February 2021 Newsletter

February 14, 2021

February Newsletter

Fun Facts about February

February is the shortest month of the year (even in leap years, when it has 29 days instead of 28), but there’s no shortage of interesting facts about it. From weird holidays to astronomical oddities, this month has a bit of everything.

So with a nod to what February is perhaps best known for-Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14-here are 14 things we bet you didn’t know about the second month of the year.

February (do you see that extra “r”?) is one of the most frequently misspelled words in the English language. In 2015, even the White House press office got it wrong-several times over the course of the month.
For more than 40 years, February has been Black History Month. The precursor to Black History Month, however, is a lot older. Black leaders in 1926 dedicated the second week in February to the recognizing the history of African-Americans-a week chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14).
It’s the month for a lot of other causes, too. February also marks American Heart Month, along with some other “months” you might not recognize: Canned Food Month, Grapefruit Month, Hot Breakfast Month, and our favorite, Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month.
February got its start as a spring-cleaning festival. Well, kind of. It’s named after one: “Februa” was an early Roman festival and cleansing ritual held on Feb. 15.
It’s the only month that can pass without having a full moon. That doesn’t mean February never has a full moon-it usually does, as a matter of fact. The last time it didn’t was 2018.
Groundhog Day-Feb. 2-is based on a German superstition. In Germany, though, it’s not a groundhog that forecasts either an early spring or a longer winter: It’s a badger.
Febuary is the only month that gets longer every four years. Sure, everybody knows about leap years, and most know why we have them. But did you know that every so often, we need a “leap second,” too? This is typically added to Coordinated Universal Time in June or December, because of irregularities in our planet’s rotation.
The odds of being born on Feb. 29 are about 1 in 1,461. If you’re born on a leap day, you’re typically known as a “leaper” or “leapling.” And depending on where you live, Feb. 28 or March 1 is considered your birthday in non-leap years.
We misspelled “February” in item No. 7. Did you catch it?
Valentine’s Day did not start on a romantic note. According to historians, the day now synonymous with “love” probably began as a pagan fertility festival in ancient Rome.
And maybe it’s more commercial than romantic now, anyway. It’s estimated that Americans spend more than $18 billion on gifts, chocolate and more for Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day isn’t just about humans, either. Almost 9 million people in the U.S. buy their dogs gifts or cards for Valentine’s Day.
The first Sunday in February is Super Bowl Sunday (at least for the foreseeable future). It wasn’t always that way-until 2001, the game was played in January. But we’d say that’s a pretty good way to kick off a month.
Speaking of that, February is National Snack Food Month as well. Way before the Super Bowl took over the first weekend of February, the month was pretty slow for snack sales-and National Snack Food Month was born. We’re guessing sales are up a little bit now.

Meet Banjo

Did you know that February 20th is Love Your Pet Day? We at Apollo Insurance Services really love our pets and we thought in honor of this day, we would highlight one of our furry friends, Banjo, who belongs to Anna Franks.

Banjo is a 3 year old cockapoo which is a cocker spaniel and mini poodle mix. They are a hypo-allergenic bred and don’t shed. Banjo was born in Ohio in the Amish country. When he was born he was a chocolate brown but every year he turns lighter and lighter.

Banjo goes from 0 to 100 about as quickly as a Ferrari, he loves to play fetch, take long walks on the beach and co-pilot during car rides by sitting in the middle console. He also loves to grab things he’s not supposed to have to play “keep away” and Anna has to chase him around the house. His breed is nicknamed the clown breed so that explains a lot.

Besides being Anna’s best friend, Banjo is very snuggly and even loves to cuddle with family and friends. Banjo wants everyone to make sure that you love your pets every day and buy them lots of treats!

Anna has pet insurance in case Banjo gets hurt or sick, because love can’t pay the bills. You may want to consider it for your furry friend. Click here for more information.

Driving Safely in the Rain

The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that more than 20 percent of accidents in the country are caused by poor weather conditions. And over 400,000 people, on average, are injured in weather-related crashes each year. Specific weather conditions require specific responses. In California, during the month of February, you’re most likely to find yourself caught driving in rain.

With wet streets, the chances that your vehicle hydroplanes are pretty good. It doesn’t take a lot of water or high speed to cause your car to hydroplane. In fact, your tires can lose contact with the road when driving 35 mph in as little as one-tenth of an inch of water.

Hydroplaning feels like your vehicle is floating or going in a direction that you can’t control. If you have ever experienced hydroplaning while driving, you know it can be a scary situation because you have little control over your vehicle.
Safety tips for driving in rain include turning on your car’s running lights. If the rain is heavy, turn on your low beams. This will increase the chances that you will be seen by other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.

During wet weather, road surfaces are most slippery immediately after the rain begins to fall. This is because the oil and grease on the wet pavement have not yet been washed away. Driving on a road covered with oil and water can be like driving on ice. You should turn off your cruise control, reduce your speed, use extra caution and allow twice the normal following distance. You can prevent skids by driving slowly, especially on curves.

Follow these additional safe driving tips when driving in rain:
• Steer and brake with a light touch.
• When you need to stop or slow, do not brake hard or lock the wheels and risk a skid. Maintain mild pressure on the brake pedal

If you do find yourself in a skid:
•             Remain calm,
•             Ease your foot off the gas, apply the brakes, and
•             Steer in the direction you want the front of the car to go. This is called “steering into the skid”.

Your friends at Apollo Insurance Services hope you have safe travels!

We here at Apollo Insurance Services love our customers. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to protect what’s essential in your life. We hope you enjoy the day of love with someone you love doing what you love most.