Fun Facts About the Month of August

As we continue to enjoy a beautiful summer at our real estate and vacation rental service at Lake Tahoe, we thought it might be fun to showcase some Fun Facts about the month of August. 

Below you will find the insight provided by the Farmer’s Almanac.  If you ever want to follow the weather trends and so much more, the Almanac is a refreshing read with nothing but good inspirational information!

Enjoy the rest of summer, it will be snowing before we know it!

Who Called it “August?”

August is named after a major figure of the ancient Roman world, Augustus (63 B.C.–A.D. 14). He was the first Roman emperor (though he never claimed the title) and the great-nephew of the previous ruler Julius Caesar (who inspired the name for the month of July).

August is the eighth month of the year in today’s Gregorian calendar, but it was the sixth month (Sextilus) of the year in Roman times. The month of Sextilus was renamed after Augustus in 8 B.C. This was the month of some of his greatest military victories.

On the August Calendar

“After Lammas Day, corn ripens as much by night as by day.”

• August 1, traditionally known as Lammas Day, was an old festival to mark the annual wheat and corn harvest. It was a sort of Thanksgiving (harvest time) in Britain. Lammas also marked the midpoint between the summer solstice and autumn equinox. Learn more about Lammas Day.
• August 3 (the first Monday in August) is a Civic Holiday in many parts of Canada. Celebrations and names for this holiday vary across the country. For example, in Alberta, it’s celebrated as Heritage Day; in British Columbia, it’s known as British Columbia Day!
• August 10 is St. Lawrence’s Day. “Fair weather on St. Lawrence’s Day presages a fair autumn.”
• August 11 marks the end of the Dog Days of Summer, which began on July 3.
• August 17 is when the Cat Nights begin, harking back to a rather obscure Irish legend concerning witches; this bit of folklore also led to the idea that a cat has nine lives.
• August 19 brings National Aviation Day, chosen for the birthday of Orville Wright, who piloted the first recorded flight of a powered, human-operated heavier-than-air machine in 1903.
• August 24 is St. Bartholomew Day. “At St. Bartholomew, there comes cold dew.”
• August 26 is Women’s Equality Day, which celebrates the 1920 ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and, with it, women’s right to vote in the United States.

“Just for Fun” Days

Have fun with these strange celebrations!

• Aug. 1–7: International Clown Week
• Aug. 3: National Watermelon Day
• Aug. 8: National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day (Or, use up that bounty with our best zucchini recipes.)
• Aug. 10: National S’mores Day
• Aug 12: Vinyl Record Day
• Aug. 13: International Left-Handers Day
• Aug. 15 (third Saturday in August): International Geocaching Day
• Aug. 15 (third Saturday in August): World Honeybee Day
• Aug. 25: Kiss-and-Make-Up Day
• Aug. 31: National Trail Mix Day