Joan Cloutier cried on leap day when she turned 4 only to be told that it was her first birthday; Kay Baker, now in her 50s, still gets ribbed about not being old enough to drive; Chris Curtis had to get a governor’s decree to receive his driver’s license.
People with leap day as a birthday are called “leapers” or “leaplings,” and there are an estimated 200,000 of them around the country, according to the Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies.
“I like it because it gives me lots of openings for jokes,” said Baker, who turns “14” today. “But as a small child, it could be kind of difficult. The older I get, the more I love my leap-year age.”
Centuries ago, the Romans figured out that it takes roughly 365¼ days for Earth to orbit the sun and devised a calendar that adds an extra day every four years to keep everything in sync.
We are technically under the Gregorian calendar, which continues with leap days every four years except on years ending in 00 that are not divisible by 400. For example, 1900 had no Feb. 29, and neither will 2100.
Twenty-four years ago, Richard Ridenour and Colleen McCambridge answered a pitch from a Denver radio program looking for unusual ways people were planning to spend leap day.
Colleen said they wanted to get married on leap day in the Denver Zoo’s bird house.
It took. Six leap days later, the couple is happily married and living on a farm in southeast Ohio.
“It has been a very positive thing for us,” Richard said. “It always gives us an interesting story to tell about how and when we got married.”
Plus, he never forgets their anniversary.
Unlike Christmas, having a baby on leap day isn’t usually a worry for pregnant women, said Steve Snyder, spokesperson for Exempla St. Joseph Hospital.
“Patients look forward to having their baby on a special day,” he said. “But, again, usually there is not much they can do about it. If the mom’s due date is on the 29th, it’s still the baby’s ultimate call.”
Curtis, who was born in Denver but now lives in Helena, Mont., said the only time there was a glitch was when he was 16 and the Department of Motor Vehicles wouldn’t give him his driver’s license on his birthday.
He got a decree from Colorado’s governor ordering the officials to recognize Feb. 29.
“Needless to say, the DMV wasn’t happy with me when I brought that in,” he said.
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
