March 15
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March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). There are 291 days remaining.
In the Roman calendar March 15 was known as the Ides of March.
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Events
- 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Decimus Junius Brutus and several other Roman senators on the Ides of March.
- 221 - Liu Bei, a Chinese warlord and member of the Han royal house, declares himself emperor of Shu-Han, claiming his legitimate succession to the Han dynasty.
- 351 - Constantius II elevates his cousin Gallus to Caesar, and puts him in charge of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire.
- 1311 - Battle of Halmyros: The Catalan Company defeats Walter V of Brienne to take control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader state in Greece.
- 1493 - Christopher Columbus returns to Spain after his first trip to the Americas.
- 1545 - First meeting of the Council of Trent.
- 1672 - Charles II of England issues the Royal Declaration of Indulgence.
- 1781 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Guilford Courthouse - Near present-day Greensboro, North Carolina, 1,900 British troops under General Charles Cornwallis defeat an American force numbering 4,400.
- 1783 - In an emotional speech in Newburgh, New York, George Washington asks his officers not to support the Newburgh Conspiracy. The plea is successful and the threatened coup d'etat never takes place.
- 1820 - Maine becomes the 23rd U.S. state.
- 1827 - The University of Toronto is chartered.
- 1848 - Revolution breaks out in Pest. The Habsburg rulers are compelled to meet the demands of the Reform party.
- 1873 - Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity is founded at Massachusetts Agricultural College
- 1877 - The first Test cricket match begins, between England and Australia.
- 1892 - Liverpool Football Club founded by John Houlding
- 1906 - Rolls-Royce Ltd. is registered.
- 1909 - Selfridges department store opens in London.
- 1916 - President Woodrow Wilson sends 12,000 United States troops over the U.S.-Mexico border to pursue Pancho Villa.
- 1917 - Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates himself and his son from the Russian throne and his brother the Grand Duke becomes Tsar.
- 1919 - The American Legion forms in Paris.
- 1922 - After Egypt gains nominal independence from the United Kingdom, Fuad I becomes King of Egypt.
- 1939 - World War II: Nazi troops occupy the remaining part of Bohemia and Moravia; Czechoslovakia ceases to exist.
- 1943 - World War II: Third Battle of Kharkov - the Germans retook the city of Kharkov from the Soviet armies in bitter street fighting.
- 1944 - World War II: Battle of Monte Cassino - Allied aircraft bomb the Nazi-held monastery and stage an assault.
- 1952 - In Cilaos, Réunion, 73 inches (1,870mm) of rain falls in one day, setting a new world record.
- 1953 - World contact day
- 1956 - The Broadway musical My Fair Lady opens in New York City.
- 1961 - South Africa withdraws from the Commonwealth of Nations.
- 1963 - Victor Feguer, a Federal prisoner, is put to death at the Fort Madison, Iowa prison. This would be the last execution of a Federal prisoner until the execution of Timothy McVeigh in 2001.
- 1965 - President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to Selma crisis, tells U.S. Congress "We shall overcome" while advocating the Voting Rights Act.
- 1970 - The Expo '70 world's fair opens in Osaka, Japan.
- 1988 - Publication of Marvin Minsky's Society of Mind theory.
- 1988 - The Halabja poison gas attack of the Iran-Iraq War begins.
- 1989 - The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is established.
- 1990 - Gulf War: Iraq hangs British journalist Farzad Bazoft for spying.
- 1990 - Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first executive president of the Soviet Union.
- 1990 - The Soviet Union announces that Lithuania's declaration of independence is invalid.
- 1990 - The ethnic clashes of Târgu Mureş begin on the anniversary of the Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas.
- 1991 - Germany formally regains complete independence after the four post-World War II occupying powers (France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union) relinquish all remaining rights.
- 1998 - Titanic defeats Star Wars for the #1 place in the North American domestic box office, grossing $471 million.
- 2003 - Hu Jintao takes over presidency for the People's Republic of China.
- 2004 - Announcement of the discovery of 90377 Sedna, the farthest natural object in the Solar system so far observed.
Births
- 1455 - Pietro Accolti, Italian Catholic cardinal (d. 1532)
- 1591 - Alexandre de Rhodes, French Jesuit missionary (d. 1660)
- 1638 - Shunzhi Emperor of China
- 1666 - George Bähr, German architect (d. 1738)
- 1684 - Francesco Durante, Italian composer (d. 1755)
- 1713 - Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, French astronomer (d. 1762)
- 1767 - Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States (d. 1845)
- 1779 - Lord Melbourne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, (d. 1848)
- 1813 - John Snow, English physician (d. 1858)
- 1830 - Paul Heyse, German writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1914)
- 1830 - Élisée Reclus, French geographer and anarchist (d. 1905)
- 1835 - Eduard Strauss, Austrian composer (d. 1916)
- 1854 - Emil Adolf von Behring, German physician; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1917)
- 1865 - Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian composer (d. 1935)
- 1882 - Jim Lightbody, American runner (d. 1953)
- 1890 - Boris Nikolaevich Delaunay, Russian mathematician (d. 1980)
- 1897 - Jackson Scholz, American runner (d. 1986)
- 1905 - Berthold Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg, German lawyer and Nazi opponent (d. 1944)
- 1907 - Zarah Leander, Swedish actress and singer (d. 1981)
- 1912 - Lightnin' Hopkins, American musician (d. 1982)
- 1913 - MacDonald Carey, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1913 - Lew Wasserman, American Hollywood agent and studio executive (d. 2002)
- 1914 - Aniello Dellacroce, American gangster (d. 1985)
- 1915 - Joe E. Ross, American actor and comedian (d. 1982)
- 1916 - Harry James, American musician and band leader (d. 1983)
- 1918 - Richard Ellmann, American biographer (d. 1987)
- 1919 - Lawrence Tierney, American actor (d. 2002)
- 1920 - Lawrence Sanders, American novelist (d. 1998)
- 1920 - E. Donnall Thomas, American physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- 1924 - Walter Gotell, German actor (d. 1997)
- 1926 - Norm Van Brocklin, American football player (d. 1983)
- 1927 - Stanisław Kania, Polish politician
- 1927 - Carl Smith, American singer
- 1930 - Zhores Ivanovich Alferov, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1932 - Alan Bean, American astronaut
- 1933 - Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
- 1934 - Aldo Giorgini, Italian artist
- 1935 - Judd Hirsch, American actor
- 1935 - Jimmy Swaggart, American televangelist
- 1936 - Howard Greenfield, American songwriter (d. 1986)
- 1940 - Phil Lesh, American musician (Grateful Dead)
- 1941 - Mike Love, American musician (The Beach Boys)
- 1943 - David Cronenberg, Canadian film director
- 1944 - Sly Stone, American musician
- 1945 - Mark J. Green, American lawyer, author, and public official
- 1946 - Bobby Bonds, American baseball player (d. 2003)
- 1947 - Ry Cooder, American guitarist
- 1948 - Sérgio Vieira de Mello, Brazilian diplomat (d. 2003)
- 1948 - Kate Bornstein (born Albert Bornstein), American transgender author and gender theorist
- 1950 - Jørgen Olsen, Danish singer and Eurovision Song Contest winner
- 1954 - Craig Wasson, American actor
- 1955 - Dee Snider, American singer
- 1956 - Clay Matthews, American football player
- 1957 - Park Overall, American actress
- 1957 - David Silverman, American animator (The Simpsons)
- 1959 - Harold Baines, American baseball player
- 1959 - Fabio Lanzoni, Italian model
- 1959 - Lisa Holton, American writer
- 1961 - Ervin Nemeth, Hungarian educator, author, and translator
- 1962 - Sananda Maitreya (formerly Terence Trent D'Arby), American-born singer
- 1963 - Bret Michaels, American musician (Poison)
- 1967 - Naoko Takeuchi, Japanese artist
- 1968 - Kahimi Karie, Japanese singer
- 1968 - Mark McGrath, American musician (Sugar Ray)
- 1968 - Sabrina Salerno, Italian singer
- 1969 - Rona Ambrose, Canadian politician
- 1970 - Derek Parra, American speed skater
- 1971 - Penny Lancaster, English model and celebrity
- 1972 - Mark Hoppus, American musician (+44, blink-182)
- 1974 - Robert Fick, American baseball player
- 1975 - Eva Longoria, American actress
- 1975 - Will.i.am, American hip-hop musician
- 1975 - Veselin Topalov, Bulgarian chess player
- 1975 - Darcy Tucker, Canadian Hockey Player
- 1976 - Jennifer 8. Lee, American journalist
- 1976 - Jose Sanchez Zolliker, Mexican Writter and Freemason
- 1977 - Joe Hahn, American musician (Linkin Park)
- 1978 - Takeru Kobayashi, Japanese competitive eater
- 1978 - Sid Wilson, American musician (Slipknot)
- 1981 - Mikael Forssell, Finnish footballer
- 1981 - Young Buck, American rapper
- 1982 - Emily Kennard, American actress
- 1983 - Sean Biggerstaff, Scottish actor
- 1985 - Antti Autti, Finnish snowboarder
- 1986 - Rob Sanderson, American journalist/performer
- 1989 - Caitlin Wachs, American actress
- 1992 - Sosie Bacon, American actress
- 1992 - Mary Lou, American actress
Deaths
- 44 BC - Julius Caesar (b. 100 BC)
- 220 - Cao Cao, King of Wei (b. 155)
- 493 - Odoacer, King of Italy (murdered) (b. 435)
- 1145 - Pope Lucius II (year of birth unknown)
- 1311 - Walter V of Brienne, Duke of Athens
- 1416 - John, Duke of Berry, son of John II of France (b. 1340)
- 1575 - Annibale Padovano, Italian composer (b. 1527)
- 1670 - John Davenport, Connecticut pioneer (b. 1597)
- 1673 - Salvator Rosa, Italian painter and poet (b. 1615)
- 1701 - Jean Renaud de Segrais, French writer (b. 1624)
- 1711 - Eusebio Kino, Italian Catholic missionary (b. 1645)
- 1820 - St Clemens Maria Hofbauer, patron saint of Vienna (b. 1751
- 1842 - Luigi Cherubini, Italian composer (b. 1760)
- 1849 - Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti, Italian cardinal and linguist (b. 1774)
- 1891 - Théodore de Banville, French writer (b. 1823)
- 1891 - Sir Joseph Bazalgette, English civil engineer (b. 1819)
- 1898 - Henry Bessemer, English metallurgist (b. 1813)
- 1937 - H. P. Lovecraft, American writer (b. 1890)
- 1941 - Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian painter (b. 1864)
- 1957 - Ernst Nobs, member of the Swiss Federal Council (b. 1886)
- 1959 - Lester Young, American musician (b. 1909)
- 1962 - Arthur Compton, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
- 1966 - Abe Saperstein, American basketball executive (b. 1902)
- 1970 - Tarjei Vesaas, Norwegian writer (b. 1897)
- 1972 - Aleksandr Ivanovich Laktionov, Russian painter (b. 1910)
- 1975 - Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate (b. 1900)
- 1977 - Antonino Rocca, Professional wrestler
- 1983 - Rebecca West, English writer (b. 1892)
- 1990 - Farzad Bazoft, Iranian-born journalist (hanged) (b. 1958)
- 1990 - Tom Harmon, American football player and broadcaster (b. 1919)
- 1994 - Mai Zetterling, Swedish actress and director (b. 1925)
- 1997 - Gail Davis, American actress (b. 1925)
- 1997 - Victor Vasarely, Hungarian painter (b. 1906)
- 1998 - Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician and writer (b. 1903)
- 2001 - Ann Sothern, American actress (b. 1909)
- 2003 - Dame Thora Hird, British actress (b. 1911)
- 2004 - Sir William Pickering, New Zealand-born space scientist (b. 1910)
- 2004 - John Pople, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1925)
- 2005 - Bob Bellear, the first Indigenous Australian judge (b. 1944)
- 2006 - George Rallis, former Greek Prime Minister (b. 1918)
Fictional events
- 44 BC - Deaths of Xena and Gabrielle by Crucifixion
- 1972 - Worst day ever in The Fairly Oddparents
- 1973 - In an alternate timeline in Back to the Future Part II, George McFly murdered by Biff Tannen.
- 1986 - Beginning of The Pushcart War
- 2337 - Discovery of Yuggoth
- 3019 T.A. - Battle of the Pelennor Fields (The Lord of the Rings)
- C.E. 56 - Birth of Fllay Allster, daughter of Earth Alliance Vice-Minister George Allster, from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED.
Saints of the day
Holidays and observances
- In the Roman calendar, the Ides of March.
- International Day Against Police Brutality
- For corporations in the United States that use the calendar year as their fiscal year, the date on which the corporation must file its corporate income tax return
- Constitution Day in Belarus
- National holiday in Hungary celebrating the 1848 Revolution. (See also Public holidays in Hungary)
- World Consumer Rights Day [2]
- In Japan, Hounen Matsuri
Liturgical feasts
- Saint Clemens Maria Hofbauer (died 1820)
- Blessed Arnicus of Averbode
- Saint Luise of Marillac
- Saint Lucretia
- Saint Longinus
External links
March 14 - March 16 - February 15 - April 15 -- listing of all days
Categories
March