#FunFactFriday – The Month of August
With back-to-school season here and Halloween candy and decorations making their way to store shelves, summer is officially drawing to a close and August 1 is right around the corner.
The idea of the dog days of summer coming to an end is exciting for most of us Arizonians but for those who may be dreading the arrival of fall and winter, here is a reminder about the fun and interesting facts that the month of August represents.
- Throughout history, the number of days within the month has changed many times. In the 10-month Roman calendar, all months had 30 or 31 days, resulting in 304 days in a year. When Pompilius decided to add January and February to the calendar, he also reduced the days in August down to 29, but when Julian Caesar introduced the Julian calendar, August came to have the 31 days we know today.
- In the northern hemisphere, August is considered the last month of summer, but in the southern hemisphere it marks the last of the winter months.
- Legend has it that during a gambling game on Aug. 6, 1762, the first sandwich was created by Earl of Sandwich as he requested meat in between two slices of bread.
- On Aug. 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I have a dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to 250,000 people.
- Almost always in a standard year, no other month begins on the same day of the week as August. In a leap year, August will begin on the same day as February.
