A “February 30” has existed only once in all of History


The year 2024 is a leap year, so there is a February 29th. A priori, there will never be February 30. This situation has only happened once in all history, in 1711, in Sweden.

In 2024, we are in the middle of a leap year, which is why this Thursday is February 29 (but it is not a public holiday). Usually this month has no more than 28 days. The 29th is a leap day, which occurs approximately every four years. The chances of experiencing February 30 are therefore zero. Unless you lived in Sweden in the 18th century.

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The day Sweden lived on February 30

We are in Sweden, in 1700. On this date, the country adopted the Gregorian calendar… but without the intercalary days. However, these make it possible to make up for the gap: 365 days does not completely correspond to the rhythm of the Earth around the Sun, 5 hours, 48 ​​minutes and 56 seconds are missing. This is what the leap year is for, which adds February 29: to make up for this gap.

The year 1700, which should have been a leap year, was not in Sweden. Except that, first twist, there was a change of plan: ultimately, the country decided to add leap days. The years 1704 and 1708 were leap years, with February 29.

But, in 1711, second twist : the Swedish Empire decides to return to the Julian calendar, inherited from ancient Rome, slightly different from the Gregorian calendar. At this point, the calendar followed in Sweden is one day ahead of the Julian calendar. To get back on track with the Julien count, third twist, the Swedes added an additional leap day in 1712. During that year, there was therefore a February 29, but also a February 30. This February 30 was then the equivalent of February 29 in the Julian calendar, hence the “logic” of this second intercalary day (in the Gregorian calendar, we were March 11).

It took a few decades for Sweden to definitively switch to the Gregorian calendar. The change took place in 1953. That year, the country’s calendar simply changed from February 17 to March 1. And now Sweden was aligned with the other countries from a calendar point of view.

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One more day in 2024, so less money? // Source: Canva

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