February 29 facts for kids

February 29 is a special day that only comes around every four years! It's called a leap day. This extra day is added to the calendar to keep our clocks and seasons in sync. It's the 60th day of a leap year, with 306 days left until the end of the year.

February 29 is the very last day of February in a leap year. It also marks the end of meteorological winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the end of meteorological summer in the Southern Hemisphere during these special years.

In the Gregorian calendar, which most of the world uses, February 29 is added every four years. However, there's a trick! If a year can be divided by 100 but not by 400, it's not a leap year. For example, the year 1900 was not a leap year, but 2000 was. The older Julian calendar always adds February 29 every four years without any exceptions.

What Happened on February 29?

Early History (Before 1600)

• 888 – Odo, a powerful count from Paris, became the king of West Francia (which is now France).
• 1504 – The famous explorer Christopher Columbus used his knowledge of a lunar eclipse happening that night to convince the people of Jamaica to give him supplies. Pretty clever!

Later History (1601–1900)

• 1644 – Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer, started his second big trip across the Pacific Ocean with three ships.
• 1712 – In Sweden, something very unusual happened: February 29 was followed by February 30! This was part of a plan to change their calendar back to the Julian calendar.
• 1796 – The Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain officially began. This agreement helped the two countries have peaceful trade for ten years.
• 1892 – The city of St. Petersburg, Florida in the United States was officially created.

Modern Times (1901–Present)

• 1908 – James Madison University was founded in Virginia, United States. It started as a school for women.
• 1916 – The Tokelau islands became part of the United Kingdom.
• 1916 – In South Carolina, the minimum working age for young people in factories, mills, and mines was raised from 12 to 14 years old. This was an important step for child labor laws.
• 1940 – Hattie McDaniel made history! She became the first African American to win an Academy Award for her role in the movie Gone with the Wind.
• 1944 – During World War II, American forces led by General Douglas MacArthur invaded the Admiralty Islands in an operation called "Brewer."
• 1960 – A strong earthquake hit Morocco, destroying the city of Agadir. Sadly, about 12,000 people died and many more were injured.
• 1980 – Gordie Howe, a legendary hockey player for the Hartford Whalers, scored his 800th goal in the NHL. This was a huge achievement!
• 1984 – Pierre Trudeau announced he would be stepping down as the leader of Canada. He was the Prime Minister of Canada.
• 1988 – South African archbishop Desmond Tutu was arrested with other religious leaders during a protest against apartheid in Cape Town. Apartheid was a system of racial segregation.
• 1996 – The Siege of Sarajevo officially ended. This was a very long and difficult period of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• 2004 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide was removed as president of Haiti after a coup.
• 2012 – North Korea agreed to stop its nuclear and missile tests in exchange for food aid from the United States.
• 2020 – The United States and the Taliban signed a peace agreement in Doha, hoping to bring peace to Afghanistan.
• 2024 – A tragic event known as the Flour massacre happened in Gaza City. Many Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid were killed or injured when Israeli forces opened fire.

Who Was Born on February 29?

Historical Figures (Before 1900)

• 1468 – Pope Paul III, an important religious leader.
• 1576 – Antonio Neri, a Florentine priest and skilled glassmaker.
• 1792 – Gioachino Rossini, a famous Italian composer who wrote many operas.
• 1860 – Herman Hollerith, an American statistician who helped create early computing machines.

Famous People (1901–Present)

• 1904 – Jimmy Dorsey, an American musician and bandleader.
• 1908 – Balthus, a French-Swiss painter known for his unique art.
• 1920 – Michèle Morgan, a French-American actress and singer.
• 1928 – Joss Ackland, an English actor.
• 1928 – Seymour Papert, a South African mathematician who helped create the Logo programming language.
• 1936 – Henri Richard, a legendary Canadian ice hockey player.
• 1940 – Sonja Barend, a popular Dutch talk show host.
• 1944 – Dennis Farina, an American police officer and actor.
• 1960 – Khaled, a famous Algerian singer-songwriter.
• 1960 – Tony Robbins, an American author and motivational speaker.
• 1972 – Pedro Sánchez, the current Prime Minister of Spain.
• 1976 – Ja Rule, an American rapper and actor.
• 1984 – Cullen Jones, an American swimmer.
• 1988 – Benedikt Höwedes, a German footballer.
• 1992 – Jessica Long, an American Paralympic swimmer who has won many medals.
• 2000 – Ferran Torres, a Spanish footballer.
• 2004 – Lydia Jacoby, an American swimmer.

Who Passed Away on February 29?

Historical Figures (Before 1900)

• 468 – Pope Hilarius, a leader of the Catholic Church.
• 1528 – Patrick Hamilton, a Scottish Protestant reformer.
• 1600 – Caspar Hennenberger, a German pastor and historian.
• 1792 – Johann Andreas Stein, a German piano maker.

Famous People (1901–Present)

• 1908 – Pat Garrett, an American sheriff.
• 1940 – E. F. Benson, an English author.
• 1944 – Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, the third President of Finland.
• 1956 – Elpidio Quirino, the sixth President of the Philippines.
• 1960 – Melvin Purvis, a famous American FBI agent.
• 1980 – Yigal Allon, an Israeli general and politician.
• 2012 – Davy Jones, an English singer and actor, famous from The Monkees.
• 2020 – Éva Székely, a Hungarian swimmer and Olympic champion.
• 2024 – Ali Hassan Mwinyi, the second President of Tanzania.
• 2024 – Brian Mulroney, the 18th Prime Minister of Canada.

Holidays and Special Days

• Rare Disease Day is celebrated on February 29 in leap years. It's a day to raise awareness for rare diseases. In other years, it's celebrated on February 28.
• Bachelor's Day is a fun tradition in Ireland and the United Kingdom. On this day, women are traditionally allowed to propose marriage to men!

See also

In Spanish: 29 de febrero para niños