Leap Year Laughs: 5 Hilarious Stories from the Extra Day

Every four years, we get an extra day in February to keep our calendars in sync with the Earth’s orbit around the sun. But what do people do with this bonus day? Some use it to celebrate their birthday, propose to their partner, or try something new. Others, however, end up in some hilarious situations that are worth sharing. Here are five real-life stories from leap year that will make you chuckle.

1. The Man Who Was Born and Died on Leap Day

George Keller was a rare case of a person who was both born and died on February 29. He was born in 1904 in New York and died in 1988 in Connecticut, at the age of 21 (or 84, depending on how you count). His obituary in The New York Times noted that he “celebrated only 21 birthdays in his lifetime, but he aged as the rest of us did.”

2. The Woman Who Proposed to Her Boyfriend with a Billboard

According to an old tradition, women can propose to men on leap day, and men are supposed to accept or pay a fine. In 2016, a woman from England named Terri Worrall decided to take advantage of this custom and propose to her boyfriend of 10 years, Adam Pinder, with a giant billboard. The billboard read: “Adam, I love you. Will you marry me? Terri x.” She also added a hashtag, #sayyesadam, to encourage social media support. Luckily, Adam said yes and the couple got engaged.

3. The Couple Who Had Three Children Born on Leap Day

The odds of having a child born on February 29 are about 1 in 1,461. The odds of having three children born on February 29 are astronomical. But that’s exactly what happened to a Norwegian couple, Karin and Henry Henriksen, who had three consecutive children born on leap day in 1960, 1964, and 1968. Their daughter Heidi was born on February 29, 1960, followed by her brother Olav four years later, and then another brother, Leif-Martin, four years after that. The family made it into the Guinness World Records for this remarkable feat.

4. The Man Who Tried to Rent a Car for Free on Leap Day

In 1996, a man from New Zealand named Peter Benson tried to exploit a loophole in a car rental contract on leap day. He rented a car from Avis for one day on February 28 and returned it on March 1. He argued that he should not be charged for the extra day, because February 29 did not exist. He even took the case to court, but the judge ruled against him and ordered him to pay the full amount. The judge said that Benson’s argument was “a fallacy of the highest order” and that he had “rented the car for 48 hours, not for one day.”

5. The Twins Who Were Born on Different Days, Months, and Years

In 2020, a pair of twins from Minnesota were born on different days, months, and years, thanks to leap day. The first twin, a boy named Scott, was born at 11:51 p.m. on February 28. The second twin, a girl named Summer, was born at 12:16 a.m. on February 29. The parents, Lisa and Chad Poland, said they were surprised by the timing, but happy with their unique babies. They also joked that they would have to celebrate their birthdays on different days.

These are just some of the funny stories that leap year has produced over the years. Do you have any leap year stories of your own? Share them in the comments below and have a happy leap day! 😂