The story behind August having 31 days is closely tied to the history of the Roman calendar and the reigns of two significant Roman emperors: Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar.
- Early Roman Calendar: The early Roman calendar was based on a lunar system and had 10 months, beginning with March and ending with December. These months alternated between 29 and 30 days, totaling 304 days, which didn’t align well with the solar year.
- Julian Calendar Reform: In 45 BCE, Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar, which was a solar calendar and featured 12 months. He reorganized the calendar, adding days to certain months to bring the total number of days closer to the solar year. July, named after Julius Caesar himself, was one such month, which gained a day to become 31 days long.
- Sextilis Renamed August: Julius Caesar’s successor, Augustus Caesar, wanted to honor himself similarly by renaming the month Sextilis after himself. To ensure that his month was just as long as Julius Caesar’s, Augustus also added a day to Sextilis, making it 31 days long.
- Lengthening August: Originally, August had only 30 days. However, to match the duration of July, Augustus took a day from February and added it to August, making it 31 days long.
So, August has 31 days not only to match the length of July but also as a result of the political and historical decisions made by Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar during the reform of the Roman calendar.
Also read: What is the story behind leap year?
