U.S. Suffers From Another Week Of Record Breaking Heat

As we head into another record breaking week of heat across the United States, have you ever wondered where the term “the dog days of summer” originated?

The dog days of summer refers to the end of July, when the hottest days of the summer start. The Romans called this period “dies caniculares” or “days of the dog star.” Later on, these saying were translated to “dog days.”

This phrase comes from Romans and Greeks who used the Sirius star to keep track of seasons. They believed that because the star was so bright it made the sun hotter, and that caused the earth to be warmer.