What Is the Point of a ‘Leap Year’?

A leap year adds an extra day, February 29th, every four years. That happens because the Earth takes a little more than 365 days to go around the Sun, so we need that extra day to keep our calendar in line with the seasons. Without it, spring would slowly move later and later each year.

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Examples

  1. If we didn't have leap years, your birthday might be on a different day each year.
  2. February would start later every four years, making it feel like winter lasted longer.
  3. You'd get an extra day off every four years, like a bonus vacation!

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Categories: History · Leap Year,Calendar History,Time Measurement