August
Wow - Incredible Facts About August!
All the things you never knew you needed to know about August!
Its August. We are well into the school/college holidays. The weather is unpredictable – that no surprise though is it! When it rains the garden is green, parks, allotments and window boxes all over Wirral are full of flowers, and veggies ready to pick. Weeds are also happy to grow fast in the warmth of August. Anglo-Saxons used to call August “Weod Monath” (Weed Month) because it’s the time when plants and flowers (including weeds), grow fast and wild!
Although plants are working hard growing at an incredible rate, August is a time for you to relax and recharge before the start of the next school year in September.
Here at Zillo we have put together a bit of an August fact file, it’s just for fun…. and all facts are off the internet so we can’t be held responsible if they are not 100% correct…. (although we did try and check them!)
SO GET READY TO HAVE YOUR MIND BLOWN. THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT AUGUST!
How many days are in August?
Poor August, the number of days in August has changed quite a few times over the years. First it had 30 days, then it got an extra one to make it 31. When January and February came into the calendar in 700 BC August got reduced to 29 days. Finally, Julius Caesar changed it back to 31. Thankfully it has stayed at 31 ever since because it means we get longer school holidays!
Has it had a different name?
Yes (otherwise it wouldn’t be an interesting fact!). It used to be called Sextilis which is the Latin word for 6. But August is the eighth month of the year so why was it called after the number six? After the calendar reform created a twelve-month year rather than a ten-month one in 8BC, Sextilis became the eighth month of the calendar we now use.
Why is not still called Sextilis?
Augustus Caeser the first Roman Emperor did many important things in August, in 8 BC the name Sextilis got dumped, and in his honour Augustus became the official name. Since then, it has been shortened to what we now call August.
Do you believe in Zodiac Signs?
Talking of Rome (where they threw criminals into the lion’s den and encouraged lions to fight each other), the Zodiac sign/Star sign/Horoscope sign for 1st - 22nd August is Leo the Lion. From the 22nd of August you are a Virgo.
Famous Leo’s include the 44th President, Barack Obama (first African American President of the USA), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), and Usain Bolt (one of the greatest athletes ever). Famous Virgos born in August include Kobe Bryant (one of the greatest basketball players of all time), Melissa McCarthy (actress and comedian) and Chris Pine (actor).
Start and finishing days
August never starts on the same day as any other month! Apart from that pesky leap year when it begins on the same day as February. August always ends on the same day of the week as November.
The birth of the Sandwich
There is debate about this one but we’re going with it because it’s very cool! John Montagu the 4th Earl of Sandwich requested meat between two pieces of bread during a gambling game on the 6th August 1762 – and according to many sources this was when the ‘sandwich’ was born! Other places say that sandwiches as such had been eaten like that for ages and ages, but it was the Earl of Sandwich who popularised it and gave them their name. Imagine if it was his real name instead, you could be having a ham and cheese montagu for your lunch!
“I Have A Dream”
On the 28th August 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech “I have a dream” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.
250,000 people showed up to listen to the speech which called for the end of racial discrimination and equal rights for all. This is undeniably one of the most famous speeches in history. There are many videos of it available, here is the one we chose.
And in less uplifting news
And not to forget sad and disastrous events that happened in August. We should acknowledge the death of actress Marilyn Monroe who died on 4th August 1962, and ‘The king of rock and roll’ Elvis Presley who died on August 16th 1977.
August also witnessed the eruption of Mount Vesuvius destroying the city of Pompeii and all of its citizens on the 24th of the month in 79AD.
On the morning of August 6th, 1945, the USA dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city Hiroshima. Famously known as the ‘Enola Gay’ the B-29 bomber dropped the bomb that changed history. The bomb created mass mushroom clouds from the nuclear impact and the fires that raged as a result - images that are forever burned into the history of humanity.
We hope this has been a fun few minutes for you learning interesting facts about the eighth month of the year. Make the most of it, you will be getting ready to go back to school in no time……
With thanks to funfactsabout.com for the list and lots of ideas for this article.