Famous people born on February 29 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is February 29, you share it with Gioachino Rossini, Dinah Shore, Tony Robbins — and you were born under Pisces, the sign of the imaginative, empathetic, and a little bit magic.
Birthday basics for February 29
Pisces ♓
Zodiac sign
Amethyst
Birthstone
Violet
Birth flower
60th*
Day of the year
February 29 is the rarest birthday of all — the 60th day of the year, and it only exists in leap years (about one in every 1,461 babies gets it).
Famous people born on February 29
Gioachino Rossini — Italian composer of 'The Barber of Seville' and a famous leap-day baby (born 1792).
Dinah Shore — American singer and beloved TV host born on Leap Day (born 1916).
Tony Robbins — American motivational speaker and author, a true leap-year baby (born 1960).
Also sharing the day:
Herman Hollerith (b. 1860) — American inventor whose punched-card machines paved the way for modern computing.
Dennis Farina (b. 1944) — Chicago police officer turned actor, known for "Law & Order".
Ja Rule (b. 1976) — American rapper who scored a string of early-2000s hits.
February 29 in history
1940 — Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Academy Award, for 'Gone with the Wind'.
1980 — 51-year-old Gordie Howe became the first NHL player to score 800 career goals.
2004 — 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' won all 11 of its Oscar nominations, tying the all-time record.
1504 — Stranded in Jamaica, Christopher Columbus used his knowledge of a lunar eclipse to convince locals to keep supplying his crew.
1712 — Sweden had a February 30 this year — the only one in history — while abandoning its experimental calendar.
1892 — The city of St. Petersburg, Florida, was incorporated on leap day.
February 29 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is February 29?
Anyone born on February 29 is a Pisces — imaginative, empathetic, and a little bit magic.
What is the birthstone for February 29?
The birthstone for a February 29 birthday is Amethyst, and the birth flower is the Violet.
Who is the most famous person born on February 29?
Gioachino Rossini is among the best known — Italian composer of 'The Barber of Seville' and a famous leap-day baby (born 1792).
What happened on February 29?
In 1940, Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Academy Award, for 'Gone with the Wind'.
What day of the year is February 29?
February 29 is the rarest birthday of all — the 60th day of the year, and it only exists in leap years (about one in every 1,461 babies gets it).
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on February 29? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.