Sextilis

Sextilis was the ancient Roman name for the month that is now known as August. It originally held 30 days, but was renamed in 8 BCE by decree of the Roman Senate in honor of Augustus Caesar. The name "Augustus" was chosen because several of his most significant victories occurred in that month. To further honor Augustus, a day was added to Sextilis (August), taken from February, to make it equal in length to July (named after Julius Caesar). Thus, August has 31 days today. Prior to its renaming, Sextilis was the sixth month in the original Roman calendar, which began in March. The word "Sextilis" is derived from the Latin word "sextus," meaning "sixth."