August is a month that has no real holidays to speak of and poets rarely praise it. Most people dread the heat and it is the month that leads inevitably back to school.

August got its name during the rein of Rome ’s first emperor, Caesar Augustus. What was then the sixth month of the year (Sextillis) was renamed in his honor. He considered it his lucky month. Originally August had 30 days, but not to be outdone by his great uncle, Julius Caesar, after whom July is named, Augustus stole a day from February so his month would be just as long.

The phrase “dog days of summer” is associated with the rising of the “Dog Star” Sirius with the sweltering heat of July and August. The phrase “Guns of August” is the title of Barbara Tuckman’s classic history book referring to the days of August 1914, leading up to the outbreak of World War I.

In August 1863, at South Carolina’s Fort Sumpter, Union forces opened fire on the fort where the Civil War began in 1861, starting a long siege that ended with the Union regaining control.

August is traditionally the month in which the U.S. Congress in is recess.

Bob Hinshaw’s Collection

Dog Days of Summer

Many people think the term “dog days of summer” refers to a period of extended heat in the late summer that sends dogs running for the cool shade of a porch or tree. Images of dogs lying on the front porch on hot summer days, not moving for fear of overheating, are brought to mind when this term is heard.

A dog does play a role in the history of the term, but it’s a celestial dog. Back in early civilization, people looked at the stars and pictured that the brightest ones formed images of animals. Many saw bears, bulls, lions, and yes, dogs. These are called constellations, and the constellation Canis Major is one that depicts a dog. The brightest star in this constellation is Sirius or the “Dog Star.”

In ancient Rome , it was believed that Sirius was so bright that it actually heated the Earth. Sirius is visible in winter in the southern sky, but between July and mid-August, it rises during daylight with the Sun. Ancient Romans believed that this star added heat to the heat of the Sun, thus the reason the days were the hottest during this period. This is the reason these days of summer are called the “dog days” of summer.

We now know that the hottest of the year occur during these “dog days” because the tilt of the Earth during the summer months in the northern hemisphere. The Earth stores up heat and becomes hotter until mid-August when the cooling begins. Despite the reasoning for this hot time of the year, it still sends dogs running for shade.

Bob Hinshaw’s Collection

to Page 3