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FIRST THINGS FIRST
ZERO FACTS
SOME ONES
ADVENTURES IN NUMERACY
NO TIME AE ALL TO START WITH
THERE ARE JUST SO MANY DAYS IN A WEEK
THE MONTHS - HSTORY AND IN HISTORY
THE ALPHABET SPELLED OUT
THE ALPHABET SPELLED OUT
THE MONTHS - HSTORY AND IN HISTORY

January (in Latin, Ianuarius) is named after Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions in Roman mythology.^[1]

^{Various Christian feast dates were used for the New Year in Europe during the Middle Ages, including March 25 (Feast of the Annunciation) and December 25. However, medieval calendars were still displayed in the Roman fashion with twelve columns from January to December. Beginning in the 16th century, European countries began officially making January 1 the start of the New Year once again}

Symbols

January's birthstone is the garnet, which represents constancy.^[4]

Its birth flower is the cottage pink Dianthus caryophyllus, galanthus or traditional carnation.^[5]^[6]

The zodiac signs are Capricorn (until January 19) and Aquarius (January 20 onward).

NOTABLE EVENTS

1892 Ellis Island Begins As Immigration gateway to the U.S.

1920 The Yankees bought Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox

1920 New "Dry Bill" (Alcohol Prohibition) Introduced to U.S. Congress

1935 First Canned Beer Sold

As the picture right suggests, the Krueger Brewing Co. was the first to market the frothy hops and barley refreshment in a can. A steel can, at that, though with a lining on the inside to prevent the beer from becoming poisonous.

https://www.greenmon.com/first_beer_cans.htm

1954 Elvis Presley Records First Demo Record

1959 Alaska becomes the 49th of America's United States

1962 - After hearing their audition tape. Decca Records A&R rep Dick Rowe (above, left) turned down The Beatles, telling their manager: "Guitar groups are on their way out, Mr. Epstein.”

FEBRUARY

February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The month has 28 days in common years or 29 in leap years, with the 29th day being called the leap day. It is the first of five months to have fewer than 31 days (the other four being April, June, September, and November) and the only one to have fewer than 30 days.

The Roman month Februarius was named after the Latin term februum, which means "purification", via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 (full moon) in the old lunar Roman calendar. January and February were the last two months to be added to the Roman calendar, since the Romans originally considered winter a monthless period.

Even during the Middle Ages, when the numbered Anno Domini year began on March 25 or December 25, the second month was February whenever all twelve months were displayed in order. The Gregorian calendar reforms made slight changes to the system for determining which years were leap years, but also contained a 29-day February.

Symbols

The zodiac signs of February are Aquarius (until February 18) and Pisces (February 19 onward).^[11]

Its birth flowers are the violet (Viola), the common primrose (Primula vulgaris),^[12] and the Iris.^[13]

Its birthstone is the amethyst, which symbolizes piety, humility, spiritual wisdom, and sincerity.^[14]

NOTABLE EVENTS

February 1, 2003 - Sixteen minutes before it was scheduled to land, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart in flight over west Texas, killing all seven crew members. The accident may have resulted from damage caused during liftoff when a piece of insulating foam from the external fuel tank broke off, piercing a hole in the shuttle's left wing that allowed hot gases to penetrate the wing upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. This was the second space shuttle lost in flight. In January 1986, Challenger exploded during liftoff.

BELOW: (L) THE COLUMBIA POWERING GLORIOUSLY INTO THE COSMOS, BUT UPON RETURN (R) UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY

PICTURED RIGHT: DOOMED Columbia CREWMEN Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Rick Husband, William McCool, and Ilan Ramon.

February 6, 1788 - Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the new U.S. Constitution, by a vote of 187 to 168.

February 2, 1848 - The war between the U.S. and Mexico ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In exchange for $15 million, the U.S. acquired the areas encompassing parts or all of present-day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Texas. The treaty was ratified on March 10, 1848

February 4, 1861 - Apache Chief Cochise was arrested in Arizona by the U.S. Army for raiding a ranch. Cochise then escaped and declared war, beginning the period known as the Apache Wars, which lasted 25 years.

MARCH

BELOW: Colossal statue of Roman God of War Mars. for whom March was named, stands in the Museum Capitolina of Rome. Italy.

BELOW: Depicted on canvas is one of the most infamous events in history - the assassination of Julius Caesar on the steps of the Roman Senate, March 15 44 BC. Also known as The Ides Of March.

Julius Caesar's assassination - Search Images

March is the third month of the year and is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The name of March comes from Martius, the first month of the earliest Roman calendar.

In early versions of the ancient Roman calendar, the year began with March or Martius. Because the month coincides with the time of the March equinox and the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, where the calendar originated, March was considered to be a month of new beginnings.

The months of January and February did not feature in earlier versions of the Roman calendar. They were added to the end of the year around 700 BCE and became the first months of the year around 450 BCE, pushing March to its currently held third position.

It was named after Mars, the Roman god of war. His month Martius was the beginning of the season for warfare, and festivals were held in his honor. being the start of spring, was also the start of the New Year. Much of Europe used March as the start of the year. Britain used March 25th as the beginning of the New Year until 1752.

March - Wikipedia

SYMBOLS

March has two birth flowers: daffodils and jonquils.

March also has two birthstones: aquamarine and bloodstone, which symbolize courage.

There are two zodiac signs in March. Pisces, which is until March 20, and Aries, which is from the 21^st.

NOTABLE EVENTS

March 1,1932 - The ‘Lindbergh baby’ vanishes

March 1, 1781 - Formal ratification of the Articles of Confederation announced by Congress.

March 3, 1931 - The Star Spangled Banner becomes The National Anthem

March 4, 1789 - Constitution of the United States of America goes into effect.

1854 – The Republican Party of the US is organized in Ripon, Wisconsin

March 7, 1933 - Monopoly board game is invented.

March 9, 1959 - Mattel debuts Barbie dolls at the International American Toy Fair in New York City.

(RIGHT)

March 9, 1964 - The first Ford Mustang rolls off the assembly line.

(RIGHT)

March 10, 1876 Alexander Graham Bell speaks first words to be heard clearly through a telephone: “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you”.

https://www.historyplace.com/specials/calendar/march.htm

APRIL

April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar, the fifth in the early Julian, the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days.

April is commonly associated with the season of autumn in parts of the Southern Hemisphere, and spring in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, where it is the seasonal equivalent to October in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.

April was the second month of the earliest Roman calendar,^[3] before Ianuarius and Februarius were added by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC. It became the fourth month of the calendar year (the year when twelve months are displayed in order) during the time of the decemvirs about 450 BC, when it also was given 29 days. The 30th day was added during the reform of the calendar undertaken by Julius Caesar in the mid-40s BC, which produced the Julian calendar.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_calendar

The Anglo-Saxons called April ēastre-monaþ. The Venerable Bede says in The Reckoning of Time that this month ēastre is the root of the word Easter. He further states that the month was named for Eostre (RIGHT), a goddess whose feast was in that month. It is also attested by Einhardin his work, Vita Karoli Magni.

The name “April” is thought to derive from the Latin word “aperire,” which means “to open.”

This could allude to the opening of buds and blooms as spring arrives and trees and plants begin to bloom anew after the long, cold winter.

Many other languages have comparable names for April that are related to the concept of opening or flowering, such as “avril” in French, “abril” in Spanish and Portuguese, and “aprile” in Italian, which supports this theory.

The name “April” has been in use since the 15th century and has always been associated with the month of April.

SYMBOLS

April's birthstone is the diamond.

The birth flower is the common daisy (Bellis perennis) or the sweet pea.^[5]^[6]

The zodiac signs are Aries (until April 19) and Taurus (April 20 onward).^[7]^[8]

NOTABLE EVENTS

America’s first astronauts were announced by NASA on April 9, 1959

Back: Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, Gordon Cooper;
Front: Wally Schirra, Deke Slayton, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter^[n

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_Seven

The Revolutionary War in America begins April 19, 1775.

Our first President George Washington was inaugurated on April 30, 1789.

April 14,1828

Noah Webster copyrights the First Webster Dictionary (seen left)

The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912

MAY

May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Late May typically marks the start of the summer vacation season in the United States that ends on Labor Day, the first Monday of September.

May (in Latin, Maius) was named for the Greek goddess Maia (RIGHT), who was identified with the Roman era goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May. Conversely, the Roman poet Ovid provides a second etymology, in which he says that the month of May is named for the maiores, Latin for "elders," and that the following month (June) is named for the iuniores, or "young people" (Fasti VI.88).

SYMBOLS

May Birthstone: Emerald

Birth Month Flower: Lily Of The Valley

Two zodiac signs are associated with the May birth month: Taurus and Gemini.

NOTABLE EVENTS

May 29, 1953 - Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first people known to have reached the top of Mount Everest, from the Nepalese side.

May 21, 1927 - Charles Lindbergh flies across the Atlantic Ocean, landing in Paris.

May 16, 1929 - The first Academy Awards are given out.

JUNE

June represents the halfway point of the year, being the sixth of the twelve months of both the Gregorian calendar — which we use currently in the West — and also the earlier Julian calendar, named for Julius Caesar, the namesake of July. Where do we get the name for June?

What’s In A Name?

Ovid, author of that bi-millennial best-selling magnum opus “Metamorphoses” — where he takes the stories of the Greek myths and gives them Roman names — suggests two possible etymologies.

The first and more likely origin is the Roman goddess Juno (SEEN RIGHT), wife of Jupiter, who was referred to as Hera by the Greeks. She is the patroness of marriages, and most marriages happen during June. It was considered good luck to get married during June, though the good weather and school vacation could have something to do with it now.

Ovid also suggested that the month was named for Iuniores, Latin for “young people,” in the same way that May is named for “elders” or Maiores. And as we all recall from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” there was no J in Latin in the 1st century.

Astronomy and June

June contains the longest days of the year, at least in the Northern hemisphere, including the very longest day(light) of the year, the Summer Solstice. This is also called Midsummer Day — made famous by Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream — when the “sun stands still” in its trek north in the sky, and reverses its course, and begins heading south.

Why June Weddings

While some believe June is Wedding Month, it was not always so with the ancient Romans. The aforementioned Ovid, to pick a good day for his daughter to marry, consulted the high priestess of Jupiter who said mid-May through mid-June was inauspicious and recommended he postpone until after June 15.

Summer?

The 1st of June is the beginning of the meteorological summer in the Northern hemisphere. In the pagan calendar, the summer solstice is the time of Litha, similar to the way the Winter Solstice is Yule, an old Norse word for a twelve-day celebration.

June hosts such important holidays in the year, so mark your calendar, as Flag Day (June 14), International Picnic Day (June 18), and the perennial favorite Juneteenth (June 19) all happen during this month.

Trivia: No other month in the same year starts on the same day of the week as June.

SYMBOLS

June Birth Stone: Pearl & Alexandrite

June Flower: Rose

June Zodiac Signs: Gemini & Cancer

NOTABLE EVENTS

June 26, 1498 - The toothbrush is invented in China.

June 2, 1692 - Salem Witch Trials begin.

June 14, 1775 - The U. S. Army is formed.

https://eagles.org/what-we-do/educate/learn-about-eagles/bald-eagle-usas-national-symbol/

June 20, 1782 - The U.S. Congress approves the Great Seal of the United States and the bald eagle as its symbol.

https://eagles.org/what-we-do/educate/learn-about-eagles/bald-eagle-usas-national-symbol/

1892 Ellis Island Begins As Immigration gateway to the U.S.

1935 First Canned Beer Sold

As the picture right suggests, the Krueger Brewing Co. was the first to market the frothy hops and barley refreshment in a can. A steel can, at that, though with a lining on the inside to prevent the beer from becoming poisonous.

1954 Elvis Presley Records First Demo Record

1959 Alaska becomes the 49th of America's United States

BELOW: (L) THE COLUMBIA POWERING GLORIOUSLY INTO THE COSMOS, BUT UPON RETURN (R) UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDY

PICTURED RIGHT: DOOMED Columbia CREWMEN Michael Anderson, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Rick Husband, William McCool, and Ilan Ramon.

February 4, 1861 - Apache Chief Cochise was arrested in Arizona by the U.S. Army for raiding a ranch. Cochise then escaped and declared war, beginning the period known as the Apache Wars, which lasted 25 years.

BELOW: Colossal statue of Roman God of War Mars. for whom March was named, stands in the Museum Capitolina of Rome. Italy.

BELOW: Depicted on canvas is one of the most infamous events in history - the assassination of Julius Caesar on the steps of the Roman Senate, March 15 44 BC. Also known as The Ides Of March.

March 3, 1931 - The Star Spangled Banner becomes The National Anthem

March 4, 1789 - Constitution of the United States of America goes into effect.

1854 – The Republican Party of the US is organized in Ripon, Wisconsin

America’s first astronauts were announced by NASA on April 9, 1959

The Revolutionary War in America begins April 19, 1775.

Our first President George Washington was inaugurated on April 30, 1789.

April 14,1828

Noah Webster copyrights the First Webster Dictionary (seen left)

The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912

May 21, 1927 - Charles Lindbergh flies across the Atlantic Ocean, landing in Paris.

May 16, 1929 - The first Academy Awards are given out.

What’s In A Name?

June 26, 1498 - The toothbrush is invented in China.

June 2, 1692 - Salem Witch Trials begin.

June 20, 1782 - The U.S. Congress approves the Great Seal of the United States and the bald eagle as its symbol.

June 6, 1933

The first drive-in theater opened in Camden, New Jersey.

June 1, 1971 - Ed Sullivan's final show.