This year we get an extra 24 hours in 2024 thanks to it being a leap year. February is the shortest month of the year but every four years we get to add an extra day to the calendar. The last year we had a leap year was 2020 and we will not have another one until 2028. Think about it, technically someone will be celebrating their birthday on their actual birthday for the first time this year!

Choosing February for the leap year dates back way before many modern-day countries were even formed. The addition of days harkens back to reforms made to the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar, according to History.com. Ceasar was inspired by the Egyptian solar calendar and made adjustments to the Roman calendar which was based on a lunar system and had a year of 355 days. The adjustments brought forth the Julian calendar, a solar calendar, which included a leap year system. When the Julian calendar was later refined into the Gregorian calendar in 1582, the tradition of adding a leap year to February persisted. It is estimated that around five million people share February 29^th as a birthday and share a nickname of “leaplings.” Of course this does not stop the process of getting a year older, unfortunately. Many people that are born during leap years celebrate their birthdays either on February 28^th or March 1^st. Also, if you are on a fixed annual wage, there is a good chance you are working for free if today is February 29^th! Hope its not February 29^th today if so!