Darren Wolf, age 10, of Santa Rosa, Calif. For his question:
HOW DID JUNE RECEIVE ITS NAME?
In the early Roman calendar, June was the fourth month of the year and it had 29 days. Some historians tell us that the Romans named the month for Juno, the patron goddess of marriage. The month of June was dedicated to young men in Rome, and some people believe that the month's name was taken from juniores, the Latin word for young men.
When Julius Caesar came along in 46 B.C. and reformed the calendar, he didn't change the month's name but he moved it to be the sixth month and he gave it 30 days.
From early Roman times, June was believed by many to be the best time for marriages. It is still one of the most popular months for weddings.
Spring ends and summer starts on June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere. This is also the longest day of the year. In the Southern Hemisphere, fall ends and winter begins on the same day. South of the equator June 21 is the shortest day of the year.
There are more flowers blooming in June than you'll find in any other month of the year. And the trees and shrubs are usually at their freshest at this time.
In the United States, Flag Day will be celebrated on June 14 to commemorate the day in 1777 when the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the nation's flag. It had only 13 stars then, to match its 13 stripes.
Four new states joined the United States during June: On June 1 in 1792, Kentucky became the 15th state and on the same day in 1796, Tennessee became the 16th; on June, 1836, Arkansas became the 25th state; and on the 20th in 1863, West Virginia becme the 35th.
President Andrew Johnson announced the purchase of Alaska from Russia on June 20, 1867 and on June 14, 1900, Hawaii was organized as a United States territory.
Allied troops landed on the German held coast of Normandy on D Day on June 6, 1944. And on June 26, 1945, the United Nations charter was signed in San Francisco by delegates from 50 nations.
On June 6, 1844, the YMCA was organized in London.
On June 11, in 1776, the Continental Congress appointed a committee to draw up a declaration of independence. They did an excellent job, as you know. and on June 15 the year before, in 1775, George Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army.
June was month for two historic battles. On June 17, 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought and on the 18th in 1815, the allies under Wellington and Blucher defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.
June 20 through the years has been an important day. In 1793, Eli Whitney appled for a patent on the cotton gin; in 1837, Victoria became queen of Great Britain; and in 1873, the famous aviator Alberto Santos Dumont was born. Santos Dumont, a Brazilian, was an aviation pioneer in both lighter than air and heavier than air machines. One of his most lasting contributions was the use of wheeled undercarriages on aircraft.