Friday, August 15, 2014

Monthly Donation Reminder

So every month I do a reminder that I have a donation button.  And that's about it.  Boring post.

The ides of August are on the 13th so today would be counted backward from the start of next month, the 18th day before the Kalends of September.  Mind you the Kalends of September was counted as one of those days so by our reckoning it would be the 17th day before.

This is a holdover from when August was a 29 day month.  (Extra days were added after the ides.)

Of course the name wasn't always August.

It was called Sextilis (sixth.)  The Roman year was two months off from ours.  (Hence September, October, November, and December --meaning Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth-- being months nine through twelve of our year.)

Sextilis was renamed August in honor of Augustus.  The was after Octavian was given the name/title Augustus in honor of being the autocrat who could kill you if you didn't honor him.

People often think that August has 31 days because Augustus wanted as many days as he could get in his month.  In fact Sextilis was given thirty one days as part of the Julian calendar reforms before the month was renamed August.  Possibly before the person was renamed Augustus.

Anyway, donation button, it exists.  Top right.  Use it if you want to, don't if you don't.

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