Leap Year 2024: A Time Travel Back to Roman History on Feb. 29

As Feb. 29 approaches in 2024, the world gears up to embrace a rare event, the leap year, with special events and celebrations. Among those marking this day is Katheryn Jager, who, along with Garrett Smith, plans to exchange wedding vows in honor of their leap day love story.

Delving back into the ancient Roman origins of the leap year, the calendar tweak was established thanks to Julius Caesar and his adjustment to the calendar system crafted by his forebears. Professor Ben Gold from Hamline University gives insight into the Roman history intertwined with Leap Day.

Celebrating a leap day marriage anniversary from 2020, Chris Goonan and his wife Caroline reminisce their initial union at Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge in Florida. This year, they return to the same beach with their 1-year-old son to keep the tradition alive.

The nuances of the leap year system established by Caesar were later fully corrected by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, leading to the current Gregorian calendar we follow today. Aliza Chasan, an expert in the field, sheds light on this historical transition.

In a journalistic quest to uncover the essence of leap years, noted reporter Kerry Breen provides an in-depth perspective on the significance and impact of this additional day in February as the world prepares for 2024’s Leap Day.