Julius Caesar introduced the leap year in the Julian calendar in 46 BC, but it was later discovered that the calendar, averaged over four years, produced 365.25 days a year, making it a smidge too ...

In 1582 it corrected the Julian calendar, shortening the average year by 0.0075 days to stop the drift with respect to the equinoxes In 1582, Thursday, October 4 was followed by Friday, October 15.

Later, on a calendar yet to come (we'll get to it), it was decreed that years divisible by 100 not follow the four-year leap day rule unless they are also divisible by 400, the JPL notes.

A leap year, like 2024, is one with an extra day in the shortest month, February. On a leap year, February will have 29 days. This extra day is supposed to keep us in sync with the seasons.

Adding a leap day every four years would make the calendar longer by more than 44 minutes, according to the National Air & Space Museum.Later, on a calendar yet to come (we'll get to it), it was ...

Thursday (Feb. 29) is "leap day," an artifact that dates back to the year 46 B.C. Find out how this calendar oddity came to be.

The Julian calendar was 0.0078 days (11 minutes and 14 seconds) longer than the tropical year, so errors in timekeeping still gradually accumulated, according to NASA. But stability increased ...

The Julian calendar was 0.0078 days (11 minutes and 14 seconds) longer than the tropical year, so errors in timekeeping still gradually accumulated, according to NASA. But stability increased ...

Every four years, the Gregorian calendar receives an additional day known as Leap Day. Originating in the Julian calendar in 46 BCE, this tradition addresses the Earth's orbit around the Sun ...

Key Points. 2024 is a leap year, meaning the month of February will have 29 days instead of the usual 28. Leap years are held to align the calendar with Earth's movement around the sun.