year is divisible by 400, it remains a leap year despite the previous exception.
This intricate system was established by the Gregorian calendar reform in 1582 to correct the Julian calendar’s drift against the solar year.
Notable Leaplings: Celebrities Born on February 29
Interestingly, several well-known personalities share this rare birthday, each bringing their own flair to the concept of a leapling:
– Ja Rule: The rapper adds rhythm to the leap year with his February 29 birth.
– Tony Robbins: Known for his motivational prowess, Robbins symbolizes the energy leaplings often embrace.
– Dinah Shore: A famed singer and television personality who brought joy to millions.
Real-World Impact and Challenges
Leaplings, like John Dunbar from the article, have unique experiences regarding age and celebrations. Birthdays that occur once every four years introduce challenges and quirks:
– Celebration Choices: Many leaplings opt to celebrate on February 28 or March 1 during non-leap years, a decision often influenced by personal or family traditions.
– Legal Implications: Some jurisdictions specify how leap birthdays affect the legal standing of age-related events, like driving eligibility or voting age.
Market Forecasts & Industry Trends: Leap Years in Various Sectors
Leap years have notable influences across different industries:
– Retail and Marketing: Some businesses offer leap day promotions, creating unique sales opportunities. The extra day can also boost annual revenue metrics.
– Banking and Finance: Leap years can impact interest calculations due to the additional day.
Security & Sustainability: Leap Year Bugs
While not predominantly an issue today, computer systems occasionally face peculiar bugs related to leap years, akin to the Y2K problem. Ensuring software is updated to handle leap year calculations is critical to prevent potential disruptions.
Pros and Cons Overview of Leap Year Living
Pros:
– Unique Birthday Experience: Having fewer birthdays can become a lifetime conversation starter.
– Novelty and Exclusivity: Leaplings belong to a small, distinctive group, often seen as fascinating by others.
Cons:
– Birthday Confusion: Choosing a non-leap year birthday can cause discrepancies, especially in digital systems that don’t account for leap days.
– Legal Ambiguities: Age verification or legal rights tied to specific ages may become complicated.
Actionable Recommendations
– For Leaplings: Decide early whether to celebrate on February 28 or March 1 in non-leap years. Establishing this tradition can simplify future birthday plans.
– For Businesses: Consider harnessing the novelty of leap day through special marketing campaigns or promotions.
– For Individuals and Technologists: Regularly check and update any software systems to ensure they accommodate leap year scenarios correctly.
Conclusion
Leap years serve as a charming reminder of our efforts to synchronize man-made time measurements with the astronomical year. They celebrate the diversity of experiences while demonstrating the precision needed to maintain order in our calendars. Understanding this phenomenon opens the door to a world where time is both a mystery and a marvel. For more information on the workings of leap years and their impact, visit Time and Date.
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