Historian reveals the unlucky reason February only has 28 days
Why the ancient Romans made February the shortest month of the year
- February's short length originates from the ancient Roman calendar, where King Numa Pompilius added January and February to the original 10-month system, resulting in a 355-day year.
- The Romans considered even numbers unlucky, so months alternated between 29 and 31 days, leaving February, the final month, with only 28 days.
- Early Roman calendars faced issues with seasonal misalignment, leading to the occasional insertion of an extra month called Mercedonius, which further reduced February's duration.
- Julius Caesar's Julian calendar introduced a 365-day year with 12 months, maintaining February's 28 days but adding a leap day to it every four years to account for the Earth's orbit.
- The Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582, corrected the Julian calendar's slight inaccuracy by refining leap year rules and adjusting dates to realign with the seasons, solidifying February's current structure.
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks