Thursday Trivia: Famous namesakes
A weekly trivia question just for fun.
What famous figures gave their names to the months of July and August?
(Scroll down for answer)
Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar.
The Roman Senate named the month of July for Julius Caesar in honor of his reforming of the Roman calendar. Later, after Julius Caesar's grand-nephew Augustus became emperor of Rome, the Senate decided to bestow his name on the month in which he had won his battles with Marc Antony -- Sextillis, the sixth month of the Roman year, became August.
The Senate added a day to August so that Julius and Augustus Caesar would be honored with months of equal length. To accommodate that, they took a day from February, shortening it from 29 to 28 days.
Source:InfoPlease