diff -r c310233b1d64 Lib/_strptime.py
--- a/Lib/_strptime.py	Sat Apr 21 15:52:11 2012 +0100
+++ b/Lib/_strptime.py	Sat Apr 21 19:08:45 2012 +0200
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@
         raise ValueError("unconverted data remains: %s" %
                           data_string[found.end():])
 
-    year = 1900
+    year = None
     month = day = 1
     hour = minute = second = fraction = 0
     tz = -1
@@ -444,6 +444,10 @@
                     else:
                         tz = value
                         break
+    if year is None and month == 2 and day == 29:
+        year = 1904  # 1904 is first leap year of 20th century
+    elif year is None:
+        year = 1900
     # If we know the week of the year and what day of that week, we can figure
     # out the Julian day of the year.
     if julian == -1 and week_of_year != -1 and weekday != -1:
diff -r c310233b1d64 Lib/test/test_strptime.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_strptime.py	Sat Apr 21 15:52:11 2012 +0100
+++ b/Lib/test/test_strptime.py	Sat Apr 21 19:08:45 2012 +0200
@@ -378,6 +378,9 @@
         need_escaping = ".^$*+?{}\[]|)("
         self.assertTrue(_strptime._strptime_time(need_escaping, need_escaping))
 
+    def test_feb29_on_leap_year_without_year(self):
+        time.strptime("Feb 29", "%b %d")
+
 class Strptime12AMPMTests(unittest.TestCase):
     """Test a _strptime regression in '%I %p' at 12 noon (12 PM)"""