August

August, is the eighth month of the year and the sixth month of the Roman calendar. The Romans called the month Sextilis, which means sixth. Eight years before Jesus was born the name of the month was changed to Augustus in honour of the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar, because any of the important events in his life happened around that time of year. August is the busiest time for tourism as it falls in the main school holiday of the year, the summer holidays, which last for six weeks for state run schools.

> If you are looking for fun ideas, and exciting and interesting things to see and do this month, have a browse through the Calendar Dates & Events Categories on the left.

August's Flower: Gladiolus         August's Gem: Peridot

Star Sign:
Leo (July 24th – August 23rd) & Virgo (August 24th - September 23rd)

Significant Anniversaries in August

1st August 1936 The First Televised Olympic Games Opened in Berlin.

1st August Lammas Day, the traditional Harvest Festival when the first bread was made from the first corn.

3rd August Columbus set sail on his first voyage in 1492. They made their way to the Canary Islands.

4th August 1914 The First World War

5th August 1962 Nelson Mandela was Arrested

6th August 1945 First Atomic Bomb dropped in Hiroshima

14th August 1945 World War II ends

16th August 1977 Elvis Memorial Day, Elvis Presley dies in 1977 at the age of 42.

21st August The Mona Lisa, by Leonardo de Vinci, was stolen from the Louvre Gallery in 1911 and not recovered until 1913.

24th August Mount Vesuvius Erupts near Pompeii in southern Italy in (79AD).

28th August 1963 Dream Day; Martin Luther King Jr , American civil rights campaigner, made his famous “I have a dream” speech.

31st August Princess Diana was killed by a car accident in France in 1997.