February 29th is also known as International Underlings Day and Rare Disease Day.
Today is a special day as it’s a leap year which only happens once every four years. The odds of being born on February 29 are 1 in 1,461, or 0.068%.
Although this day only happens once every four years, this day has certainly had some incredible events including experiences from two famous historical explorers, a devastating earthquake and much more.
Did you know that on this day in 1504, Christopher Columbus was saved by a lunar eclipse? Knowing when the eclipse was happening, he convinced locals that they made his god angry for not giving him food.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about February 29th in history!
What Events Happened On February 29 In History?
2020 Joe Biden won the South Carolina primary election.
2016 The Fact Shop was launched.
1996 The longest siege of a capital city in modern history, the siege of Sarajevo, officially ended.
1960 The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago.
1960 A 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Agadir, Morocco, wiped out a third of the city’s population.
1960 The Family Circus Comic Strip by Bill Keane debuted.
1944 Future Pope John Paul II was almost killed by a Nazi truck in Krakow, Poland.
1940 Hattie McDaniel won Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Gone With the Wind,” making her the first African American woman to win an Oscar.
1908 A Dutch scientist named Heike Kamerlingh Onnes announced he was able to create solid helium.
1832 Charles Darwin explored Bahia, San Salvador, Brazil, and fell in love with its variety of plants, flowers, animals & insects.
1692 The first warrants were issued to arrest three women accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, US.
1504 A lunar eclipse saved explorer Christopher Columbus’s life.
Famous People Born On February 29
Are you celebrating your birthday today? If so, did you know that you share the same birthday as Mark Foster? See what other famous people were born on this day.
1976 Ja Rule
American Rapper
- Age:
- 46 years old
- Born In:
- New York, USA
1960 Tony Robbins
American Author
- Age:
- 62 years old
- Born In:
- California, USA
1984 Mark Foster
American Singer
- Age:
- 38 years old
- Born In:
- California, USA
1916 Dinah Shore
American Singer
- Died On:
- Feb 24, 1994 (Age 77)
- Born In:
- Tennessee, USA
Special Holidays On February 29
If you’ve got a few minutes spare today, why not celebrate these special holidays.
International Underlings Day
It seems most workplaces have underlings lurking in the shadows whose main job is to be making yours as tricky as possible. Well, today is International Underlings Day, and there's no harm in conjuring up a little rebellion - just make sure it doesn't cost you your job!
Rare Disease Day
Getting through life can be incredibly difficult for people with rare diseases, mainly because there’s often little public awareness of these lesser-known ailments. Rare Disease Day was created to raise awareness of the issue to make patients’ lives a little easier.
February 29 Birthday Facts, Zodiac & Birthstone
For those of you who were born on this day, your star sign is Pisces.
While Pisceans may seem quiet at times, they have a solid sense of right and wrong. Their moral compass, along with their gut, guides them well in life.
Amethyst is the birthstone given to those born in February. People with the Amethyst birthstone tend to be stubborn and daring, and they always follow their dreams.
Those who were born on February 29th were likely conceived the previous year on June 8th.
