March 17
is the
76th day of the year in the
Gregorian Calendar (77th in
Leap years). There are 289 days remaining.
*
45 BC - In his last victory,
Julius Caesar defeats the
Pompeian forces of
Titus Labienus and
Pompey the Younger in the
Battle of Munda.
*
624 - A key victory by
Muhammad over his
Meccan adversaries in the
Battle of Badr.
*
1103 - Birth of noted
Song Dynasty general
Yue Fei.
*
1577 - The
Cathay Company is formed to send
Martin Frobisher back to the
New World for more
gold.
*
1673 -
Jacques Marquette and
Louis Jolliet begin their exploration of the
Great Lakes and the
Mississippi river.
*
1756 -
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in
New York City for the first time (at the
Crown and Thistle Tavern).
*
1776 -
American Revolution:
British forces evacuate
Boston, Massachusetts after
George Washington and
Henry Knox place
artillery overlooking the city.
*
1805 - The
Italian Republic, with
Napoleon as president, becomes the
Kingdom of Italy, with Napoleon as King.
*
1845 - The
rubber band is invented
*
1861 - The Kingdom of
Italy is proclaimed.
*
1886 -
Carrollton Massacre: 20
African Americans are killed in
Mississippi.
*
1891 - The British
steamship SS Utopia sinks off the coast of
Gibraltar, killing 574.
*
1901 - A showing of 71
Vincent van Gogh paintings in
Paris, 11 years after his death, creates a sensation.
*
1910 -
Luther Gulick and his wife Charlotte found Camp Fire Girls (now
Camp Fire USA) (formally announced in
1912).
*
1917 -
Delta Phi Epsilon was founded at
New York University Law School.
*
1921 - The
Second Republic of Poland adopts the
March Constitution.
*
1931 -
Nevada legalizes
gambling.
*
1939 -
Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945): The
Battle of Nanchang between the
Kuomintang and the
Japanese break out.
*
1941 - In
Washington, DC, the
National Gallery of Art is officially opened by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
*
1948 -
Benelux,
France, and the
United Kingdom sign the
Treaty of Brussels, a precursor to the
NATO Agreement.
*
1950 -
University of California, Berkeley researchers announce the creation of element 98, which they name "
Californium".
*
1958 - The
United States launches the
Vanguard 1 satellite.
*
1959 -
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th
Dalai Lama, flees
Tibet and travels to
India.
*
1966 - Off the coast of
Spain in the
Mediterranean, the
Alvin submarine finds a missing
American
hydrogen bomb.
*
1969 -
Golda Meir of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, becomes
Prime Minister of Israel.
*
1969 - The
Longhope lifeboat in
Scotland is lost, the entire crew of eight die
*
1970 -
My Lai massacre: The
United States Army charges 14 officers with suppressing information related to the incident.
*
1985 -
Serial killer Richard Ramirez, the "Night Stalker", commits his first two
murders in
Los Angeles, California murder spree.
*
1988 - A
Colombian
Boeing 727 jetliner,
Avianca Flight 410, crashes into the side of the mountains near the
Venezuelan border killing 143.
*
1992 - A suicide car-bomb kills 29 and injures 242 at the
Israeli embassy in
Buenos Aires,
Argentina.
*
1996 -
Club Kids Michael Alig and
Robert "Freeze" Riggs murder
Angel Melendez.
*
2002 -
WrestleMania X8 from
Skydome in Toronto*
2003 - British Cabinet Minister,
Robin Cook, resigns over government plans for
war with Iraq.
*
2004 - Massive
Unrest in Kosovo. Over 22 killed, 200 wounded, 35 destroyed
Serb Orthodox shrines in
Kosovo and two
mosques in
Belgrade and
Nis.
*
1231 -
Emperor Shijo of Japan (d.
1242)
*
1473 - King
James IV of Scotland (d.
1513)
*
1628 -
François Girardon, French sculptor (d.
1715)
*
1676 -
Thomas Boston, Scottish church leader (d.
1732)
*
1725 -
Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-born American military and political leader (d.
1806)
*
1777 -
Roger Brooke Taney, 5th
Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (d.
1864)
*
1780 -
Thomas Chalmers, Scottish pastor, social reformer, author, and scientist (d.
1847)
*
1804 -
Jim Bridger, American trapper and explorer (d.
1881)
*
1820 -
Jean Ingelow, English poet (d.
1897)
*
1834 -
Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and inventor (d.
1900)
*
1846 -
Kate Greenaway, English children's author and illustrator (d.
1901)
*
1856 -
Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter (d.
1910)
*
1862 -
Silvio Gesell, Belgian economist (d.
1930)
*
1866 -
Pierce Butler, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1939)
*
1870 -
Horace Donisthorpe, British entomologist (d.
1951)
*
1880 - Sir
Patrick Hastings, British barrister (d.
1952)
*
1881 -
Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss physiologist,
Nobel Prize laureate (d.
1973)
*
1883 -
Urmuz, Romanian writer (d.
1923)
*
1884 -
Alcide Nunez, American jazz clarinetist (d.
1934)
*
1892 -
Benjamin Drake Van Wissen, Australian Engineer.
*
1894 -
Paul Green, American writer (d.
1981)
*
1901 -
Alfred Newman, American film composer (d.
1970)
*
1902 -
Bobby Jones, American golfer (d.
1971)
*
1907 -
Sonny Werblin, former owner of the
New York Jets (d.
1991)
*
1908 -
Brigitte Helm, German actress (d.
1996)
*
1912 -
Bayard Rustin, American civil rights activist (d.
1987)
*
1914 -
Sammy Baugh, American football player
*
1916 -
Ray Ellington, British singer (d.
1985)
*
1919 -
Nat King Cole, American singer (d.
1965)
*
1920 -
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,
Prime Minister of Bangladesh (d.
1975)
*
1926 -
Siegfried Lenz, German writer
*
1930 -
James Irwin, astronaut (d.
1991)
*
1936 -
Ladislav Kupkovic, Slovakian composer
* 1936 -
Ken Mattingly, astronaut
*
1938 -
Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-born dancer and choreographer (d.
1993)
* 1938 -
Keith Michael Patrick Cardinal O'Brien, Northern Irish clergyman
*
1939 -
Jim Gary, American sculptor (d.
2006)
*
1940 -
Mark White, American politician
*
1941 -
Paul Kantner, American musician (
Jefferson Airplane)
*
1942 -
John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer (d.
1994)
*
1944 -
Pattie Boyd, British photographer and model
* 1944 -
Cito Gaston, baseball player and coach
* 1944 -
John Sebastian, American singer and songwriter
*
1945 -
Elis Regina, Brazilian singer (d.
1982)
* 1945 -
Katri Helena, Finnish singer
*
1947 -
James Morrow, author
*
1948 -
William Gibson, American-born writer
*
1949 -
Patrick Duffy, American actor
* 1949 -
Pat Rice, Northern Irish footballer and football manager
*
1950 -
Patrick Adams, American record producer and songwriter
*
1951 -
Donald Findlay, Scottish Lawyer
* 1951 -
Kurt Russell, American actor
*
1953 -
Filemon Lagman, Filipino communist revolutionary (d.
2001)
*
1954 -
Lesley-Anne Down, English actress
*
1955 -
Gary Sinise, American actor
*
1956 -
Patrick McDonnell, American cartoonist
*
1957 -
Mal Donaghy, Northern Irish footballer
* 1957 -
Michael Kelly, American journalist (d.
2003)
*
1959 -
Danny Ainge, American basketball player and coach
*
1961 -
Casey Siemaszko, American actor
*
1962 -
Clare Grogan, Scottish actress-singer
*
1963 -
Nick Peros, Canadian composer
*
1964 -
Rob Lowe, American actor
* 1964 -
Lee Dixon, English footballer
*
1967 -
Billy Corgan, American musician
* 1967 -
Barry Minkow, American businessman
*
1969 -
Mathew St. Patrick, American actor
*
1970 -
Yanic Truesdale, Canadian actor
*
1971 -
Bill Mueller, baseball player
*
1972 -
Mia Hamm, American soccer player
* 1972 -
Melissa Auf der Maur, Canadian rock musician
* 1972 -
Marc Gunn, poet, podcaster, and Celtic musician (
Brobdingnagian Bards)
*
1973 -
Caroline Corr, Irish singer and musician
* 1973 -
Rico Blanco, Filipino singer (
Rivermaya)
*
1975 -
Justin Hawkins, British singer (
The Darkness)
* 1975 -
Andrew "Test" Martin, Canadian professional wrestler
*
1976 -
Stephen Gately, Irish singer, musician, and actor (
Boyzone)
*
1979 -
Andrew Ference, Canadian hockey player
*
1979 -
Samoa Joe, American [[ROH World Heavyweight
Championship|World Champion]]
*
45 BC -
Titus Labienus, Roman leader (in battle)
* 45 BC -
Gnaeus Pompeius, the Younger, Roman general (executed)
*
180 -
Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (b.
121)
*
493 -
Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland
*
1040 -
Harold Harefoot,
King of England*
1058 - King
Lulach I of Scotland*
1272 -
Emperor Go-Saga of Japan (b.
1220)
*
1425 -
Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Japanese shogun (b.
1407)
*
1516 -
Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence (b.
1478)
*
1565 -
Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian (b.
1500)
*
1620 -
St. John Sarkander,
Moravian priest, died of injuries caused by
torturing*
1640 -
Philip Massinger, English dramatist (b.
1583)
*
1680 -
François de La Rochefoucauld, French writer (b.
1613)
*
1704 -
Menno van Coehoorn, Dutch military engineer (b.
1641)
*
1715 -
Gilbert Burnet, Scottish Bishop of Salisbury (b.
1643)
*
1741 -
Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet (b.
1671)
*
1764 -
George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield, English astronomer
*
1782 -
Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-born mathematician (b.
1700)
*
1830 -
Laurent, Marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French marshal (b.
1764)
*
1846 -
Friedrich Bessel, German mathematician and astronomer (b.
1784)
*
1849 -
William II of the Netherlands (b.
1792)
*
1853 -
Christian Doppler, Austrian physician and mathematician (b.
1803)
*
1875 -
Ferdinand Laub, Czech violinist (b.
1832)
*
1893 -
Jules Ferry, French statesman (b.
1832)
*
1917 -
Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (b.
1838)
*
1926 -
Aleksei Brusilov, Russian general (b.
1853)
*
1937 -
Austen Chamberlain, English statesman, recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize (b.
1863)
*
1949 -
Aleksandra Ekster, Russian painter (b.
1882)
*
1956 -
Fred Allen, American actor and comedian (b.
1894)
* 1956 -
Irene Joliot-Curie, French physicist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b.
1897)
*
1957 -
Ramon Magsaysay,
President of the Philippines (b.
1907)
*
1965 -
Amos Alonzo Stagg, baseball, basketball, and football coach and player (b.
1862)
*
1974 -
Louis Kahn, American architect
*
1976 -
Luchino Visconti, Italian director (b.
1906)
*
1981 -
Paul Dean, baseball player (b.
1913)
*
1983 -
Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1903)
*
1987 -
Santo Trafficante, Jr., American gangster (b.
1914)
*
1989 -
Merritt Butrick, American actor (b.
1959)
*
1990 -
Capucine, French actress (b.
1931)
*
1993 -
Helen Hayes, American actress (b.
1900)
*
1995 -
Ronnie Kray, British gangster (b.
1933)
*
1999 -
Ernest Gold, Austrian composer (b.
1921)
* 1999 -
Rod Hull, British comedian (b.
1936)
*
2002 -
Rosetta LeNoire, American actress and producer (b.
1911)
* 2002 -
Pat Weaver, American broadcast executive (b.
1908)
*
2004 -
J.J. Jackson, American television personality (b.
1941)
*
2005 -
George F. Kennan, American Cold War strategist and historian (b.
1904)
* 2005 -
Andre Norton, American writer (b.
1912)
*
2006 -
Bob Blue, American singer-songwriter
* 2006 -
Oleg Cassini, American fashion designer (b.
1913)
* 2006 -
Ray Meyer, American basketball coach (b.
1913)
*Ancient
Latvia -
Kustonu Diena (return of the larks) observed
*
Feast day of
St Patrick: a public holiday in
Ireland (National feast) and
Montserrat, widely celebrated in North America and worldwide (see
St. Patrick's Day)
*
Boston, Massachusetts -
Evacuation Day*
Ancient Rome - the second day of the
Bacchanalia in honor of
Bacchus*
Ancient Rome - the
Liberalia in honor of
Liber Other liturgical feasts
*
St. Agricola*
St. Joseph of Arimathea*
BBC: On This Day*
The New York Times: On This Day*
On This Day in CanadaMarch 16 -
March 18 -
February 17 -
April 17 --
listing of all days
