Learn more about the history of the name of August and other related facts.

Hello August! It's time to finally meet you properly! Are you ready to tell us 12 interesting things that we did not know about you? Come on we're all ears!

Names of August

• August got its name after the founder and the first ruler of the Roman Empire. Augustus Caesar was the emperor of Rome from 27 B.C. to 14 A.D. He was Gaius Julius Caesar's great-nephew in the maternal line, whom the latter finally adopted. Posthumously. In Latin, the name "Augustus" meant "reverend"

• Initially called "Sextilis", August was the 6th month in the year, according to the ancient Roman calendar that began in March. At first, the month consisted of 30 days; the additional 31st day appeared in order to make the length of August equal to that of July, the month named after Gaius Julius Caesar.

• According to the Anglo-Saxons, the month had the name of "Weodmonath" - the month of weeds.

• August has a special meaning for Northern Europe. In 2012, it was the 18th most popular name given to newborn boys in Denmark, and in 2014 - the 55th most popular in Sweden, despite the fact that only 220f those Augusts were actually born in August. In Iceland, on the contrary, the names "August" and "Augustus" were declared unacceptable in 2009.

August Insignia

• Those born in August are either Leo or Virgo natives. The Lion is talented and sociable, but a bit of a drama queen. The Virgin loves scrutiny and hard work; they are loyal, trustworthy people.

• The birthstones of August are sardonyx and peridot. Greenish peridot is one of the earliest known gemstones, while white-and-brown sardonyx is not as well-known, but even more powerful, if you believe in the power of gemstones, of course.

• Gladiolus is the flower of the month of August. Translated from Latin, its name means "sword". The association is made obvious by the shape of the plant's leaves.

• Ancient Romans started calling August "the dog days of summer" because during the month, Sirius, which has an alternative name of the Dog Star, was visible at sunrise.

August Events and Stats

• In 79 A.D., Vesuvius erupted on August 24, sweeping away the city of Pompeii with all of its citizens.

• In 1911, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre on August 21, not to be found until 2 years later.

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• In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous speech about the dream he had on August 28.

• According to statistics, August is the highest birth rate month for the United States of America. In Sweden, August is one of the popular boy names.

Summer may be nearing its end, but there is still so much time to enjoy the warm weather and to feel the unique, unexplainable joy one can only feel in summer! Make the best of this August!