[PHP-DB] php mysql dates

[Irm Jr]

 
Hi all, currently I have a form which prompts for the user to choose a
date.  The dropdown lists are stored into variables:
 
$month        //e.g. January, February, ...
$day           //e.g 1 - 31
$year          //e.g. 2004 (four digits)
 
then combined into 
 
$articleDate
 
How can I manipulate this variable to be in such a format that I can
insert the information into a DATE column in a mySQL database.
 
Dates are a bit of a mystery to me as PHP and MySQL handle them
differently.  Your help is appreciated. 
 
Thanks