Ten Facts You Didn't Know About the Month of April (2024)

In the northern hemisphere April is a most confusing month; rainy and wet one day, the next full of a warm promise of green growth to come. Besides the weather, the month is full of surprises and contradictions, prized for rebirth and endings, and a birth month to amazing geniuses and crazed despots both, making fun of astrological predictions.

You must love April. It is just like life.

01

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April Is Named for Aphrodite

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April is named after the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. In the Roman calendar, the fourth month April is spelled Aprilis, meaning "to open." Festivals which were planned for April included Parrilla, a day celebrating the founding of Rome.

The name Aprilis, then, fits April, because in so many places in the northern hemisphere April is the month when trees and flowers begin to bloom and go on to flower.

02

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April's Zodiac Signs Are Four-Legged Hooved Creatures

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Two signs in the traditional Zodiac calendar fall in April, both of which are domestic animals, quadrupeds with cloven hoofs. People born in the first part of the month between March 21st and April 19th are said to be born under the sign of Aries the Ram, a Sun sign which is ruled by the planet and the Roman god of War, Mars. Those born from April 20th to May 20th are born under Taurus the Bull, an Earth sign who is ruled by the planet and the Roman goddess of love, Venus. No wonder people born on the cusp (between April 19th and 20th) are just confused.

03

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April's Honorary Flowers Are Daisies and Sweet Peas

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Two flowers signify the month of April: the daisy and the sweet pea. The daisy symbolizes innocence, loyal love, and purity; but it also means "I'll never tell!" The oldest daisy on record is the Bellis perennis, known as Daeges eage (or Day's eye) in the Middle Ages because its petals close at night to cover the yellow center.

Today there are more than 90 varieties of flowers that are called daisies, and they come in red, yellow, purple, orange, blue, and pink colored petals, and vary widely in size. But they are, as director/writer Nora Ephron once wrote, "the friendliest flower."

The sweat pea signifies blissful pleasure, and are used to say goodbye. Sweet peas may be a pretty flower, but they are also one of the oldest food crops on our planet, domesticated by humans about 11,000 years ago.

04

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The Diamond Is April's Birth Stone

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The birthstone for people born in April is the diamond, one of the hardest substances on earth, and one that formed deep in the earth, even if we don't know how long ago that happened. The word diamond comes from the early Greek word adamas, meaning untamable and related to our word adamant. That's because the Greeks knew a tough customer when they saw one. Among the earliest historical mentions of diamonds is found in the book of Exodus, where diamond (jahalom in Hebrew) is mentioned as one of twelve engraved precious stones set in the breastplate of the high priest.

Diamonds are said to bring all kinds of benefits to their owners, supposedly leading the wearer to experience better relationships and an increase in inner strength. They are supposed to bring balance, clarity,and abundance, and it is symbolic of eternal love and the bringer of wealth to six centuries of the diamond trade.

Poet William Wordsworth Was Born in April

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The English poet William Wordsworth was born April 7, 1770, and one of his best-known poems is perfect for April in the northern hemisphere: "I wandered lonely as a cloud," which he first published in 1807. Here's a little snippet for an April day:

  • I wandered lonely as a cloud
  • That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
  • When all at once I saw a crowd,
  • A host, of golden daffodils;
  • Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
  • Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

06

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Noah Webster Copyrighted the First Edition of His Dictionary in April

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The famous language expert Noah Webster was a bit of an April fool: one of his dearest wishes was to reform English spelling for Americans, to make it simpler and more obvious. While millions of school children could go for that; Webster's proposals included removing all double vowels. Bread would be spelled bred; friend would become frend; tuf for tuf, laf for laugh, kee for key, and speek for speak. He also wanted us to spell machine masheen, and pique peek.

His successes included changing plough for plow and draught for draft; but if you're a poor speller, you might just peek your frends and attribute that to your fondness for April's Noah Webster.

07

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Leonardo da Vinci Was Born in April

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What can you possibly say about Leonardo in 100 words? He was a painter, a scientist who painted many pieces of religious art; he was fascinated by the flight of birds and the mechanisms of guns. He was a Renaissance genius for his and any other time, capable of turning his hand to anything. And he was born in April.

08

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William Shakespeare Was Born and Died in April

The Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare was another April genius, born on April 23, 1564, and died on or about his April birthday at the age of 52 in England in 1616. He may have stolen whole plots and plot twists from his fellow playwrights and ancient history, but his prose and poetic output is unmatched for originality and complexity. William Shakespeare is still rightly revered today.

09

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Adolf Hitler Was Born in April

Just in case you thought that only marvelously talented people and gifted people were born in April, Adolf Hitler, surely one of the most depraved leaders ever, was born in Austria on April 20th, 1889. His brand of crazy involved world domination and extreme mass murder that makes you wish there were a better word than "mass murder." Maybe it was that "cusp" thing.

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A Snippet of a Poem for April by Sara Teasdale

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There are so many different poems written for April that it's hard to pick. Here's one from Sara Teasdale, called April Song.


Willow, in your April gown
Delicate and gleaming,
Do you mind in years gone by
All my dreaming?
Spring was like a call to me
That I could not answer,
I was chained to loneliness,
I, the dancer.
Willow, twinkling in the sun,
Still your leaves and hear me,
I can answer spring at last,
Love is near me!
Ten Facts You Didn't Know About the Month of April (2024)

FAQs

What is a random fact about April? ›

The April birthstone is a diamond and the birth flower is either a Daisy or Sweet Pea. After a 1,500 year break, the first Olympics of the modern era took place on April 6, 1896, in Athens. The Titanic hit the now famous iceberg on April 15, 1912.

What is special about the month of April? ›

In the United States, April celebrates the outdoors with National Garden Month, Keep America Beautiful Month, and National Wildlife Week. It's also Stress Awareness Month, National Volunteer Month, National Poetry Month, National Humor Month, and more. What are some religious holidays in April?

Did you know facts for kids in April? ›

Fun April Facts

April is considered the funniest month. Professional baseball begins its season in April. The April Lyrids - Meteor showers that happen each year between April 16 and April 26. The Titanic, a famous ship, hit an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912.

What is April named for? ›

The English word April comes from the Latin Aprilis, the name given to the month by the ancient Romans. No one knows for certain why the Romans named it as they did. Some Roman authors thought that Aprilis was related to the Latin verb aperire meaning "to open," because April "opened" the buds of leaves and flowers.

What is a fact about April 20? ›

April 20 Events In History

In 1903, the French couple received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering research. 1912 – Fenway Park (Boston) and Tiger Stadium (Detroit) both open for the first time. 1914 – Miners in Ludlow, Colorado, were attacked by National Guardsmen paid by the mining company.

What holiday is April? ›

From Tax Day and April Fools' Day (watch out for gags and hoaxes!), to Passover and the continuation of Ramadan, to honoring everything from nuts to libraries to eight tracks (seriously!), and more, there is plenty to celebrate or observe in April.

What holiday is April 1st? ›

April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes.

What special day is on April 12? ›

It's Day of Silence, International Day for Street Children, International Day of Human Space Flight, National For Twelves Day, National Only Child Day… and much more!

What is a fun fact about April 9th? ›

April 9th is…

1867 – The Alaska Purchase – the United States bought Alaska from the Russian Empire for $7.2 million in a treaty ratified by the U.S. Senate. 1945 – The United States Atomic Energy Commission was formed.

What is a fact about April 5? ›

Did you know that on this day, April 5, 1722, Jacob Roggeveen discovered Easter Island? April 5th celebrates Read A Road Map Day & Deep Dish Pizza Day. We're now on the 96th day of the year, and have 270 days left in 2024.

Did you know fun facts? ›

The first commercial passenger flight lasted only 23 minutes.
  • No number before 1,000 contains the letter A.
  • There were active volcanoes on the moon when dinosaurs were alive.
  • Sudan has more pyramids than any country in the world.
  • The circulatory system is more than 60,000 miles long.
  • The Pope can't be an organ donor.
Apr 9, 2024

Which god was born in April? ›

In Odisha, Pana Sankranti (April 13/14/15) is believed to be the birthday of Hanuman. Devotees visit temples and chant the Hanuman Chalisa throughout the day. Reading the Sundara Kanda book of the Ramayana on this day is also said to be a pious exercise.

What is the real name of April? ›

Since some of the Roman months were named in honor of divinities, and as April was sacred to the goddess Venus, her Veneralia being held on the first day, it has been suggested that Aprilis was originally her month Aphrilis, from her equivalent Greek goddess name Aphrodite (Aphros), or from the Etruscan name Apru.

What is April short name? ›

§ 4-600. Months
MonthAbbreviation
MarchMar.
AprilApr.
MayMay
JuneJune
2 more rows

What is the month of April's theme? ›

Month Themes: Earth, Celebrate Diversity, National Volunteer Month, Stress Awareness.

What is April 2024 Awareness month? ›

April 2024 marks the official 23rd anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month — but did you know we can trace its history even longer? NSVRC recognizes 28 leaders in sexual violence prevention.

Why isn't April the first month? ›

The month of April goes way back. Before January and February were added to the end of the year by King Numa Pompilius around 700 BCE, April was already the second month of the Roman calendar year (March was the first). Around 450 BCE, April was rearranged into the fourth slot, and was assigned 29 days.

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