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Short but Sweet...

BACK

Short but Sweet...

February—the month that feels like the calendar’s version of a “short squeeze.” While other months are luxuriating in their 30 or 31 days, February is left scrambling with a mere 28, occasionally 29 days. So, how did this temporal underdog come to be? Let’s dive into the history of February and uncover why it’s the fiscal quarter’s equivalent of a brief meeting that could have been an email.

The Roman Calendar: A Case of Poor Forecasting

In the ancient Roman calendar, there were originally only ten months, starting with March and ending with December. The winter period was considered a “dead zone” and wasn’t assigned any months at all. It was as if the Romans declared a fiscal freeze, waiting for the economic spring to thaw their scheduling.

Around 713 BC, King Numa Pompilius decided to audit this system and added January and February to align the calendar with the lunar year. However, to avoid the bad luck associated with even numbers, he made most months 29 or 31 days long, totaling 355 days. To reach the desired odd number of days for the year, February was designated as the month to bear the brunt of this superstition, ending up with 28 days. 

Julius Caesar’s Calendar Reform: The Original Corporate Restructuring

Fast forward to 45 BC, and Julius Caesar steps in like a new CEO ready to streamline operations. He introduced the Julian calendar, extending the year to 365 days and adding a leap year every four years to account for the extra 0.25 days per year. Despite these changes, February remained the shortest month, perhaps seen as the least disruptive option during this organizational overhaul. 

February’s Modern Standing: The Perpetual Underdog

Today, February’s brevity is a testament to these ancient decisions. It’s the month that reminds us that sometimes, even in business, less is more. Whether it’s a fiscal quarter or a project timeline, efficiency often trumps length. So, as we navigate through February, let’s appreciate its concise nature and the historical decisions that made it the “short but sweet” month we know today.