Welcome to April 2017!
- Anglo-Saxons called the month Eostre monath or Eostremonath. The name of the Christian Festival of Easter comes from this word.
- There is uncertainty of how this month got its name. It has been suggested that it may come from the Roman word 'Aprilis' meaning 'to open', or it may come from Aphrodite, the Greek name for the goddess of love.
- It is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and is one of four months to have 30 days. The month was originally the second month of the Roman Calendar until King Numa Pompilius added January and February in around 713 BC.
- April's birthstone is the diamond. It's birth flower's are the daisy or the Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus).
- In the US, a list compiled by the Social Security Administration in 2009 found April to be the 353rd most popular girls name.
- It is International Guitar Month. It is also the National month for Poetry, Mathematics Awareness, Sexual Assault Awareness, Volunteers and Arab-American Heritage.
- The average global land and ocean temperature for April in the 20th century is 13.7°C.
- April 1st was used to celebrate the Birth of Christ up until 350 AD when Pope Julius I declared that Christ's birth would be celebrated on December 25th.
- April starts on the same day of the week as July in all years.
At least we hit this year's record last month...