June is the sixth and current

month A month is a unit of time, used with calendars, that is approximately as long as a natural phase cycle of the Moon; the words ''month'' and ''Moon'' are cognates. The traditional concept of months arose with the cycle of Moon phases; such lunar mo ...

of the year in the Julian and

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

s—the latter the most widely used calendar in the world. Its length is 30 days. June succeeds

May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the ...

and precedes

July July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian calendar, Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. It was named by the Roman Senate in honour of Roman general Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., being the month of his birth. Before the ...

. This month marks the start of

summer Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...

in the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...

and contains the

summer solstice The summer solstice or estival solstice occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). The summer solstice is the day with the longest peri ...

, which is the day with the most

daylight Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunlig ...

hours. In the Southern Hemisphere, June is the start of

winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

and contains the

winter solstice The winter solstice, or hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's geographical pole, poles reaches its maximum axial tilt, tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern Hemisphere, Northern and So ...

, the day with the fewest hours of daylight out of the

year A year is a unit of time based on how long it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun. In scientific use, the tropical year (approximately 365 Synodic day, solar days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45 seconds) and the sidereal year (about 20 minutes longer) ...

. In places north of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...

, the

June solstice The June solstice is the solstice on Earth that occurs annually between 20 and 22 June according to the Gregorian calendar. In the Northern Hemisphere, the June solstice is the summer solstice (the day with the longest period of daylight), while ...

is when the

midnight sun Midnight sun, also known as polar day, is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When midnight sun is see ...

occurs, during which the Sun remains visible even at

midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...

. The

Atlantic hurricane season The Atlantic hurricane season is the period in a year, from June 1 through November 30, when Tropical cyclone, tropical or subtropical cyclones are most likely to form in the North Atlantic Ocean. These dates, adopted by convention ...

—when

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

subtropical cyclone A subtropical cyclone is a weather system that has some characteristics of both tropical cyclone, tropical and extratropical cyclones. As early as the 1950s, meteorologists were uncertain whether they should be characterized as Tropical cyclone ...

s are most likely to form in the north Atlantic Ocean—begins on 1 June and lasts until 30 November. Several

monsoons A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

and subsequent

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...

s also commence in the Northern Hemisphere during this month. Multiple

meteor showers A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors are observed to radiate, or originate, from one point in the night sky. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere at extr ...

occur annually in June, including the

Arietids The Arietids are a strong meteor shower that lasts from May 22 to July 2 each year, and peaks on June 7. The Arietids, along with the Zeta Perseids, are the most intense daylight meteor showers of the year. The source of the shower is unknown, bu ...

, which are among the most intense daylight meteor showers of the year; they last between 22 May and 2 July, peaking in intensity on 8 June. Numerous observances take place in June.

Midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; the longest Daytime, day of the year. The name "midsummer" mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of Eu ...

, the celebration of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, is celebrated in several countries. In Catholicism, this month is dedicated to the

devotion Devotion or Devotions may refer to: Religion * Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians * Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance * Catholic devotions, customs, rituals, and practices of worship ...

of the

Sacred Heart of Jesus The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...

, and known as the Month of the Sacred Heart. In the United States, June is dedicated to Pride Month, a list of month-long observances, month-long observance of LGBTQ individuals. Father's Day, which honours fathers and fatherhood, occurs on the third Sunday in June in most countries.

Overview

June is the sixth

of the year in the Julian and

s—the latter the most widely used calendar in the world. Containing 30 days, June succeeds

and precedes

. It is one of four months that have 30 days—alongside April, September and November—and is the second 30-day month of the year, following April, the fourth month of the year, and preceding September—the ninth month of the year. June is in the second Quarter (calendar year), quarter (Q2) of a calendar year, alongside April and May, and the sixth and final month in the first half of the year (January–June). Under the ISO week date system, June incidentally begins in either the 22nd or 23rd week of the year. During each calendar year, no other month starts on the same day of the week as June. The Julian calendar—which also has June and is still used as a ceremonial religious calendar by some of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy—is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. Thus, in this calendar, 1 June begins on 13 June. It will be 14 days behind in 2100. June is abbreviated as ''Jun'', and may be spelled with or without a concluding period (full stop).

Etymology

''June'' is ultimately derived from the Latin month of ''Iunius (month), Iunius'', named after the ancient Roman goddess Juno (mythology), Juno (Latin: ). The present English spelling was influenced by the Anglo-Norman language, Anglo-Norman ''join'', ''junye'' and ''junie''. It was also written in Middle English as ''Iun'' and ''Juin'', while the spelling variant ''Iune'' was in use until the 17th century. It displaced the Old English name for June, ''Ǣrra Līða, ærra liþa''.

History

June originates from the month of ''Iunius'' (also called ) in the original Roman calendar used during the Roman Republic. The origin of this calendar is obscure. ''Iunius'' was originally the fourth month of the year, and had 29 days alongside ("April"), (later renamed "August"), , and . It is not known when the Romans reset the course of the year so that ("January") and ("February"), originally the 11th and 12th months respectively, came first—thus moving ''Iunius'' to the sixth month of the year—but later Roman scholars generally dated this to 153 BC. In ancient Rome, the period from mid-May through mid-June may have been considered inauspicious for marriages. The Roman poet Ovid claimed to have consulted the ''flaminica Dialis'', the high priestess of the god Jupiter (god), Jupiter, about setting a date for his daughter's wedding, but was advised to wait until after 15 June. The Greek philosopher and writer Plutarch, however, implied that the entire month of June was more favorable for weddings than May. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar reformed the calendar, which thus became known as the Julian calendar after himself. This reform fixed the calendar to 365 days with a leap year every fourth year, and made June 30 days long; however, this reform resulted in the average

of the Julian calendar being 365.25 days long, slightly more than the actual solar year of 365.2422 days (the current value, which varies). In AD 65, June was renamed as ''Germanicus'' in honour of the Roman emperor Nero. As recalled by the Roman historian Tacitus in his ''Annals (Tacitus), Annals'', the Roman senator Servius Cornelius Scipio Salvidienus Orfitus (consul 51), Cornelius Orfitus, who made the proposal, claimed that the name ''Junius'' had become inauspicious due to the executions of Lucius Junius Silanus Torquatus and Decimus Junius Silanus Torquatus in AD 49 and AD 64, respectively. The names did not survive and were likely erased when Nero was subjected to ''damnatio memoriae''. In AD 184, Roman Emperor Commodus briefly renamed all of the months after a name in his full title; June became ''Aelius''. However, this decision was repealed after his death in AD 192. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII promulgated a revised calendar—the

—that reduced the average length of the calendar year from 365.25 days to 365.2425, correcting the Julian calendar's drift against the solar year.

Climate, daylight and astronomy

In the

, June marks the commencement of

, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the start of

. In the Northern Hemisphere, the beginning of the traditional astronomical season, astronomical summer is 21 June, while meteorological season, meteorological summer commences on 1 June. In the Southern Hemisphere, astronomical winter starts on 21 June while meteorological winter begins on 1 June. The

—known as the

in the Northern Hemisphere and

in the Southern Hemisphere—occurs for one-day between 20–22 June (most often on 21 June), marking the longest day of the year in terms of

hours in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere. In places north of the

, this is when the

occurs for the longest period, during which the Sun remains visible even at

. Conversely, it is polar night in places within the Antarctic Circle, during which the Sun remains below the horizon for more than 24 hours. In astronomy, certain

occur annually during this month. The

—among the most intense daylight meteor showers of the year—last from 22 May until 2 July, peaking in intensity on 8 June; the Beta Taurids take place between 5 June and 18 July, peaking on 28 June; and the June Bootids commence between 22 June and 2 July, peaking on 27 June. The full moon that occurs in June is most commonly known as the strawberry moon because it coincides with the strawberry-picking season; other names for it include the ''rose moon'', ''honey moon'' and the poetic ''midsummer moon''.

Climate

June is one of the hottest months in the Northern Hemisphere, alongside July and August, with July being the hottest; in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the inverse. For instance, the lowest temperature ever recorded in South America occurred on 1 June 1907 in the town of Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento in the Chubut Province of Argentina, measuring -32.8°C (-27°F). June 2024 was the hottest June in recorded history at 1.22°C (2.20°F) above the 20th-century global average, beating the previous record held by June 2023. The

—when

s are most likely to form in the north Atlantic Ocean—begins on 1 June and lasts until 30 November. In the Indian Ocean north of the equator, around the Indian subcontinent, year-round tropical cyclones appear frequently between May and June. In contrast, Mediterranean tropical-like cyclones are least likely to form in June because of the dry season of the Mediterranean having stable air. The East Asian monsoon, East Asian, North American monsoon, North American, Monsoon of South Asia, South Asian (Indian) and West African monsoons generally begin in June, while the monsoon#Europe, European monsoon season intensifies that month. The East Asian monsoon commences the East Asian rainy season. The highest volume of rainfall ever recorded in a one-hour period occurred on 22 June 1947 in the small city of Holt, Missouri in the United States, measuring 305 mm (12 inches) of rainfall. The greatest rainfall within a 48-hour period occurred between 15–16 June 1995 in the town of Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, India, with 2.493 metres (98.15 inches) of rainfall recorded.

Agriculture

The crops which are harvested this month include several varieties of corn; wheat, barley, maize, rapeseed, rice, rye and sorghum in most of the Northern Hemisphere, and maize, cotton, pearl millet, sorghum and soybeans in most of the Southern Hemisphere. In much of the Northern Hemisphere, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, mangoes, raspberries, strawberries and watermelons are fruits which are considered to be in season or at their peak in June. Vegetables that are in season in this hemisphere during June include asparagus, beetroot, cucumbers, lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, tomatoes and zucchini (courgettes). In much of the Southern Hemisphere, the fruits which are in season are avocados, bananas, citrus (such as grapefruit, lemons, mandarin orange, mandarins and oranges), kiwifruit and pears.

Observances

In Catholicism, June is dedicated to the

of the

. This observance is called the Month of the Sacred Heart. In Canada, June is ALS Awareness Month, a campaign to spread awareness and raise funds for a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Filipino Heritage Month. In the United States, June is Pride Month, which is the celebration of LGBTQ individuals. Caribbean-American Heritage Month also occurs annually in June. In Brazil, the ''Festa Junina, Festas Juninas'' (June Festivals) occur throughout the entire month to celebrate the harvest. It is also National Safety Month in the United States, a list of month-long observances, month-long observance aimed at increasing awareness of, and ultimately decreasing, the number of unintentional injuries and deaths in the country. National Smile Month, the largest oral health campaign in the United Kingdom and organised by the Oral Health Foundation, commences between alternating dates from mid-May to mid-June. In Barbados, June is part of the Season of Emancipation which takes place between 14 April and 23 August to commemorate the emancipation of slaves of African descent.

Global single-day observances

The first day of June commences with World Milk Day and International Children's Day in several countries. International Whores' Day, an observance to honour sex workers (prostitutes) and recognise their often exploitation of labour, exploited and poor working conditions, occurs on 2 June. Several Memorials for the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, memorials and other commemorations are held around the world on 4 June to honour the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre that occurred in China. Similar annual memorials are held for the Normandy landings (D-Day), the largest seaborne invasion in history, which occurred on 6 June 1944 as part of the Second World War. Global Wind Day is on 15 June, and on 16 June is the International Day of the African Child, which raises awareness for the need of education reform, improved education provided to children in Africa. Autistic Pride Day occurs on 18 June. 19 June is World Sauntering Day, which encourages people to slow down ("saunter") and enjoy life. Go Skateboarding Day and World Hydrography Day both occur on 21 June.

, the various celebrations of the commencement of summer, happens on 21 June; it is also associated with the Fête de la Musique (World Music Day). 25 June is the observation of World Vitiligo Day, which aims to decrease negative sentiments regarding vitiligo—a chronic condition, chronic autoimmune disorder that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or colour. 26 June is World Refrigeration Day. Global Running Day occurs on the first Wednesday in June. Father's Day, which honours fathers and fatherhood, most often occurs on the third Sunday in June. The King's Official Birthday, which celebrates the birthday of the monarch of the Commonwealth realms (presently Charles III), occurs in either May or June. It includes the British Trooping the Colour commemoration. The Dragon Boat Festival, observed in China and by the Chinese communities of Southeast Asia, may commence for one-day between late May and mid-June as the date is decided by the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar.

United Nations

The following are global holidays which are formally observed by the United Nations: *1 June: Global Day of Parents *3 June: World Bicycle Day *4 June: International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression *5 June: World Environment Day and International Day for the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing *6 June: UN Russian Language Day *7 June: World Food Safety Day *8 June: World Oceans Day *10 June: International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations *11 June: International Day of Play *12 June: World Day Against Child Labour *13 June: International Albinism Awareness Day *14 June: World Blood Donor Day *15 June: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day *16 June: International Day of Family Remittances *17 June: World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought *18 June: International Day for Countering Hate Speech and Sustainable Gastronomy Day *19 June: International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict *20 June: World Refugee Day *21 June: International Day of Yoga and International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice *23 June: United Nations Public Service Awards, United Nations Public Service Day and International Widows' Day *24 June: International Day of Women in Diplomacy *25 June: Day of the Seafarer *26 June: International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and International Day in Support of Victims of Torture *27 June: Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day *29 June: International Day of the Tropics *30 June: International Asteroid Day and International Day of Parliamentarism

Religious single-day observances

As Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the w:Paschal full moon, Paschal full moon, which is the first w:full moon, full moon on or after 21 March (a fixed approximation of the w:March equinox, March equinox), Ascension Day, observed 39 days after Easter, can occur in June. Pentecost is the fiftieth day after Easter Sunday, while Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost. The Catholic Church also observes the Feast of the Sacred Heart, which happens on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost. The Feast of Corpus Christi, observed by the Latin Church and certain Western Rite Orthodoxy, Western Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican churches, takes place on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. The feast of Saints Peter and Paul, a liturgical feast observed by numerous denominations, always occurs on 29 June. In Buddhism, Vesak (Buddha Day), the most significant Buddhist festival, occurs on 2 June in Singapore and on 3 June in Thailand as of 2024. Shavuot, one of the biblically-ordained Three Pilgrimage Festivals observed in Judaism, takes place during the month of Sivan in the Hebrew calendar, which corresponds to being between May and June in the Gregorian calendar. Islamic holidays are determined by the Islamic calendar, Hijri calendar (colloquially the Islamic calendar), a lunar calendar of 354 or 355 days; thus, Islamic observances do not align with those of the Gregorian calendar. This is the same for Hindu holidays, which are based on the Hindu calendar.

Other events

The quadrennial FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament and the most-watched sporting event on television, usually commences in June. The annual Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and widely regarded as the most prestigious, traditionally occurred on the last Monday in June. Glastonbury Festival, a major music festival in the United Kingdom, also takes place in June, attracting over 100,000 attendees.

People

June (given name), June is a female given name that can be given to a person born in June. In astrology, the Zodiac signs for people born between 21 May and 21 June is Gemini (astrology), Gemini (♊︎); for those born between 22 June and 22 July, their sign is Cancer (astrology), Cancer (♋︎). The birthstones associated with June in the United States are pearl, moonstone (gemstone), moonstone and alexandrite. The birth flowers of June are rose and honeysuckle.

Births

Che Guevara - Guerrillero Heroico by Alberto Korda

After Hans Holbein the Younger - Portrait of Henry VIII - Google Art Project

Noteworthy people born in June include: *1 June, 1st – Frank Whittle, English engineer and Royal Air Force air officer who invented the turbojet engine (1907). *8 June, 8th – Tim Berners-Lee, English computer scientist who invented the World Wide Web (1955). *9 June, 9th: **Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia (1640). **Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia, Tsar and later the first Emperor of all Russia (1627). *14 June, 14th – Che Guevara, Argentine Marxist revolutionary, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist; a major figure of the Cuban Revolution (1928). *17 June, 17th – Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (1882). *18 June, 18th – Paul McCartney, English singer, songwriter and musician, former member of the Beatles (1942). *19 June, 19th – José Rizal, Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath, a National hero of the Philippines, national hero (''pambansang bayani'') of the Philippines (1861). *24 June, 24th – Lionel Messi, Argentine footballer (1987). *28 June, 28th: **Henry VIII, King of England known for his wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and commencement of the English Reformation (1491). **Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Genevan philosopher influential in the Age of Enlightenment (1712). *29 June, 29th – Yusuf I of Granada, seventh Nasrid ruler of the Emirate of Granada who presided over its golden age (1318).

Deaths

Noteworthy people who died in June include: *1 June, 1st – Emperor Gaozu of Han, founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty of China (195 BC). *3 June, 3rd – William Harvey, English physician, first known to describe the circulatory system of the human body (1657). *4 June, 4th: **Antonio José de Sucre, Venezuelan general and politician, influential in the Spanish American wars of independence (1830). **Wilhelm II, final German Emperor and King of Prussia (1941). *8 June, 8th: **Andrew Jackson, American lawyer and general who served as the seventh president of the United States, president of the United States (1845). **Muhammad, Arab religious, social and political leader, founder of Islam (632). *9 June, 9th: **Nero, Roman emperor, last of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (AD 68). **Charles Dickens, English novelist, journalist, short story writer and social critic (1870). *10 June, 10th – Frederick Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor regarded as among the empire's greatest of the medieval era (1190). *10th or 11 June, 11th – Alexander the Great, King of Macedon, regarded as one of the greatest and most successful military commanders (323 BC). James Madison 1816

*14 June, 14th – Max Weber, German sociologist and historian, central figure in the development of sociology and the social sciences (1920). *17 June, 17th – Uthman, third caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate who ordered the official compilation of the Uthman's Quran, standardised version of the Quran (656). *18 June, 18th – Leo III the Isaurian, first Byzantine emperor of the Isaurian dynasty (741). *21 June, 21st: **Edward III of England, Edward III, King of England who restored royal authority (1377). **Niccolò Machiavelli, Florentine diplomat, author, philosopher and historian regarded as the father of modern political philosophy and political science (1527). *24 June, 24th – Hongwu Emperor, founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China (1398). *25 June, 25th – Michael Jackson, American singer, songwriter and dancer, among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time (2009). *27 June, 27th – Joseph Smith, American religious leader, founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement (1844). *28 June, 28th – James Madison, American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and fourth president of the United States (1836).