Of leapers and leaplings: Celebrating Feb. 29 (leap day) birthdays

Jerry McClanahan celebrates his 20th birthday today whereas earlier this month he and his wife, Barbara, marked 60 years of marriage.

McClanahan is not a time traveler, but rather was born Feb. 29, aka leap day, or the extra day which appears on calendars nearly every four years.

Born leap day 1940, the Cape Girardeau man is originally from Bell City, Missouri, and doesn't mind being considered a bit younger in terms of number of birthdays.

"I use the humor in it because it's no good if you don't," McClanahan said with a laugh. "Life's too short and sweet anyway if you don't use humor."

Jerry McClanahan, originally of Bell City, Missouri, and now Cape Girardeau, was born leap day 1940 and turns 80 years old today.

Those born on leap day are sometimes called "leaplings" or "leapers," and McClanahan is not the only local who celebrates such a birthday.

The Southeast Missourian produced a portrait series of leap day birthday celebrants using Polaroid Originals and Fujifilm Instax Mini film to emulate snapshots from birthday parties.

Cameron Moore of Scott City born leap day 2016 and turns 4 years old today.

Twin sisters Susan Abney and Angie Burnett, both originally of Scott City, Missouri, and now Chaffee, Missouri, and Cape Girardeau, respectively, were born leap day 1992.

"I always had the easiest 'Name two special things about you' in class. I'd be like 'I'm a twin and I'm born on leap year,'" Burnett said with a laugh.

"That's what I put still and I'm almost 30," Abney said.

Twin sisters Susan Abney (left) and Angie Burnett, both originally of Scott City and now Chaffee, Missouri, and Cape Girardeau, respectively, were born leap day 1992 and turn 28 years old today.

There's a 1 in 1,461 chance of a baby being born on leap day, according to a 2016 Vox article. Or doing the math, that's the 365 days, times four and then adding another day.

Logan Hennecke of Scott City was born leap day 1992 and turns 28 years old today.

The extra day in a leap year is added to make sure calendars align with the Earth's movement around the Sun, according to history.com. It takes the Earth 365.2421 days to make the orbit so the extra day is added nearly every fourth year to keep things in order.

Aisha Jones of Cape Girardeau was born leap day 1976 and turns 44 years old today.

With that said, given it does not take 365.25 days exactly for the orbit, while leap day appears on the calendar nearly every four years, there is no leap day for centurial years that are not divisible by 400, according to history.com. For example, while 2000 was a leap year, 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not.

Kim Hodo of Jackson was born leap day 1960 and turns 60 years old today.

Kim Hodo of Jackson, born leap day 1960, marks her 15th leap day birthday today.

Hodo said her grandson Brendan Barber, born March 5, will be 14 this year and noticed when he turns 15 the following year, he'll have had as many birthdays as his grandmother.

"My mom, just because it's called 'leap day,' she always used to buy me stuff with frogs on it because of frogs hopping, you know, or leaping," Hodo added.

Payton Foltz of Whitewater was born leap day 2016 and turns 4 years old today. Foltz wanted to take her portrait with the family dog Ellie May.

One of the younger birthday celebrants is Payton Foltz of Whitewater, born leap day 2016, marking her first leap day birthday today.

Foltz's mother Lydia Reitzel said they "had to do something big this year cause we only get it every four years" so they are having a unicorn-theme party at Safari Playland.

"I want some dogs in there too," Foltz said, eliciting laughter from her family.