You think your birthday is special? Pshh, think again. Your day has nothing on today (February 29th), as it only happens once every four years, which is more commonly known as a Leap Day, which takes place during a Leap Year (Read more on that here). To put that in perspective for you rapper Ja Rule, born today, is only celebrating his 9th birthday.
As we currently find ourselves in a Leap Year, with today being Leap Day. Essentially making today the McDonald’s McRib of the entire Gregorian Calendar, as it’s rare and quite elusive. If you find yourself born today, Happy Birthday, you share your special day with fellow “Who’s Who Leapers” such as: Ja Rule (Terrible Rapper), Tony Robbins (Self-help guru), Richard Ramirez (the Night Stalker), and Dave Williams (Drowning Pool singer).
Still not impressed by the names, well you can check out a full list below of all famous Leap Year / Leap Day birthdays from wikipedia.
1468 – Pope Paul III
1568 – Juan Bautista Comes, Spanish composer
1692 – John Byrom, English poet
1736 – Ann Lee, American founder of Shakers
1792 – Gioachino Rossini, Italian composer
1812 – Sir James Wilson, Premier of Tasmania
1828 – Emmeline B. Wells, American women’s rights advocate
1836 – Dickey Pearce, American baseball player and manager
1840 – John Philip Holland, Irish inventor
1848 – Arthur Giry, French historian
1852 – Frank Gavan Duffy, Australian judge
1852 – George Maximilianovich, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg, Russian nobleman
1860 – Herman Hollerith, American statistician
1892 – Ed Appleton, American baseball player
1892 – Augusta Savage, African-American sculptor
1896 – Morarji Desai, Prime Minister of India
1896 – Roy Parker, baseball player
1896 – William A. Wellman, American film director
1904 – Jimmy Dorsey, American bandleader
1904 – Pepper Martin, baseball player
1904 – Rukmini Devi Arundale, Indian dancer and founder of Kalakshetra
1908 – Balthus, French-Polish painter
1908 – Dee Brown, American writer
1908 – Alf Gover, English cricketer
1916 – Dinah Shore, American singer and actress
1920 – Arthur Franz, American actor
1920 – James Mitchell, American actor
1920 – Michèle Morgan, French actress
1920 – Howard Nemerov, American poet
1920 – Ivan Ivanovich Petrov, Russian operatic bass
1920 – Rolland W. Redlin, American politician
1920 – Fyodor Abramov, Russian novelist
1924 – Al Rosen, American baseball player
1924 – David Beattie, New Zealand Governor-General
1924 – Carlos Humberto Romero, President of El Salvador
1928 – Joss Ackland, English actor
1928 – Vance Haynes, American archaeologist
1928 – Terry Lewis, Australian police commissioner
1928 – Tempest Storm, American burlesque performer
1932 – Paul Giel, American baseball player
1932 – Gene Golub, American mathematician
1932 – Masten Gregory, American F1 Driver
1932 – Reri Grist, African-American coloratura soprano
1932 – Jaguar, Brazilian cartoonist
1936 – Jack Lousma, American astronaut
1936 – Henri Richard, Canadian ice hockey player
1936 – Alex Rocco, American actor
1940 – Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople
1940 – William H. Turner, Jr. American horse trainer
1944 – Ene Ergma, Estonian politician
1944 – Dennis Farina, American actor
1944 – Phyllis Frelich, American actress
1944 – Steve Mingori, American baseball player
1944 – Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri, Italian illustrator
1948 – Jirō Akagawa, Japanese novelist
1948 – Gérard Darmon, French movie actor and singer
1948 – Ken Foree, American actor
1952 – Al Autry, American baseball player
1952 – Sharon Dahlonega Raiford Bush, American television personality
1952 – Tim Powers, American writer
1952 – Raisa Smetanina, Russian cross-country skier
1952 – Bart Stupak, American congressman
1956 – Jonathan Coleman, Anglo-Australian entertainer
1956 – Jerry Fry, American baseball player
1956 – Bob Speller, Canadian politician
1956 – J. Randy Taraborrelli, American celebrity journalist
1956 – Aileen Wuornos, American serial killer
1960 – Khaled, Algerian raï musician
1960 – Bill Long, American baseball player
1960 – Richard Ramirez, American serial killer
1960 – Tony Robbins, American motivational speaker
1964 – Lyndon Byers, Canadian hockey player and Boston radio personality
1964 – Mervyn Warren, American film & TV composer and musician
1968 – Suanne Braun, South African actress
1968 – Chucky Brown, American basketball player
1968 – Pete Fenson, American curler
1968 – Naoko Iijima, Japanese actress
1968 – Gonzalo Lira, Chilean-American novelist
1968 – Howard Tayler, American cartoonist & author
1968 – Bryce Paup, American football player
1968 – Wendi Peters, British actress
1968 – Eugene Volokh, American law professor
1968 – Frank Woodley, Australian comedian
1972 – Antonio Sabàto, Jr., Italian-born actor
1972 – Dave Williams, American singer (Drowning Pool)
1972 – Saul Williams, American rapper, poet, and actor
1972 – Mike Pollitt, English footballer
1972 – Pedro Zamora, Cuban-born American Real World housemate and AIDS activist
1972 – Iván García, Cuban athlete
1976 – Katalin Kovács, Hungarian sprint canoer
1976 – Ja Rule, American rapper and actor
1976 – Terrence Long, American baseball player
1976 – Zoë Baker, New Zealand swimmer
1980 – Simon Gagné, Canadian ice hockey player
1980 – Taylor Twellman, American soccer player
1980 – Clinton Toopi, New Zealand rugby league footballer
1980 – Chris Conley, American musician
1980 – Ruben Plaza, Spanish cyclist
1980 – Michail Mouroutsos, Greek Olympic taekwondo gold medalist
1984 – Darren Ambrose, English footballer
1984 – Cullen Jones, American swimmer
1984 – Nuria Martinez, Spanish basketball player WNBA
1984 – Adam Sinclair, Indian field hockey player
1984 – Dennis Walger, German rugby player
1984 – Cam Ward, Canadian ice hockey player
1984 – Mark Foster, American musician
1988 – Scott Golbourne, English footballer
1988 – Benedikt Höwedes, German footballer
1988 – Bobby Sanguinetti, American ice hockey player
1992 – Perry Kitchen, American soccer player
1992 – Sean Abbott, Australian cricketer
1992 – Caitlin EJ Meyer, Actress
Fun Fact:
Sir James Wilson, Premier of Tasmania, is the only person known to have been born and died on February 29th during a Leap Year.
