Is it true that August stole a day from February?
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Published in Daily Trivia
Yes. Under the Julian calendar, February had 29 days and the other months alternated evenly between 30 and 31 days. Because July had 31 days, the month following it was supposed to have 30 days. But that was the month that Augustus had brought Egypt under control and entered the city in triumph, and he had to have it. He couldn't, of course, be duly honored with a LESSER month, one with fewer days. So to make his month as long as Julius' month, they had to steal a day from February (making it just 28) and add it to August (making it 31). (They also messed with September and the remaining months, in order to avoid three months in a row with 31 days.)
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