Some Marylanders Celebrate Their Birthdays For The First Time In 4 Years

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Feb. 29 comes along once every four years and for those born on Leap Year, birthdays are few and far between.

Jessica Kartalija has more on why Wednesday is a big celebration for some Maryland "leaplings."

Glenn Segal is a math and science teacher at Cockeysville Middle School. He's now the same age as his sixth grade students.

"This is my 12th birthday," Segal said.

Segal is a so-called "leapling," born on Leap Year.

"When the earth revolves around the sun, it takes more than 365 days. It's about five hours and 46 minutes more than that. So if you multiply that by four, there's another day you have to take care of that," Segal said.

Believe it or not, Segal isn't the only person at Cockeysville Middle School celebrating a birthday Wednesday. Tiffany Williams is technically 12, but the calendar says she's just three.

"The day of my birthday is the only one that comes once every four years," Williams said.

At Sinai Hospital, Kamari Davis is a little "leapling" fresh out of the oven.

"Every four years he'll have a birthday," said Kimberly Boulware.

The odds of being a leap year baby are one in 1,461. With 75 percent fewer birthdays, some "leaplings" say it makes them feel young, even if they are old enough to be your teacher.

"I've had 11 birthdays. Figure out how old I am," Segal said.

You can thank Julius Caesar and his astronomer for adding this extra day in February to the calendar some 2,000 years ago.

In most states, "leaplings" are required to wait until March 1 to be eligible for age-specific privileges like getting a license or being allowed to drink alcohol.