Summer is half-way over but we hope you are having a blast enjoying the warm weather and activities!
- The first day of summer is known as the summer solstice and in the US it falls on June 20 or June 21 each year, depending on when the sun is furthest north of the equator.
- People in the Southern Hemisphere have their longest day of summer in December.
- Solstice comes from two Latin words sol and sistere. Sol means sun; stitium is the verb which means to stand still.
- The first day of summer has been celebrated for centuries by people around the world.
- The names of the key summer months have Roman origins. June is named after Juno, who was the wife of Jupiter. Marc Antony named July after Julius Caesar and August was named after Caesar’s nephew, known as Augustus.
- Even though this is the longest day of the year, it’s not the hottest, due to something called seasonal temperature lag, which means that it takes a while for the oceans to let their stored summer solstice heat back into the air. That’s why it tends to be hotter in July or August than in June.
- One of the more annoying parts of summer are the mosquitoes, which have been around for 30 million years. It’s said they can find warm-blooded mammals from 100 feet away.
- France’s Eiffel Tower can grow by more than 6 inches in summer due to the expansion of the iron on hot days.
- The word honeymoon has associations with summer. The Pagans used that name for the first full moon in June because they drank fermented honey (mead) as part of summer wedding celebrations.
- July is the month where most ice cream is sold in the US. That’s why it’s National Ice Cream Month. Americans eat about 5.5 gallons of ice cream per year on average.
- Ice pops were invented by accident in 1905 by 11 year old Frank Epperson. He mixed soda and water and left the mixture out overnight with the stirring stick still in it. Since the temperature was low, the mixture froze. He patented the idea in 1924.
- Watermelon is not a fruit, but a vegetable.
- Many people enjoy throwing Frisbees in summer, but they were originally designed as pie plates in the 1870s. Students started throwing them in the 1940s.
- The first Summer Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens. Women were first allowed to compete in 1900.
- See a movie at the drive-in
- Walk on the boardwalk and listen to the boards creak under your feet
- Blow bubbles
- Run through the sprinklers
- Play tag, hopscotch, or one of your favorite childhood games
- Go to a theme-park or fair and ride a the Ferris wheel or roller coaster
- Play miniature golf
- Win a prize at the fair
- Catch fireflies
- Build a sandcastle
- Pick berries and peaches at a farm
- Buy a treats from the neighborhood ice cream truck
- Roast marshmallows over a fire and make s’mores
- Make fresh squeezed lemonade
- Visit a farmer’s market
- Have a barbeque
- Nap in a hammock
- Picnic in the park
- Swing on a porch swing
- Sit under the stars and find constellations
- Watch the sunset from a tall building
- Pick wildflowers
- Swim in a lake or the ocean
- Go on a site-seeing bike ride
- Go fishing
- Camp in the woods or your backyard
- Play tennis or sand volleyball
- Host a Frisbee or croquet tournament
- Have a stay-cation or take a one-day road-trip
- Host a family & friends dance
- Go to a local baseball or soccer game
