February 29 is not just known for being a leap day. Birthdays of famous people and some historical events that changed the world also took place on this day. Below is a list of famous birthdays and events that happened on leap day.
Some people have a leap day birthday. ©iStockphoto.com/iofoto
People
Famous people born on February 29 include*:
- 1468 – Pope Paul III (d. 1549)
- 1792 – Gioacchino Rossini, Italian composer (William Tell, The Barber of Seville) (d. 1868)
- 1896 – Morarji Desai, former Indian prime minister (d. 1995)
- 1916 – Dinah Shore, American singer (d. 1994)
- 1924 – Al Rosen, American baseball player
- 1924 – Carlos Humberto Romero, former president of El Salvador
- 1960 – Richard Ramirez, American serial killer
- 1960 – Anthony (Tony) Robbins, American motivational speaker
- 1964 – Lyndon Byers, Canadian hockey player
- 1972 – Antonio Sabàto Jr, Italian-born actor
- 1976 – Ja Rule, American rapper and actor
- 1980 – Chris Conley, American musician and songwriter/composer
Events
Events that took place on February 29 in history include*:
- 1692 – First accusations began during the Salem witch trials. The trials occurred in Massachusetts in the United States, where more than 150 people were arrested and at least 25 people died by hanging, torture or during their prison stay.
- 1848 – Neufchatel declares the independence of Switzerland.
- 1940 – Hattie McDaniel was the first African American actress to win an Oscar. She won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role as “Mammy” in Gone with the Wind. The movie won eight Oscars.
- 1944 – The invasion of the Admiralty Islands began as United States General Douglas MacArthur led his forces in "Operation Brewer". Troops surged onto Los Negros, following a month of Allied advances in the Pacific. This event was one of the highlights of World War II.
- 1952 – The first “Walk/Don't Walk” signs were installed in New York City.
- 1964 – Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser received her 36th world record. She was timed at 58.9 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle in Sydney, Australia. She was the first female swimmer to win gold medals in three consecutive Olympic Games (1956, 1960 and 1964).
- 1972 – The Carpenters received a gold record for the hit single Hurting Each Other. The Carpenters were a vocal and instrumental duo of siblings, Karen and Richard, who produced a softer style of music in an era when loud rock was in demand. They were one of the best-selling music artists in the 1970s.
*Please note that not every historical event and famous birthday that happened on leap day is listed.
More information
Further reading
- Leap Year in Other Calendars
- World Events during Leap Year 2008
- Anthony – Leap Year Capital of the World
Calendar tools
- Calendar for 2009
- Calendar Generator – Create a calendar for any year
- Repeating calendars – Which years share the same calendar?
