March 17 is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 289 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
- 45 BC - In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
- 180 - Marcus Aurelius dies. Commodus is now the only emperor of the Roman Empire.
- 1337 - Edward, the Black Prince is made Duke of Cornwall, the first Duchy made in England.
- 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 patented.
- 1861 - The Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946) is proclaimed.
- 1901 - A showing of seventy-one Vincent van Gogh paintings in Paris, 11 years after his death, creates a sensation.
- 1906 - The Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity is founded at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
- 1910 - Luther Gulick and his wife Charlotte found Camp Fire Girls (now Camp Fire USA) (formally announced in 1912).
- 1913 - The Uruguayan Air Force is founded.
- 1917 - Delta Phi Epsilon is founded at New York University Law School.
- 1921 - The Second Republic of Poland adopts the March Constitution.
- 1939 - Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945): The Battle of Nanchang between the Kuomintang and the Japanese breaks out.
- 1941 - In Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- 1942 - Holocaust: The first Jews from the Lviv Ghetto (western Ukraine) are gassed at the Belzec death camp (eastern Poland).
- 1945 - The Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany collapses, ten days after its capture.
- 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".
- 1957 - A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines kills Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.
- 1958 - The United States launches the Vanguard 1 satellite.
- 1959 - Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, flees Tibet for India.
- 1960 - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
- 1966 - Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, the Alvin submarine finds a missing American hydrogen bomb.
- 1969 - Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.
- 1970 - My Lai massacre: The United States Army charges 14 officers with suppressing information related to the incident.
- 1973 - The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Burst of Joy is taken, depicting a former prisoner of war being reunited with his family.
- 1975 - The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad enter third and final bankruptcy, and William M. Gibbons selected as receiver and trustee for the railroad.
- 1979 - The Penmanshiel Tunnel collapses during engineering works, killing two workers.
- 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 a mountainside near the Venezuelan border killing 143.
- 1988 - Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.
- 1992 - A suicide car-bomb kills 29 and injures 242 at the Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- 2000 - The 800+ deaths of members of the Ugandan cult Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God is considered to be a mass murder and suicide orchestrated by leaders of the cult.
- 2003 - British Cabinet Minister Robin Cook, resigns over government plans for the war with Iraq.
- 2004 - Unrest in Kosovo results in more than 22 killed, 200 wounded, and the destruction of 35 Serb Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Belgrade and Nis.
- 2008 - New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns after a scandal involving a high-end prostitute. David Paterson becomes acting New York State governor.
Births
- 1231 - Emperor Shijō 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)
- 1781 - Ebenezer Elliott, British Poet. Know as the "Corn Law Rhymer'" (d. 1849)
- 1787 - Edmund Kean, English actor (d. 1833)
- 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)
- 1864 - Joseph Baptista, Indian Home Rule Movement founder (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)
- 1880 - Lawrence Oates, English army officer and Antarctic explorer (d. 1912)
- 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)
- 1886 - Princess Patricia of Connaught, British princess (d. 1974)
- 1888 - Paul Ramadier, French politician (d. 1961)
- 1892 - Benjamin Drake Van Wissen, Australian Engineer (d. 1984)
- 1894 - Paul Green, American writer (d. 1981)
- 1897 - Jozef C. Mazur, American stained glass artist and painter (d. 1970)
- 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
- 1915 - Henry Bumstead, American art director (d. 2006)
- 1916 - Ray Ellington, British singer (d. 1985)
- 1919 - Nat King Cole, American singer (d. 1965)
- 1922 - Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Founding Leader of Bangladesh (d. 1975)
- 1925 - Gabriele Ferzetti, Italian film and stage actor
- 1926 - Siegfried Lenz, German writer
- 1928 - William John McKeag, Canadian politician (d. 2007)
- 1930 - James Irwin, American astronaut (d. 1991)
- 1931 - David Peakall, British scientist (d. 2001)
- 1932 - Donald N. Langenberg, American physicist
- 1936 - Ladislav Kupkovic, Slovakian composer
- 1936 - Ken Mattingly, American astronaut
- 1937 - Rudy Ray Moore, American comedian and actor (Dolemite) (d. 2008)
- 1937 - Adam Wade, American singer and actor
- 1938 - Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-born dancer and choreographer (d. 1993)
- 1938 - Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien, Northern Irish clergyman
- 1938 - Zola Taylor, American singer (The Platters) (d. 2007)
- 1939 - Jim Gary, American sculptor (d. 2006)
- 1939 - Robin Knox-Johnston, British Yachtsman
- 1940 - Mark White, American politician
- 1941 - Paul Kantner, American musician (Jefferson Airplane)
- 1941 - Wang Jin-pyng, Taiwanese politician
- 1942 - John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer (d. 1994)
- 1942 - Dimitris Poulikakos, Greek composer, singer and actor
- 1944 - Pattie Boyd, British photographer and model
- 1944 - Cito Gaston, American baseball player and manager
- 1944 - John Sebastian, American singer and songwriter
- 1945 - Elis Regina, Brazilian singer (d. 1982)
- 1945 - Michael Hayden, General USAF, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
- 1945 - Katri Helena, Finnish singer
- 1947 - James Morrow, American author
- 1947 - Jan Andersson, Swedish politician
- 1947 - Yury Chernavsky, Russian-born Composer and Producer
- 1948 - William Gibson, American writer
- 1948 - Alex MacDonald, Scottish Footballer and football manager
- 1949 - Patrick Duffy, American actor
- 1949 - Pat Rice, Northern Irish footballer and football manager
- 1949 - Daniel Lavoie, French Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1950 - Patrick Adams, American record producer and songwriter
- 1951 - Donald Findlay, Scottish lawyer
- 1951 - Scott Gorham, American musician (Thin Lizzy)
- 1951 - Kurt Russell, American actor
- 1951 - Craig Ramsay, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1952 - Nikos Xydakis, Greek musician and composer
- 1953 - Filemon Lagman, Filipino communist revolutionary (d. 2001)
- 1953 - Chuck Muncie, American former football running back
- 1954 - Lesley-Anne Down, English actress
- 1955 - Gary Sinise, American actor
- 1955 - Cynthia McKinney, American politician
- 1956 - Patrick McDonnell, American cartoonist
- 1957 - Mal Donaghy, Northern Irish footballer
- 1957 - Michael Kelly, American journalist (d. 2003)
- 1958 - Pat Bolland, Canadian Broadcaster
- 1959 - Danny Ainge, American basketball player and coach
- 1959 - Paul Black, American rock singer
- 1959 - Christian Clemenson, American actor
- 1960 - Arye Gross, American actor
- 1961 - Casey Siemaszko, American actor
- 1961 - Dana Reeve, American actress and activist (d. 2006)
- 1961 - Andrew Paul, English actor
- 1962 - Clare Grogan, Scottish actress-singer
- 1962 - Ank Bijleveld-Schouten, Dutch politician
- 1963 - Nick Peros, Canadian composer
- 1963 - Alex Fong Chung-Sun, Chinese actor
- 1964 - Rob Lowe, American actor
- 1964 - Lee Dixon, English footballer
- 1964 - Jacques Songo'o, Cameroonian footballer
- 1966 - Jeremy Sheffield, English actor
- 1967 - Billy Corgan, American musician (Smashing Pumpkins)
- 1967 - Barry Minkow, American religious leader and ex-convict (fraud)
- 1969 - Mathew St. Patrick, American actor
- 1969 - Alexander McQueen, British fashion designer
- 1970 - Gene Ween, American Musician (Ween)
- 1970 - Yanic Truesdale, Canadian actor
- 1971 - Bill Mueller, American baseball player
- 1972 - Melissa Auf der Maur, Canadian musician
- 1972 - Marc Gunn, poet, podcaster, and Celtic musician (Brobdingnagian Bards)
- 1972 - Mia Hamm, American soccer player
- 1973 - Rico Blanco, Filipino singer (Rivermaya)
- 1973 - Caroline Corr, Irish singer and musician
- 1973 - Vance Wilson, American baseball player
- 1973 - Jerome Woods, American Football player for the Kansas City Chiefs
- 1974 - Marisa Coughlan, American actress
- 1974 - Mark Dolan, TV show host
- 1975 - Justin Hawkins, British singer (The Darkness)
- 1975 - Andrew "Test" Martin, Canadian professional wrestler
- 1975 - Natalie Zea, American actress
- 1976 - Stephen Gately, Irish singer, musician, and actor (Boyzone)
- 1976 - Brittany Daniel, American actress
- 1976 - Cynthia Daniel, American actress and photographer
- 1976 - Álvaro Recoba, Uruguayan footballer
- 1976 - Scott Downs, American baseball player
- 1978 - Adam Jennings, British actor, producer and film director
- 1979 - Nicole "Coco" Austin, American glamor model
- 1979 - Andrew Ference, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 - Samoa Joe, Samoan professional wrestler
- 1979 - Stormy Daniels, American pornographic actress
- 1979 - Sharman Joshi, Indian actor
- 1980 - Danny Califf, American soccer player
- 1981 - Kyle Korver, American Basketball Player
- 1981 - Servet Çetin, Turkish Football Player
- 1981 - Aaron Baddeley, Australian golfer
- 1982 - Steven Pienaar, South African footballer
- 1986 - Olesya Rulin, American actress
Deaths
- 45 BC - Titus Labienus, Roman leader
- 180 - Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (b. 121)
- 461 or 493 - Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland
- 659 - Gertrude of Nivelles, Belgian abbess
- 1040 - Harold Harefoot, King of England
- 1058 - King Lulach I of Scotland
- 1199 - Jocelin, bishop of Glasgow
- 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)
- 1640 - Philip Massinger, English dramatist (b. 1583)
- 1649 - Gabriel Lallemant, French Jesuit missionary, one of the Canadian Martyrs (b. 1610)
- 1680 - François de La Rochefoucauld, French writer (b. 1613)
- 1704 - Menno van Coehoorn, Dutch military engineer (b. 1641)
- 1713 - Juraj Jánošík, famous Slovak outlaw [b. 1688)
- 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)
- 1912 - Lawrence Oates, English army officer and Antarctic explorer (b. 1880)
- 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)
- 1941 - Marguerite Nichols, American actress (b. 1895)
- 1946 - Dai Li, Chinese spymaster (b. 1897)
- 1949 - Aleksandra Ekster, Russian painter (b. 1882)
- 1956 - Fred Allen, American actor and comedian (b. 1894)
- 1956 - Irene Joliot-Curie, French physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1897)
- 1957 - Ramon Magsaysay, President of the Philippines (b. 1907)
- 1961 - Susanna M. Salter, Mayor of Argonia, Kansas (b. 1860)
- 1965 - Amos Alonzo Stagg, American football coach, player, and innovator (b. 1862)
- 1974 - Louis Kahn, American architect
- 1976 - Luchino Visconti, Italian director (b. 1906)
- 1981 - Paul Dean, American baseball player (b. 1913)
- 1983 - Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1903)
- 1987 - Santo Trafficante, Jr., American gangster (b. 1914)
- 1988 - Nikolas Asimos, Greek counter-culture composer and singer (b. 1949)
- 1989 - Merritt Butrick, American actor (b. 1959)
- 1990 - Capucine, French actress (b. 1931)
- 1990 - Ric Grech, British bass player (Blind Faith - Traffic) (b. 1946)
- 1992 - Grace Stafford, American actress (b. 1903)
- 1993 - Helen Hayes, American actress (b. 1900)
- 1994 - Mai Zetterling, Swedish actress and director (b. 1925)
- 1995 - Ronnie Kray, British gangster (b. 1933)
- 1995 - Rick Aviles, American actor (b. 1952)
- 1996 - René Clément, French film director and screenwriter (b. 1913)
- 1996 - Terry Stafford, American singer (b. 1941)
- 1999 - Ernest Gold, Austrian composer (b. 1921)
- 1999 - Rod Hull, British comedian (b. 1936)
- 2002 - Rosetta LeNoire, American actress (b. 1911)
- 2002 - Pat Weaver, American broadcast executive (b. 1908)
- 2003 - Su Buqing, Chinese mathematician and educator (b. 1902)
- 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 (b. 1948)
- 2006 - Oleg Cassini, American fashion designer (b. 1913)
- 2006 - Ray Meyer, American basketball coach (b. 1913)
- 2006 - Bob Papenbrook, American voice actor (b. 1955)
- 2007 - John Backus, American computer scientist (b. 1924)
- 2007 - Roger Bennett, American Southern Gospel performer (b. 1959)
- 2007 - Jim Cronin, Animal welfare campaigner and founder of Monkey World in Dorset, England. (b. 1951)
- 2008 - Roland Arnall, U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands (b. 1939)
Holidays and observances
External links
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