It marks the heart of summer in many parts of the world, with warm, sun-drenched days and extended daylight hours. This is the season when people flock to beaches, parks, and outdoor activities to make the most of the glorious weather.

Let's take a look at these 22 interesting facts about July to know more about this month.

1. July was named after the famous Roman generawerl Julius Caesar by the Roman senate; as it was the month he was born in.
The month was previously called Quintilis (Latin for fifth) as it was the fifth month of the 10-month-long ancient Roman calendar.

2. The Anglo-Saxons had multiple names for the month of July, including Maed-monath and Hey-monath.
Respectively, these translated into "the flowering of meadows" and "hay month."

3. July has two birth flowers – the water lily and the larkspur.
The water lily is a symbol of a pure heart, while the larkspur (especially its white form) represents the lightness of the heart.

Also read: 12 Facts About Larkspurs
Also read: 12 Facts About Water Lilies

4. The birthstone of July is the ruby, considered by many to be the king of gems.
At one point in time, it was considered to protect warriors on the field of battle if it was embedded in their armor.
Nowadays, as a birthstone, it's said to protect against evil.

5. As the second month of Summer, July is, on average, the warmest month of the year in the northern hemisphere.

6. In the southern hemisphere, though, July is, on average, the coldest month of the year, being the second month of winter.

7. Despite it being the first month in the second half of the year, July 1^st is not actually the middle of the year. In a regular non-leap year, the midpoint is actually on July 2^nd at 1 pm.

8. In early July, a period of time called the "dog days of summer" begins.
Historically they were observed within Ancient Roman and Greek astrology and were connected with bad luck, mad dog attacks, unexpected thunderstorms, heat, and drought.
They gained their name as "dog days" as they were connected with the star Sirius, which is part of the Canis Major (Greater Dog) star system.
The "Dog Days" of summer are from July 3 to August 11 each year, when the Sun is in conjunction with Sirius, the Dog Star.
Nowadays, "the dog days" refers to when the hottest days of summer begin.

9. There are two star signs which fall in the month of July.
If you're born before July 22^nd, then your star sign is Cancer.
If you're born after this day, from July 23^rd onward, then you're a Leo.
Those born under the sign of Cancer are said to be loyal friends with great emotional depth, and those born under the sign of Leo are said to be very proud people who display great leadership.

10. On July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies declared their independence from the British monarchy.
The 4th of July, formally known as Independence Day, has been a federal holiday since 1870 in the United States of America.

11. Canada Day is celebrated on July 1^st, marking the anniversary of the confederation of Canada in 1867.

12. Louis Pasteur developed the earliest effective vaccine against rabies that was first used to treat a human bite victim on July 6, 1885.

13. On July 25, 1909, Louis Bleriot became the first man to fly an aircraft from one country to another successfully.
He took off from the coast of France and landed across the channel near Dover, England.

14. On July 12, 1943, Russian and German forces fought the largest tank battle in history, with 900 tanks on either side obliterating each other at close range.

15. On July 16, 1945, in Alamogordo, New Mexico, that the first atomic bomb was detonated. The bomb was called "Fat Boy," and its explosion sure was fat – the mushroom cloud was 41,000 feet (12.5 kilometers) high!

16. On July 5, 1946, the world's first bikini was unveiled in the famous Piscine Molitor swimming pool in Paris.

17. July was an important time for the space race of the '60s.
The first crewed mission to the Moon, the Apollo 11 Mission, launched on July 16, 1969.
Four days later, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong made history by taking the first step on the Moon while declaring, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!".

18. In July that crop circles start to appear in fields of corn.
For the most part, Crop circles have only started appearing since the 1970s, although there have been a number of cases sporadically reported throughout history.

19. Famous people born in July include Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Frida Kahlo, Franz Kafka, Marcel Proust, and Nelson Mandela.

20. There are plenty of other great holidays observed around the world!
July 2^nd is World UFO Day, while July 3^rd is Stay out of the Sun Day.
In the US, July 6^th is a pretty delicious day, as it's National Fried Chicken Day!
At the end of the month, we also have International Tiger Day on July 29^th.

21. In the US, July is National Watermelon Month, National Hot Dog Month, and National Ice Cream Month.

22. The Tour de France is one of the most famous bicycle races in the world, and it typically takes place in July.
The race is held over three weeks and covers a distance of more than 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles) across France and occasionally neighboring countries.

Also Read: 18 Awesome Facts About August

Sources
Wikipedia / Project Britain / Almanac / History Extra / History Place