The month of July is here and the summer vacations are almost over. Soon, the schools will reopen. Hope you’ve finished your homework!!!
While you’re at it and packing your bags and getting ready to go back to school, have you ever thought of how the month of July got its name? Let’s see how.
In the initial calendar of Ancient Romans, this month was known as Quintilis. Quintilis is Latin for “fifth”, and so this was the 5th month in the calendar.
In 46 B.C., Julius Caesar made one of his greatest contributions to history: he developed such a calendar which had a consistent number of days. The calendar we follow today is inspired by it.
So, the month was renamed as July after Julius Caesar, in order to honor his contribution and him. July also happens to be the birth month of Julius Caesar, so it seemed befitting.
Did you know that July is not just the seventh month of the calendar but it also has the date which divides the year into exactly two halves – July 3rd is that date.
Fun Facts
In July, in the Northern hemisphere, summer is at its peak whereas, in the Southern hemisphere, it’s exactly opposite.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Chandrashekhar Azad are some of the famous Indian freedom fighters who were born in July.
Also, July 1st is celebrated as the National Doctor’s Day.