February Fun Facts.
February is the second month of the year in our current calendar system, and it is mostly referred to as the last month of winter or the bridge between winter and spring.
February is also considered an outlier in the calendar as it is the only month of the year to have less than 30 days; 28 days during common years and 29 days in between. It is also the first month amongst the first five not to have 31 days.
Some quick fun fun facts about February are that the month is not just the shortest month in the calendar but the only month whose number of days varies depending on whether we are in a leap year or not. It is also the only month in the entire year that is considered the month of love, this fact is due to February 14 being the day celebrated as Valentine’s day. Valentine’s day is considered the day of love which people celebrate their loved ones, this day got extended to the entire month making February a month of love. These and many more intriguing February facts are what we have compiled in the below huge list of February trivia and facts.
In this article, I’ll be sharing with you February fun facts you need to know about the month of February. Without further ado, let’s get right into it.
Fun Facts About February
- It gets affected by leaps
February is the only month of the year that gets affected by the leap year that is why it has 29 days every four years. This helps to adjust the calendar as it technically takes 365¼ days for the Earth to go round the sun, so the fourth year becomes a leap to add one more day as an accumulation of four quarter days.
As a result of this, anyone born on the 29th will not have an official birthday every year so they’ll have to pick the day before or after if they want a celebration.
- It is a time of love
February hosts one of the main holidays that is associated with love, St Valentine’s day takes place on the 14th of the month. It is a day when friends, family, couples, and partners show each other love by sharing lovely and thoughtful gifts.
St Valentine’s day is said to be held in memory of two men called Valentine. Unfortunately, things didn’t go well for any of them as one was sentenced to death by the Roman Emperor Claudius after he failed to renounce his faith and the other was put to death by the same Emperor after he was found helping soldiers to marry.
- It was the last month
Contrary to what many people may think, February rather than December was the last month to be added to the present calendar, and it was after January was added.
- What does it mean
February is said to be named after the Latin word “februum” which means “purification. In Welsh, February is called “y mis bach” which when translated to English means “the small month”.
- It’s always the second
There are two types of calendars: the Gregorian calendar and the Julian calendar, and funny enough, the month of February is always the second in both of them.
- It’s varying weather
During February, there are varying weather conditions depending on what part of the hemisphere you are located in. If you are in the southern hemisphere, you’ll be experiencing summer and if you’re in the northern hemisphere, you’ll be experiencing winter.
- Zodiac signs
There are two zodiac signs in February and they are Aquarius and Pieces. You are most likely to be an Aquarius because of how short the month is. As a quick guide, if you are born from the 1st to the 18th you’re an Aquarian and if born from the 19th to the end, you’re a Piscean. If you’re born between 19th of February and 20th of March you are a Pisces.
- Flowers
Every month in the calendar is thought to have its flowers and that of February are said to be violets and primroses.
- It’s a host to some famous and iconic personalities
The month of February is a host to some famous people and iconic personalities across history.
First, Galileo Galilei who was an astronomer was born on the 15th, he has some great achievements like discovering some solar bodies, a compass, a thermometer, and the Galilean telescope amongst others.
Thomas Edison, the lightbulb inventor was also born in February, on the 11th, he is responsible for the gramophone, and the phonograph amongst other inventions.
Charles Darwin, who is said to be the father of the theory of evolution by natural selection, was born in February, on the 12th.
Other famous personalities born in February are musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone, Alice Cooper, singer Rick Astley, football legend Christiano Ronaldo, and basketball god Michael Jordan.
- Birthstones
Just like flowers, different months also have birthstones attached to them. The birthstones of February are generally amethyst and pearls but sometimes they can vary.
- A time for Records
Vinyl records were very crucial in the evolution of music recording and sales. The vinyl record was said to be born in February, or at least the version with a speed of 45RPM.
- Colors
Just like every other month, February also has its personalized colors and they are purple, yellow, and pale blue sometimes.
- Queen Elizabeth was crowned
In 1952, on the 8th of February, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom ascended to the throne and she reigns there till date.
- The Mounties started in February
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was founded on the 1st of February in 1920 and it is the leading law enforcement agency in Canada.
- Barbie’s birthday
This is quite funny but the fact is that Barbie, one of the most popular toys was created in February. The doll was first unveiled to the world by its creator Ruth Handler on the 4th of February in 1959.
- Time of boy scouts
It was in February 1910 that the Boy Scout movement first emerged in the United States before spreading to other countries.
- A time for social media giant
Facebook, a social media giant was created by Mark Zuckerberg in the month of February on the 4th day in 2004.
- A time for the popular magazine
The Reader’s Digest, a very popular magazine was founded on the 5th of February in 1922, this means it is going to be a Century-old very soon.
- Not a big time for movies
February is thought to not be a really good time for movies as it is seen as a “down period” for many companies in the film industry. Even fans are known to rarely go to cinemas during this period as they believe most companies push out their bad movies then to prevent further losses in the year.
- A time for Disney to remember
It was in the month of February of 1938 that Disney had its first major breakthrough with the release of the famous animated movie “Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs”.
Despite the month of February being the shortest month of the year, it never influenced this collection of fun facts about February, we never made it short because there are lots of February facts to be covered unlike the month not having many days in comparison to other months of the year and calendar. Do share these February facts with your family and friends who love to read and learn from fun facts like the one compiled here.
In the following section we would be answering some popularly frequently asked questions about February. These questions would serve as an extended form of fun facts about February you just read up above. These questions are meant to clear some misconceptions about the month of February.
FAQ About February
What are some fun facts about February?
Some fun facts about February is that February is the shortest month in the entire year, it is also the only month with a varying number of days depending on whether it is a leap year or not. Every other month of the year has a fixed number of days every single year but February doesn’t.
What is February most known for?
February is known for some of the following;
- Being the shortest month of the year
- Having a varying number of days in the month depending on whether it’s a leap year or not.
- Being the month of love
What is unusual about this February?
The unusual thing about February is that it has number of days that changes in the calendar unliked other months of they year that has a fixed number of days.
What things are in February?
Below are some of the things celebrated in February;
- Black History Month.
- National Bird Feeding Month.
- Valentine’s Day
- American Heart Month.
- Canned Food Month.
- Great American Pie Month.
- Library Lovers Month.
- National Cherry Month.
- National Children’s Dental Health Month.
Why do we call February love month?
We call February love month because it is the only month with a day dedicated to celebrating those who love so much and cherish and that day is February 14th of every year known as Valentine’s Day.
What are the February symbols?
The symbols of February are as follows:
Zodiac sign: Pisces, Stone: Amethyst, Flower: Violet and Pimrose, Animal: Tiger.
What month is February awareness?
February is the month of Black History celebration in the USA.
- What 3 holidays are in February?
The 3 holidays in February are:
- American heart month,
- Black history month
- National girls and women’s sport day.
What does the word February mean?
The word February means festival of purity. It is gotten from an ancient Roman festival of purification known as Februa.
