# February 29th, why not stick it on the end of July? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 29, 2004, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732 "2004-02-29T08:31:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/1 "2004-02-29T08:31:14Z")
Why did the designers of our calendar put the leap day at the end of February? It’s an ugly month, and having it drag on for an extra day once every four years seems an unkind burden. Couldn’t they have added the day to the end of July, so that once every four years we could have a national holiday (July 32nd) and go out and cook burgers and get a sunburn or something, or is there some arcane reason having to do with the rotation of the earth or the equation of time that requires us to waste the extra time during the dead of winter? ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/2 "2004-02-29T08:39:19Z")
But why stop at an extra day every four years? Why not add an extra month or two to summer? Think of all the barbecuing mmmmmm. Think of all the extra days to watch hot babes in miniskirts climbing the steps on the subway in front of you. (Admit it, you’ve tried to peek!!) ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/3 "2004-02-29T11:18:48Z")
Maybe it was put there by an Australian :). ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/4 "2004-02-29T11:21:04Z")
Actually, I think it _would_ be a good idea to have it at the end of July. But it should still be called February 29th, that way we’d have a nice hot summers day in the middle of winter, and you guys would have a nice cool winters day to relieve you from the long hot summer. ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/5 "2004-02-29T12:18:12Z")
Put it the day after Christmas. We could use it for Boxing Day, and wouldn’t have to waste a day boxing. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/6 "2004-02-29T12:38:26Z")
No cites - I’ve lost my textbooks of 20 years ago - but July was named for Gaius Julius Caesar and August for Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus. August has more days than July because Caesar Augustus deemed himself more important than GJC and so stole a day from another month to make his month, August, longer. GJC actually reorganised the calendar entirely - hence the Julian Calendar - following the rede of a Greek called Sosigenes. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/7 "2004-02-29T14:19:41Z")
February is anything but an ugly month. [Cite.](http://www.snopes.com/holidays/presidents/presidents.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/8 "2004-02-29T14:36:12Z")
> [@qts](#): > > August has more days than July Have you looked at a calendar lately? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/9 "2004-02-29T14:41:52Z")
Full information about July, August and February here: > **[August?History of the Month's Origin](https://www.infoplease.com/calendars/history/august-history-months-origin)** > > A ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/10 "2004-02-29T15:29:51Z")
Well, as [Cecil notes](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_170b.html) (citing the OED) “spring in Britain (and evidently in Ireland) runs from February 1 through April 30.” By that standard, February 29 should be a lovely spring day. Actually, in New York it looks like it will be, sunny with expected high temparatures near 60f. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/11 "2004-02-29T15:52:52Z")
There wouldn’t be this problem if everyone followed my scheme for making dates metric. In my scheme there are 36 10-day weeks in the year, each month is three weeks long. You work for 6 of the days per week and you have a 4-day weekend (so you can actually travel places to see people). You then get an extra 5 holiday days at the end of the year for just messing about, and in a Leap Year you just stick the extra day there. They called me mad! Mad I tell you, but I’ll show them! I’ll show them ALL! ---
**Author:** ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/12 "2004-02-29T16:00:20Z")
Basically, the answer is that the Romans had always intercalated at the end of February. Before the Julian calendar was instituted, this meant adding a whole month (sometimes called Mercedonius) between February and March. So when the Julian calendar was introduced, the necessary leap day was naturally put at the end of February, also. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/13 "2004-02-29T17:41:36Z")
The Romans obviously recognized what a crappy month February was-that’s why they shorted it in the first place. Giving the occaisonal extra day to another month probably would have been seen as adding insult to injury … 🙂 _For some ridiculous reason, to which, however, I have no desire to be disloyal Some person in authority-I don’t know who-very likely, the Astronomer Royal Has decreed that, although for such a beastly month as February twenty-eight days, as a rule, are plenty Yet one year in every four her days shall be numbered at nine and twenty_ ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/14 "2004-02-29T17:57:10Z")
> [@Melandry](#): > > Basically, the answer is that the Romans had always intercalated at the end of February. Before the Julian calendar was instituted, this meant adding a whole month (sometimes called Mercedonius) between February and March. So when the Julian calendar was introduced, the necessary leap day was naturally put at the end of February, also. Which was at the end of the year, and a sensible place to do it (not precisely, I know - I don’t want to go in to how the Romans counted the start of the year right now). Hence the names of September, October, November, December - they used to be the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th months. Starting in January was a later modification, and was not adopted universally in all outlying provinces of the Roman Empire. Until they adopted the Gregorian reform in 1752, England still began the year on March 25, for instance - they adopted both changes simultaneously, contributing to the confusion of these two separate calendar changes in many people’s minds. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/15 "2004-02-29T20:54:50Z")
There’s a related thread in the Comments on Cecil’s Columns forum: [Leap day is not the 29th of February!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=241568) ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/16 "2004-02-29T21:27:35Z")
> [@](#): > > September, October, November, December - they used to be the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th months. Which is, of course, why Halloween = Christmas. Say what? 31 ( **oct** al) is = 25 ( **dec** imal) ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/17 "2004-02-29T22:23:30Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > There wouldn’t be this problem if everyone followed my scheme for making dates metric. > > In my scheme there are 36 10-day weeks in the year, each month is three weeks long. You work for 6 of the days per week and you have a 4-day weekend (so you can actually travel places to see people). You then get an extra 5 holiday days at the end of the year for just messing about, and in a Leap Year you just stick the extra day there. They called me mad! Mad I tell you, but I’ll show them! I’ll show them ALL! I kind of like having 13 28-day months, with New Years Day an extra, and when you needed a leap year two days for New Years. Every month could start on a Monday for example, and then Mondays could only be the 1st, 8th, 15th or 22nd. All you’d have to know is the day, and as long as you were within a week you’d know the date. I’m afraid with the 36 6-day work week plan there are only 216 work days in the year, which would be kind of a loss of productivity. Although, 216 9-hour days is roughly the same total hours as 250 8-hour days, so we shouldn’t dismiss the 10-day week out of hand. It may be crazy, but is it crazy enough to work? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/18 "2004-02-29T22:24:40Z")
> [@Shrinking Violet](#): > > Have you looked at a calendar lately? 😉 Doh! For ‘more’ read ‘as many as’. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/19 "2004-02-29T22:30:07Z")
> [@Bill Door](#): > > It may be crazy, but is it crazy enough to work? It’s a long shot, but it _might just pay off!_ Actually, much of my scheming is about trying to get a longer weekend. I’d happily work an extra 2 hours a day to have Monday or Friday off. Except I’m usually in the office an extra 2 hours anyway, so that would mean I’d be working a 12-hour day. Still though, I would do it. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732/20 "2004-02-29T22:35:03Z")
Even if the the extra day was put in July, it wouldn’t make warm WX come any sooner, or last any longer. If we made the calendar one month of 365.249 days and called it July it wouldn’t make it any warmer. I suppose it would seem to make summer come sooner at least the first time you did it. Actually the exact middle of the year makes some sense. I am unsure if the extra day makes sense when the Eath is moving faster (NH Winter) or slower (NH Summer) I say change the rotation of the Earth to make it an integer divisor to the revolution about the Sun. Brian [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/february-29th-why-not-stick-it-on-the-end-of-july/231732.md?page=2)