Happy Leap Day 2024: Google Doodle Celebrates Earth's Extra Day

Google Doodle Leap Day 2024: The year 2024 is a leap year and today Google Doodle is celebrating Leap Day that occurs every four years. Leap Day is an extra day - February 29th - added every four years to the calendar.

On this Leap Day, the Google Doodle features a joyful frog leaping, marking the 29th day of February that occurs approximately every four years, to keep our calendars in alignment with the Earth and sun.

In celebration of Leap Day, which only comes around once every four years, the animation depicts the number 29 in the center of the Google logo. The digit between the numbers 28 and 1 symbolises the extra day in February.

Happy Leap Day 2024: Google Doodle Celebrates Earth's Extra Day

What is Leap Day?

A leap day occurs in years that are multiples of four or can be evenly divided by 400. The date -- February 29 -- is added to most years that are divisible by 4, such as 2024, 2028 and 2032.

After four years, the year 2024 has come with that one extra day in February, taking the calendar from 365 days in a year to 366. This extra day is what we call "Leap Day".

Leap day occurs when the Earth's revolution around the Sun takes approximately six hours longer than a standard 365-day year. To account for this discrepancy, a leap day is added to various solar calendars, with the Gregorian calendar being the standard in most parts of the world. In contrast, lunisolar calendars, which are based on the phases of the Moon, may add a leap or intercalary month.

The addition of a leap day every four years helps synchronise the calendar with the Earth's orbit. People worldwide observe Leap Day with quirky traditions, folklore, and superstitions. Those born on February 29 are referred to as "leaplings." According to the Guinness Book of Records, there are Leap Day World Record Holders from the same family, producing three consecutive generations born on February 29.

Why Is February Shorter Than Every Other Month?

The inclusion of an additional day in February is a feature of the Gregorian calendar system, initiated by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. The selection of February for this extra day is based on historical and practical considerations. In the original Roman calendar, which served as the foundation for the Gregorian calendar, there were 10 months totaling 304 days. As the final month of the year, February was regarded as unfavourable and consequently allotted the fewest number of days. When the calendar underwent reform, February was designated to accommodate the extra day, aiming to align the calendar more closely with the solar year's approximate length of 365.25 days. This adjustment maintained a relatively consistent 28-day cycle for the other months while minimising disruption to established dates of religious observances and other significant events within the calendar.

Why Are There Only 28 Days in February?

February has the lowest number of days in the calendar year due to historical and calendrical adjustments. Originally, the Roman calendar, upon which many modern calendars are based, had ten months totaling 304 days. February was the final month and was assigned the fewest days.

This is because of simple mathematical fact: the sum of any even amount (12 months) of odd numbers will always equal an even number¡ªand he wanted the total to be odd. So Numa chose February, a month that would be host to Roman rituals honoring the dead, as the unlucky month to consist of 28 days.

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