Why Leap Years are Used

On this page you will find information about leap years, why and when they are used.

February 29, 2008

Year 2008 is the next leap year, with 29 days in February. February 2008 has five Fridays - it starts and ends on a Friday. Between 1904 and 2096, leap years with same day of week for each date repeat every 28 years which means that the last time February had 5 Fridays was in 1980 and next time will be in 2036.

What is a leap year?

A leap year is a year with one extra day inserted into February, the leap year is 366 days with 29 days in February as opposed to the normal 28 days. (There are a few past exceptions to this)

Which years are leap years?

In the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar used by most modern countries, the following rules decide which years are leap years:

  1. Every year divisible by 4 is a leap year.
  2. But every year divisible by 100 is NOT a leap year
  3. Unless the year is also divisible by 400, then it is still a leap year.

This means that year 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300 and 2500 are NOT leap years, while year 2000 and 2400 are leap years.

This actually means year 2000 is kind of special, as it is the first time the third rule is used in many parts of the world.

In the old Julian Calendar, there was only one rule: Every year divisible by 4 is a leap year. This calendar was used before the Gregorian calendar was adopted.

 
     
 

Below are 69 variations OF the Leap year Month Poem
Submitted by Leap Day babies and Annual Birthday babies.


Version 67

30 days hath September
April, June, and November.
All the rest have 31,
save February - the shortest one.
28 is all it stores,
till Leap Year gives it one day more.

 
Version 68

30 days hath September,

April, June, and November.
All the rest have 31--
Just a minute, we’re not done!
February’s the shortest one.
With 28 most of the time,
but in Leap Year twenty-nine.
 

Version 69
(very much like Version 48)

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November.

All the rest have thirty-one
Excepting February alone,
To which we twenty-eight assign
til Leap Year makes it twenty-nine.

 
Version 64

30 days has September
April, June and November
All the rest have 31
February has 28 alone
But in every Leap year
That come once in four
February has just 1 day MORE!
 

Version 65

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
February has twenty-eight alone.
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting leap year, that’s the time
When February has twenty-nine

Version 66

30 days has September...

April, June, and November...
All the rest have 31...
But...this year...2008...
we definitely all get the cake, cuz...
February 29th is on the make!
LEAP ON!!!!
 
Version 61

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November.

All the rest have thirty-one
save February, with 28 fine
'til Leap Year makes it 29!
 
 
Version 62

30 days hath September,

April, June, and November.
28 days makes February fine,
But in a Leap Year it has 29.
All the rest have 31,
and now the poem has been done.
 
Version 63

Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November.
All the rest have 31
except February which hath 28
and sometimes 29

 
Version 58

30 days hath September
April, June and November
February has 28 alone and
all the rest have 31
Leap year comes once in four
and February has 1 day MORE!
 

Version 59

30 days has September

April, June, and November
All the rest have 31
Except for February, the shortest one
Version 60

30 days hath September
April, June and November
all the rest have 31
save February with 28

but once in four
has 1 day more.
 
Version 55

Thirty days has September,
April, June and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
But February has twenty-eight,
And in a Leap Year,
That is when,
February has twenty-nine.
 

 Version 56

Thirty Days Hath September
April, June, and November
All the rest have 31
Excepting February
28 is all it stores
Till Leap Year give it
one day more

Version 57

Thirty days hath September
April, June, and November
All the rest have 31
Except February on 28 is done
Unless the Leap Year doth combine
And give to February 29

Version 52  

Thirty days has September,
April, June and November.
After February’s done,
The other months have thirty one.

 
Version 53

Thirty days has September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one,
But February, which is fun:
With twenty-eight, it does just fine
'Til Leap Year makes it twenty-nine!
 

Version 54

Fourth, eleventh, ninth, and sixth,
 Thirty days to each affix,
 Every other thirty-one
 Except the second month alone.

 
Version 49

Thirty days hath September,

April, June and November,
All the rest have 31 except
the second month alone,
Which has 4 and 24
And Leap Year makes it one day more!
 
Version 50

Thirty days hath September

April, June and November
All the rest have 31
Except for February which has 28
Version 51

30 days hath September,
April, June, and November,
All the rest have 31,
Excepting February which alone,
has 28, and 1 day more,
in which we add in "the year of four"...

Version 46

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November,
All the rest I don't remember.

 
Version 47

Thirty days hath September
April, June, and November
The 2nd month has 28 days of rhyme
'til Leap Year gives her 29.
All the rest get thirty-one
Repeat the mnemonic, as it is done.
 

Version 48

30 days has September,
April, June and November.
All the rest have 31
except the second month alone,
To which we 28 assign,
'til Leap Year gives it 29.

Version 43

30 days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Except February -
That's the weird one.

Version 44

Thirty days hath September,
All the rest I can't remember.
The calendar hangs on the wall;
Why bother me with this at all?

 
Version 45

Thirty days hath September,
April June and November.
All the rest have thirty-one
Excepting February alone,
Which has twenty-eight days clear,
But twenty-nine each Leap Year.
 

 
Version 40

Thirty days has September,
April, June and November,
All the rest have thirty one,
Excepting February, fun!
And that has twenty eight days clear,
And twenty nine in a Leap Year!
 

Version 41

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November.
All the rest have 31,
Though February's underdone
With 28--hold the line!--
Leap Day makes it 29.

Version 42

Thirty days has September,
April, June and November.
All the rest have 31
except February which has 4 and 24,
'til Leap Year gives it one day more.

Version 37

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Excepting February alone:
Which hath but twenty-eight, in fine,
Till Leap Year gives it twenty-nine.

 
Version 38

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
all the rest have thirty-one,
except for February alone.
February has twenty-eight days clear,
and twenty-nine in each Leap Year.
 

Version 39

Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
All the rest of thirty-one,
Excepting February alone,
Which has but twenty-eight days clear
And twenty-nine in each Leap Year.

 
Version 34

Thirty days have September,
April, June, and November,
All the rest have thirty-one
Except short February
Which in line
Has twenty-eight,
Leap Year makes it twenty-nine.
 

Version 35

30 days hath September,
April, June and November
(all the rest have 31 except February
which has 28 and 29 in a Leap Year).

Version 36

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting February alone,
And it has twenty-eight days time,
But in Leap Years,
February has twenty-nine.

 
Version 31

Thirty days hath September
April, June, and November
Except the second month alone
Which has but twenty-eight, 'tis fine
'Til Leap Year makes it twenty-nine 
All the rest have thirty-one
 

Version 32

Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
all the rest have thirty one
except for February alone,
which has twenty eight each year,
twenty nine each Leap Year.

Version 33

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
February has twenty-eight alone,
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting Leap-Year, that's the time
When February's days are twenty-nine.  

 
Version 28

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting February alone,
Which hath but twenty-eight, in fine,
Till Leap Year gives it twenty-nine.
 

Version 29

Thirty days hath November,
April, June, and September,
February hath xxviii alone,
And all the rest have xxxi. 
Richard Grafton:
Chronicles of England. (1590.)

Version 30

Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Save February, she alone
Hath eight days and a score
'Til Leap Year gives her one day more.

Version 25

30 days hath September
April, June, and November
All the rest have thirty-one
Save February
Which has 28 in fine
Till Leap Year gives it 29

 
Version 26

Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
with February's 28 to make it fun.
Leap Year happening once in four,
Gives February one day more.
 

Version 27

Thirty days has September
April, June, and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
Except February, which has
twenty-eight,
In a Leap Year, twenty-nine.

Version 22

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Except February alone:
Which has twenty-eight 3 years in four,
Till Leap Year gives it just one more.

 
Version 23

Thirty days has September,
April, June and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
except that one contrary, February,
which has twenty-eight,
most of the time,
but in Leap Year twenty-nine.
 

Version 24

Thirty days hath September,
April June and November.
When short February's done,
All the rest have thirty-one

 
Version 19

Thirty days has September,
April, June and November.
All the rest have 31
excepting February which alone has 28,
and one day more
we add to it each year in four.
 

Version 20

Thirty Days hath September,
April, June and November
To all the rest we add 31,
Except the shortest month alone,
February, which has twenty-eight,
And twenty-nine in Leap Year

Version 21

Thirty Days are in September,
April, June and also November
All the rest have thirty-one,
Except for February, which, when done,
Has twenty-eight that we assign
But Leap Year gives it twenty-nine

Version 16

30 days hath September
April, June & November
All the rest hath 31
Except February
Which alone has 28
And 1 day more
When Leap Year comes
One year in four.

 
Version 17
 

Thirty days have September,
April, June and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
Except February the only one
Which Leap Years change
each fourth time
From twenty-eight to twenty-nine.
Century 100s don’t always leap,
each 400 years that leap we keep
.
 

Version 18

Thirty days hath September
April, June and November
All the rest have thirty-one
Save February, and it alone,
Has twenty-eight we do confine
Till Leap year gives it twenty nine.

 
Version 13

Thirty days hath September
April June and November
All the rest have thirty-one
But Leap Year coming once in four
February then has one day more
 

Version 14

30 days in November
with April, June and September
of twenty-eight there is one
all the rest have thirty-one

Version 15

Fourth, eleventh, ninth, and sixth,
Thirty days to each affix,
Every other thirty-one
Except the second month alone.

 
Version 10

30 days hath September,
April, June, and November.
The rest have 31... no, wait!
February has only 28!
Except in Leap Year, that's the time,
When February's days are 29!
 

Version 11

30 days (or not)
 
Thirty days has September
April June and November
All the rest have 31 save February
That's the real odd one

Version 12

30 days hath September
April June and November
all the rest have 31
except for February which alone
has 28 and 1 day more, 1 year in 4

Version 7

30 days hath September,
April, June and November;
all the rest have 31
excepting February alone,
which has 28 days clear
and 29 in each Leap Year.

 
Version 8

Thirty days has September,
April, June, and November.
Thirty-one days for all the rest,
except February has 28, which is less.
This happens three years in four
until a leap year gives it one day more.
 

Version 9

30 days hath September,
April, June, and November.
All the rest have 31,
excepting February,
that contrary son of a gun.

Version 4

Thirty days hath Septober,
April, June, and no wonder
All the rest have thirty one
Except Gramma
And she has a little red wagon
 

Version 5

Thirty day hath Septober
April, June, and Montana
All the rest have cold weather
Except in the summer
which ain't very often

Version 6

Thirty days hath Juvember,
Apples, Noon and No Wonder,
All the rest have Peanut Butter,
Except my Grandma
And she has a little red tricycle.

 
Version 1

30 days hath Septober
April June and no wonder
All the rest eat peanut butter
Except Grandma and
she rides a tricycle
 

Version 2

Thirty days hath Septober
April, June and Novober
All the rest have peanut butter
Except Grandma
and she rides a Harley Sportster

Version 3

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and no wonder,
all the rest eat peanut butter
except for my Grandma...
she drives a Ford.


 
Twenty-eight days has February
A very light load for one month to carry
The other months have 2 and 3 more
Thirty and thirty-one being their big score
In Leap Years the days they do vary
Making 29 days in February

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