The Surprising History of July

There’s a lot to celebrate in July: Independence Day, summer vacations filled with camping, swimming, barbecues and picnics—and of course, National Ice Cream Month, designated by former President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Named after Julius Caesar, July is a time of solar spectacles, historical drama and ancient traditions. Here’s a look at some of the month’s more unusual claims to fame. 

July owes its name to Julius Caesar, who reformed the calendar in 46 B.C. Following his death in 44 B.C, his birth month was designated July in his honor. Previously, it was known as Quintilis, meaning “the fifth month” in the old Roman calendar, before January and February were added. 

July’s full moon, the “Buck Moon,” was named by Native American tribes and signifies the time when male deer sport fully grown velvety antlers. During the month, the zodiac shifts from Cancer, symbolizing home and nurturing, to Leo, representing strength and leadership, marking a cosmic energy shift. 

Among July’s celestial displays is the Delta Aquariids meteor shower, which typically starts mid-July and sends around 20 “shooting stars” (aka meteoroids) across the sky per hour. 

In agrarian societies, July marked the peak of wheat and barley harvests, essential for breadmaking and trade. In Native American farming, it was prime time for the “Three Sisters” crops of corn, beans and squash, along with bailing hay. The saying “knee high by the Fourth of July” once indicated high corn yields, but now the lyric from the Oklahoma! musical, “The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye,” may be more fitting, as mid-July corn can reach about 8 feet tall. 

July also brings peak summer blooms, with water lilies (symbolizing innocence) and larkspur (representing positivity) serving as the month’s traditional birth flowers. Both have ties to Greek mythology: The botanical name for water lilies, Nymphaeaceae, links to water nymphs, while larkspurs sprang from where the blood of the mythical Greek warrior Ajax was spilled at the Battle of Troy. 

In July 1518, the "dancing plague" in Strasbourg saw 400 people dancing uncontrollably, attributed to “hot blood.” Its origins remain mysterious, often linked to medieval superstitions about St. Vitus, a vengeful figure who was said to have inflicted a dancing curse on those who displeased him. Historians point to several other possible causes, including stress from disease and famine, accidental ergot poisoning or the involvement of a religious cult.

Many may be familiar with France’s Bastille Day, held each July 14, but the lesser-known July Revolution of 1830 marks a French rebellion that led to the overthrow of Bourbon King Charles X and the rise of Louis-Philippe as the Citizen King. 

And summer weather played a role in the July 10, 1943, launch of Operation Husky, the massive Allied invasion of Sicily during World War II. The assault, which mobilized 150,000 troops, 3,000 ships and 4,000 aircraft, had been timed to take advantage of good weather, but unexpected storms nearly canceled it. 

The Romans celebrated July—and the sun god Apollo—with the Ludi Apollinares, or Apollonian Games, which featured chariot races, religious processions, animal hunts and dramatic performances. They also held the Neptunalia festival each July 23, honoring Neptune by building temporary huts to host feasts and revelry. 

And in the U.K., July 15 is St. Swithin’s Day, an English folklore tradition based on the tale of moving the remains of the bishop of Winchester from a grave to an indoor shrine in 971. Torrential rains came on that day, and legend made it a Groundhog Day-style event: Rain on July 15 predicts 40 days of wet weather ahead, while a dry day promises 40 days without rain. 

Throughout July, Kyoto, Japan holds its largest and most famous festival, the Gion Matsuri, which originated in A.D. 869 to appease the gods during a plague. To chase away angry spirits spreading disease during Kyoto’s hot, humid summers, the emperor called for a procession of halberds and portable shrines. Over the centuries, the tradition evolved into a parade of elaborate floats, some as tall as seven stories high and many featuring musicians playing traditional instruments. Each year, a local boy is chosen as the festival’s sacred messenger to the gods; by superstition, his feet are not allowed to touch the ground from July 13 until the end of the main parade on July 17. 

The "dog days of summer," those scorching weeks from July 3 to August 11, mark the time when Sirius, the “dog star,” rises with the sun. Ancient Greeks and Romans believed Sirius caused the month’s intense heat, leading to madness in people and dogs. 

Today, the phrase also describes challenging times, seen in cultural references like Charles Dickens’s description of Ebenezer Scrooge (“He iced his coffee in the dog-days, and didn’t thaw it one degree at Christmas.”), Florence and the Machine's song "Dog Days Are Over" and the crime-caper-gone-wrong film Dog Day Afternoon.