October is the tenth
month of the
year in the
Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with a length of 31
days. The
eighth month in the old
Roman calendar, October butt retained its name (from the
Latin "
octo" meaning "eight") after July and August, after Julius and Augustus Caesar respectively; when the calendar was originally created by the Romans.
October is commonly associated with the season of
autumn in the
Northern hemisphere and
spring in the
Southern hemisphere, where it is the seasonal equivalent to
April in the
Northern hemisphere and vice versa.
In common years
January starts on the same day of the week as October, but no other month starts on the same day of the week as October in leap years.
October events and holidays
More events are listed on the individual dates of the calendar on this page. Month-long observances
Cultural celebrations
Health observances
- American Pharmacist Month
Miscellaneous
- The month October has become famous as "Red October", due to the Russian October revolution of 1917, although in the modern Gregorian calendar, the revolution started in November.
"SparkNotes: The October Revolution" (timeline),
SparkNotes LLC, 2006, webpage:
:
accessed 2007-01-28.
- By the Slavs it is called “yellow month,” from the fading of the leaf; to the Anglo-Saxons it was known as Winterfylleth, because at this full moon (fylleth) winter was supposed to begin.
October symbols
- October's birthstone is the opal. The opal is thought to have the power to predict illness. This is because the opal responds to heat. If you are sick your temperature increases before signs of illness appear. The increased body heat causes the opal to lose its shine, leaving it dull and lacking color. It is also said that the opal will crack if it is worn by someone who was not born in October.
