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Today is February 29, which is a date you might not have really ever heard much about because it only. comes around once every 4 years. Basically, it’s a leap year, which means February is one day longer and we get an extra 24 hours in the calendar year.
Please try and bare with us as we explain this phenomena.
Humans have been devising calendars and methods of timekeeping for thousands of years. It’s our attempt to bring order, structure, and consistency to our lives. However, when we end up having to add a month for a couple Roman leaders, things started getting a bit tricky.
A calendar year is typically 365 days long. These so called “common years” loosely define the number of days it takes the Earth to complete one orbit around the Sun.
But 365 is actually a rounded number. When in reality, it takes Earth 365.242190 days to orbit the Sun, or 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 56 seconds – which is is slightly longer than the calendar year
That extra 5 hours 48 minutes and 56 seconds needs to be accounted for somehow, so every four years we save it up and give it an extra day.
While many view the leap day as an important mechanism that keeps our seasons in sync with the sun and moon, there are many that think it’s kind of goofy – which it is.
And nothing is more goofier than being born on one of those days.
Local leapling, Tim Fantlike is celebrating his 6th birthday today, which is funny because he’s been alive for 24 years.
The Betoota Heights based uni student seems excited to celebrate this rather rare occasion.
“Oh uh it’s a leap day. I guess the media wants to talk me hehe” says Tim, not really acting his age, because his age is not really defined by any calendar.
“I’m really just the same as anyone else. I’m gonna have a big cake and then we’re gonna fill up a tub for a game of apple bobbing. It’s gonna be a gas!”
“I’m hoping to go down to the quarry a bit later and play on the tyre swing”
While Tim’s peculiar, almost childish, mannerisms make The Betoota Advocate’s reporters feel uncomfortable, we understand it is not his fault that he never got to celebrate normal human milestones like becoming old enough to drive, or vote.
The Betoota Advocate wishes Tim and all the other leaplings a happy Gregorian glitchday!
