Origins of Leap Year

Leap year was created by Roman emperor Julius Caesar as an idea to replace relying on the stars as a calendar that Leap Year would only occur every four years in the second month of the year. It ended up causing Easter, which traditionally occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox, to run late so Pope Gregory XIII commissioned a the creation of the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar keeps Leap Year but it accounted the inaccuracy eliminating it on central years not divisible by 400 which is why 2000 was a leap year while 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not. In fact we need Leap Year otherwise February would be a summer month in the northern hemisphere. People who were born on Leap Year ACTUALLY do age normally even though their birthday occurs once every 4 years but they get the special title of being called a Leapling!