April is known for beautiful spring weather, the start of warmer weather, and right about the time when the Easter bunny will make an appearance!
Learn all about the origins of this beautiful spring month and even some knowledgeable history facts!
We know it is the fourth month of the year, but that’s only by the Gregorian calendar that we adhere to now. It was previously the fifth month in the earlier Julian calendar.
April also only had 29 days, but a 30th day was added when Julius Caesar established the Julian calendar.
In the Southern Hemisphere, April is the seasonal equivalent of October.
No one is sure how the month ended up with its name, but we do know the Romans named it “Aprillis.”
The etymology behind the word “April” comes from the verb “aperire,” which means “to open.” It’s commonly believed that the word refers to the season of trees and flowers begin to “open” or bloom.
Those who were born in April have a diamond as their birthstone, which represents innocence. Their birth flowers are daisies and sweet peas.
There are two zodiac signs in April. Aries, which is until April 19th, and Taurus, which is April 20th and onwards.
April is a great month for meteor showers. One of which is the Lyrids meteor shower, which appears from April 16th to April 26th each year. There’s another one called the Eta Aquariids meteor shower that can be seen onwards from April 21st.
There are quite a few notable historical people born in April, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare, and Queen Elizabeth II.
On April 14, 1912, the famous Titanic ship hit an iceberg and sank on her first and only voyage.
George Washington was inaugurated as the First President of the United States on April 30, 1789.
Back in the time of the Ancient Romans, April was sacred to the goddess Venus.
One of the most well-known dates of the month is April Fools’ Day on the 1st of the month. No one is sure where this originated from, but some believe it to be inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer’s story in “Canterbury Tales” called “Nun’s Priest’s Tale.”
On April 11, 1970, Apollo 13 was launched and ran into difficulties about two days later. It was then that the famous line “Houston, we’ve had a problem here” was said, and is today usually misquoted.
After a 1,500-year break, the first Olympics of the modern era took place on April 6, 1896, in Athens.
The explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine occurred on April 26, 1986, which forced everyone within a 300-mile radius to be evacuated.
The smaller animals that hibernate for the winter in the Northern Hemisphere usually start coming out of their burrows in April.
April is also the month that the birds migrate north and settle down for the summer to mate.
For all the car enthusiasts out there, Ford unveiled their first Mustang on April 17, 1964, costing $2,368.
The first battle of the Revolutionary War, Lexington, and Concord, broke out on April 19, 1775.
As you can see, there’s more to April than just April Fool’s Day, although that is definitely one of the most fun days of the month!
And, of course, as we all know, “April showers bring May flowers,” so if the rain of April ever gets you down, never forget the silver lining!
