Friday Facts About November

Ah, November. The month about which Emily Dickinson said, "“November always seems to me the Norway of the year.”

Once upon a time—back in the day of the Roman calendar—November was the 9th month of the year. January and February didn't exist.

Since it was the 9th month, it was called Novem which is Latin for 9. The name stuck even when the calendar changed to the Julian and then the Gregorian.

Here are a few more November facts to add to your treasury of trivia knowledge—could one say novem more facts? Nope. Not grammatically correct, but you get my meaning. Right? 

(1) A Native American phrase for the full moon of November is the Beaver Moon.

(2) The November birthstone is the topaz which signifies honor and strength. Citrine, another yellowish semi-precious stone, is also considered a birthstone for November. 

(3) November weather folklore says that if there's heavy snow in November, it will last until April.

(4) November is Native American Heritage month.

(5) November babies are often the result of a romantic Valentine's Day. In a study, British researchers attributed a 5% increase in births in November to Valentine's Day nine months before. 

(6) On first day of November in 1848, the first medical school for women opened. The Boston Female Medical School had 12 students.

(7) Anglo-Saxons called this month the Wind Monath, meaning wind month. How appropriate since this is the time of the year when the cold winds blow—at least in the northern hemisphere.

(8) There are many holidays and commorative days in November, but the best known and most celebrated in the U.S.A. is Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving was in 1621.

(9) One of the greatest writers ever, William Shakespeare, never mentioned the month of November in any of his 37 plays, still in production today, or in his 154 sonnets.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Enjoy this month of gloriously colored leaves, bright blue skies, and windy, chilly days.