Good-bye "Juneuary," hello July

For those of us in the Pacific Northwest we experienced an unusually wet and somewhat chilly June. Juneuary refers to the month actually being June on the calendar, but with January weather conditions.

I happy to see that the sunshine and warmer weather arrived with our Summer Solstice and I thought it would be fun to share some July facts with all of you.

• July is the seventh month of the year in our calendar. For many, it is a time for outdoor activities.

• In the Northern Hemisphere, July arrives right in the middle of summer, but in the Southern hemisphere it is associated with winter.

• July was named by the Roman Senate in honor of Roman general Julius Caesar. Before this, it was called Quintilis, since it was the fifth month of the earlier 10-month calendar.

Historically notable days in July

Historically, the month of July has many days of note. Check out these special events from days long gone by:

• U.S. postage stamps went on sale for the first time on July 1, 1847.

• Albert Einstein also introduced his Theory of Relativity on July 1, in the year 1905.

• President Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881. However, he did not die until September 19th.

• Great Britain created the world’s first auto speed limit law on July 5, 1865.

• Congress authorized all U.S. currency to say “In God We Trust” on July 11, 1955.

• Just in time for the hot summer, days, the air conditioner was invented on July 17, 1902.

• Hank Aaron hit the last home run of his career on July 20, 1976 – it was his 755th.

• World War I began on July 28, 1914.

Famous people with birthdays in July

Everyone loves their birthday – even celebrities. These famous people have birthdays in July. Does one of them match yours?

• Princess Diana – July 1

• Louis Armstrong – July 4

• Nikola Tesla – July 10

• Angela Merkel – July 17

• Nelson Mandela – July 18

• Alexander the Great – July 20

• Robin Williams – July 21

• Selena Gomez – July 22

• Amelia Earhart – July 24

• Mick Jagger - July 26

• Mary Coupland - July 27 (okay, I'm not famous but I am a July birthday)

• Jackie Kennedy – July 28

• Julius Caesar – July 30

• J.K. Rowling – July 31

A Few Fun facts about July

The month of July has arrived, so let’s catch up with a few facts about the second month of summer.

• The birthstone for the month of July is the Ruby.

• Flowers that honor the month are the larkspur and the water lily.

• If you follow the signs of the Zodiac, July is associated with both Cancer and Leo.

• There are many countries which celebrate Independence Day in July. Some of them are The USA, Venezuela, Argentina, Belgium, the Maldives and Bahamas.

• The long, hot days of July are called “the dog days of summer.”

• 7 US presidents have died in July, so far, making it the highest month for having this happen.

• July is National grilling month, which fits right in, since we often have barbecues to celebrate with friends this month.

• It is also National Hot Dog Month, National Ice Cream Month and National Picnic Month.

So get outdoors. Have a picnic with friends and family and don't forget to wear your sunscreen and a hat.