10 Lesser Known Facts about November
It’s that time of year again when we celebrate pumpkin spice, falling leaves and counting down to the hustle and bustle of holidays. But November has a whole lot to offer besides Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Check out these fun facts about the eleventh month of the year:
1. The name November comes from the Latin root novem – meaning “nine.” This made perfect sense on the ancient Roman calendar in which there were only ten months in the year, and November was in fact the ninth month. After the Julian calendar was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, November became the eleventh month of the year, but stubbornly kept its original name.
2. In Old English, November was called Blotmonth (Blood month) referring to the time of slaughter of farm animals. Whether you are a vegetarian or not, I think we all can agree that November is a far less troubling (and gory) way to refer to the month.
3. November 2 is the only day of the year that was the birthday of two US presidents – Warren Harding (born 1865) and James Polk (1795).
4. Speaking of US Presidents, since 1845, all presidential elections have been held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in years divisible by four.
5. If you’re like me (and most Americans) some of the earliest lessons learned about personal finance and owning real estate came from playing Monopoly. Parker Brothers first began selling this property-focused board game on November 5, 1935, and it quickly became a best-seller.
6. November is the only month name used to represent a letter in the Alpha-Bravo-Charlie phonetic alphabet. This can come in handy if you find yourself trying to get driving directions from your military veteran uncle to Grandma’s new house on a phone call with bad reception.
7. November is also the month for Movember (a combination of the words “Mustache” and November”), a fundraising event for men’s health issues, particularly prostate and testicular cancers. To participate in Movember, men start the month with a fresh face and “donate their face” until November 30th by not shaving. So, when you see a co-worker or neighbor growing a new mustache or beard, you’ll know why.
8. What’s my favorite random “holiday” of the month? National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day celebrated on November 15th. When you think about it, the timing is genius! We all need extra storage space in our refrigerators around Thanksgiving, especially for leftover turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie.
9. For all the fans of Little Women, November is an important month as we mark the birthday of author Louisa May Alcott on November 29th. Born in 1832, 2021 marks her 189th birthday, Louisa wrote her best-known novel based on her childhood in Concord, Massachusetts.
10. Here’s another November fact especially of interest to bibliophiles. You would be hard-pressed to find a reference to the 11th month by Hamlet, Iago, Romeo, Cordelia or any other Shakespearean character. Alas, the Bard includes no mention of the month of November in any of his plays or sonnets.
So, this month when you spend time celebrating family, football and feasting, don’t forget to give a nod to November’s more minor occasions – and by all means, make room for leftovers.