It's February!

#24 Week 6

Author

Sigrun Sørumgård
February 03, 2025

Leap into the quirks, history, and fun facts of the shortest month - are you ready start off February?

  1. February is named after an ancient Roman festival, called Februa. Februa may also have given its name to Februus, a Roman god, who is also said to have named the month of February. But what was Februa a festival for, and one of the "things" Februu's god for?

  2. Why does February have fewer days than the other months?

  3. About every 20 years there is no full moon in February. Instead, January and March have two full moons each. Due to time differences, this does not necessarily happen all over the world. What is the name/definition of a month without a full moon? Therese was not a full moon in Norway in 2018, and the next time will be in 2037.

  4. Nelson Mandela was released on 11 February 1990 after how many years as a political prisoner?

  5. Chile declared its independence on February 12, 1818, from which country?

  6. What two zodiac signs does February belong to?

  7. Which American holiday, involving a prediction about the weather, is celebrated on February 2? A wonderfully funny movie from 1993 starring Bill Murray is about this holiday, and has the same name as the holiday (in English).

  8. How old was Queen Elizabeth II when she became Queen on 6 February 1952, when her father, King George VI of England, died? Her actual coronation took place on 2 June 1953.

  9. What action did NATO take on February 28, 1994, during its first ever combat operation in history?

  10. Which major American sporting event takes place on the second Sunday of February each year?

The Wonder Wall

  • The Welsh call February "y mis bach" which means "little month". While the Saxon term for the month, Sol-monath, means "cake month". This is because they offered cakes to the gods during this month.

  • At certain times, February was shortened to 23 or 24 days, and an "extra" 27-day month called an intercalary. Intercalaris, was occasionally inserted immediately after February to align the year with the seasons.

  • February, is one of the most commonly misspelled words in English, due to the "extra" r towards the end of the word. In 2015, even the White House press office got it wrong - several times during the month.

Yesterday´s Questions & Answers

  1. What is the colours of the Italian flag?

    Green, white and red

  2. Which 4 countries and 2 enclaves does Italy border to?

    France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Vatican City and San Marino

  3. Rome is the 3rd largest city in the European Union, which two cities are bigger? (population)

    Berlin and Madrid

  4. One of Italy’s most renowned claims to fame is that it holds the distinction of being home to the oldest continuously operating university in the world, established in 1088. Which university is it?

    University of Bologna

  5. Which luxurious car company provides the Italian Police Force with some of its cars?

    Lamborghini

  6. How many of Shakespeare´s plays are set in Italy?

    13

  7. How many people was murdered under Mussolini’s command?

    Over 400,000 killed during WWII and another 30,000 during the Italian invasion of Ethiopia attributed directly to him.

  8. The average Italian consumes how many kilos of pasta per year?

    25 kg

  9. What is gelato?

    Ice cream

  10. What was Julius Caesars full name? He has a name in front of Julius…

    Gaius