Top ten facts about July
THE seventh month of the year has begun today, so here are some timely facts.
July is named after Julius Caesar as it was the month of his birth
1. July 1 is the 182nd day of the year or 183rd in leap years. So the second half of this year begins at midnight today.
2. July is named after Julius Caesar as it was the month of his birth. Before 44BC, the month was known as Quintilis as it was the fifth month of the old Roman calendar.
The Anglo-Saxons called June and July “Litha” meaning navigable or calm, referring to the sea
3. Until the middle of the 18th century, the word July in English rhymed with truly.
4. In the UK, July is the most common month for burglaries and violent crime.
In the USA, July is National Hot-Dog Month
Spain: EEL ice cream anyone? It'll cost you around €25 per portion
5. The Anglo-Saxons called June and July “Litha” meaning navigable or calm, referring to the sea and weather. “Aefteralitha” (after-calm) followed.
6. The gemstone for July is the ruby, the flower is the larkspur or water lily.
7. In the USA, July is National Ice Cream Month and National Hot-Dog Month.
The gemstone for July is the ruby
8. International Free Hugs Month, which began in Australia in 2004, begins each year on the first Saturday in July.
9. More US Presidents have died in July than in any other month.
10. “The English winter – ending in July, to recommence in August,” (Lord Byron).