Known for recaps and resolutions, each new year often starts with retrospection and … the month of January. But where did the name January come from and can we learn anything about the name of this first month to inspire us to actually keep those New Year’s resolutions intact? January, as we know, is the first month of the year and contains 31 days. The …
October is here, and in the Northern Hemisphere, that often means the days are flush with falling leaves, chilling weather, and growing anticipation for the holiday season. The tenth month by our Gregorian calendar, October shares a root with octopus and octagon—the Latin octo and Greek okto, meaning “eight.” According to the original Roman republican calendar, October was the eighth month of the year rather than the …
For many, the month of September signals the end of summer, the beginning of autumn, and the start of a new school year. With respect to the calendar, September marks the beginning of the series of months named after their numerical position in the year. But the numbers and months don’t add up anymore. See, September, based on the Latin septem- meaning “seven,” is the ninth …
Just about every elementary schooler learns the months of the year with an easy rhyme: “Thirty days has [or hath] September, April, June, and November. All the rest have 31, except February …” How exactly does it end? That depends on how you learned the poem, but one common version goes: “All the rest have 31 / But February’s 28 / The leap year, which comes once …
There are many reasons to be thankful for the benefits of modern living: antibiotics, airplanes, velcro …. Another subtle but essential item is our calendar. It may have some frustrating moments, but consider how months used to work. Take heed of Mercedonius In the days of the Roman calendar, an intercalary month was added in leap years and a few other times as well. This …