August is the eighth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. August begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Leo and ends in the sign of Virgo. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Cancer and ends in the constellation of Leo.
August was named in honor of Augustus Caesar. The month reputedly has 31 days because Augustus wanted as many days as Julius Caesar's July. Augustus placed the month where it is because that's when Cleopatra died. Before Augustus renamed August, it was called Sextilis in Latin, since it was the sixth month in the Roman calendar which started in March.
In the pagan wheel of the year August begins at or near Lughnasadh in the northern hemisphere and Imbolc in the southern hemisphere.
In Ireland, (in the Irish language) August is known as Lłnasa, a modern rendition of Lughnasadh, named after the god Lugh and August 1, (Lą Lłnasa) in the Irish Calendar is still regarded as the first day of Autumn. The first Monday in August is one of the public holidays in the Republic of Ireland.
August Holidays and Celebrations
An Internet Timeline
1969
ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) goes online in December, connecting four major U.S. universities. Designed for research, education, and government organizations, it provides a communications network linking the country in the event that a military attack destroys conventional communications systems.
Click on Internet Timeleine to read more
Birth of the Net
The Internet has had a relatively brief, but explosive history. It grew out of an experiment begun in the 1960s by the U.S. Department of Defense. The DoD wanted to create a computer network that would continue to function in the event of a disaster, such as a nuclear war. If part of the network was damaged or destroyed, the rest of the system still had to work. That network was ARPANET, (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) which linked U.S. scientific and academic researchers. It was the forerunner of today's Internet.
Click on Birth of the Net to read more
All About the Internet: Websites Compiled by Ms. LeBeau
Aug 2, 1909: THE LINCOLN PENNY ISSUED
The Lincoln Penny was first issued in 1909 to commemorate Abraham Lincoln's 100th birthday. It was the first American coin to bear a president's image on its face. Lincoln is facing to the right because that was the direction he was facing in the photograph Victor David Brenner used to make his bas-relief for the penny. Some of the arguments this coin evoked among Americans are mentioned below.
Aug 5, 1884:
LADY LIBERTY'S CORNER STONE LAID
STATUE of LIBERTY FACTS
Date Construction of the Statue began in France: 1875 Title of Statue: "Liberty Enlightening the World"
