Leap Day, the extra day added to our calendars every four years, is here again, and Google is celebrating it with a unique Doodle. The Doodle features a frog, aptly symbolizing the leap, placed between the dates “February 28” and “March 1.” As the frog makes its leap, the “February 29” label disappears, all set against a serene pond backdrop with the Google logo subtly integrated.
Leap Day, occurring on February 29, is added approximately every four years to align our calendars with the Earth’s orbit around the sun. The practice, over 2000 years old, helps adjust the widely-used Gregorian calendar to the solar calendar, accounting for the Earth’s orbit duration of slightly more than 365 days – 365.2422 days, to be exact.
In a leap year, the Gregorian calendar includes an extra day, making it a 366-day year instead of the usual 365. This Leap Day adjusts for the fact that a solar year is just under 365 days and 6 hours. The previous Leap Day was in 2020, and the next one will be in 2028.
Those born on February 29, known as ‘leaplings,’ officially celebrate their birthdays every four years. In non-leap years, they may choose to celebrate on February 28, select another close date, or wait for the next Leap Day. This unique birthday scenario has been the subject of occasional bureaucratic issues and humor. Approximately 5 million people worldwide, or 0.06% of the global population, celebrate a Leap Day birthday.
Alongside the playful Leap Day 2024 Doodle, Google shared some facts about the origin of Google Doodles. The tech giant has created over 5,000 Doodles since the first one in 1998, initially used by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to inform users of their absence during the Burning Man festival.
