Sic Semper Tyrannis

Apart from serving as emperors, one more thing they had in common was the fact that they had 31-day calendar months named after them. The original version of the Latin expression is attributed to the assassination of Julius Caesar, while the shorter revised version is credited to an American stage actor named John Wilkes Booth following the 1865 assassination of Abraham Lincoln, who served as the 16th president of the United States of America.

Closely linked to the two Latin expressions is another phrase that was popularised by Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the US, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.” Franklin had wanted this expression to form part of the Union’s principal symbol, the Seal of the US. Had Franklin been endowed with unchallengeable powers, alongside the phrase, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God,” this venerated symbol would have the image of the biblical prophet Moses pointing at the Red Sea, causing the waters to swallow the Pharoah who had persecuted ancient Israelites.