March 17
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Contents |
Events [change]
- 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, leaving Commodus as sole Emperor of the Roman Empire.
- 624 - Led by the Prophet Muhammad, the Muslims of Medina defeat the Quraysh of Mecca in the Battle of Badr.
- 1328 - Isabella of France, on behalf of her 15-year-old son, Edward III of England, recognizes the independence of Scotland, ending the first of the Scottish Wars of Independence.
- 1337 - Edward, the Black Prince becomes Duke of Cornwall, the first Duchy in England.
- 1667 - Siege of Valenciennes: During the Franco-Dutch War, ends with France's taking over of the city.
- 1776 - American Revolution: British forces evacuate Boston, Massachusetts, ending the Siege of Boston, after George Washington and Henry Knox place artillery in positions overlooking the city.
- 1780 - American Revolution: George Washington grants the Continental Army a holiday on St. Patrick's Day, in solidarity with the Irish people.
- 1800 - British ship, HMS Queen Charlotte, sinks after a fire on board off Livorno, Tuscany, Italy, killing 673 people.
- 1805 – Italy becomes a Kingdom for the first time, with Napoleon Bonaparte becoming King.
- 1842 - The Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is formed.
- 1860 - The First Taranaki War begins in Taranaki, New Zealand, a major phase in the New Zealand Land Wars.
- 1861 – The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed, making Italy a united nation. It lasts until 1946, when a majority of voters supports becoming a Republic.
- 1891 – The USS Utopia collides with the HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar, and sinks, killing 562 people.
- 1899 - William Henry Pickering discovers Saturn's moon Phoebe.
- 1921 - The Second Republic of Poland adopts the March Constitution.
- 1939 - Second Sino-Japanese War: The Battle of Nanchang between the Republic of China's Kuomintang and Japan begins.
- 1941 – In Washington, DC, the National Gallery of Art is opened.
- 1945 – World War II: The Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany, collapses, shortly after its capture.
- 1948 - The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels.
- 1950 - Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name Californium.
- 1957 – A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines, kills 25 people, including President Ramon Magsaysay.
- 1958 - The United States launches the Vanguard 1 satellite.
- 1959 - Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama, escapes Tibet to India.
- 1960 - US 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.
- 1963 – The Gunung Agung volcano on Bali, Indonesia, erupts, killing around 1,300 people.
- 1966 - A missing American hydrogen bomb is found off the Mediterranean Sea coast of Spain.
- 1969 – Golda Meir becomes Prime Minister of Israel.
- 1988 - Avianca Flight 410, a Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, crashes into a mountainside in Eastern Colombia, near the Venezuelan border, killing 143 people.
- 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 in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.
- 1992 – A referendum in South Africa approves the end of Apartheid.
- 1992 - A suicide car bombing at Israel's Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 29 people.
- 2000 - More than 800 members of the Ugandan cult Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God die in what is considered to be a mass murder and suicide, orchestrated by the leaders of the cult.
- 2003 – Robin Cook resigns from the British cabinet over plans to go to war in Iraq.
- 2004 - Unrest occurs in Kosovo. 22 people are killed, and 220 injured, as 35 Serbian Orthodox Shrines in Kosovo and 2 mosques in Belgrade and Nis, Serbia, are destroyed.
- 2008 – New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns over a prostitution scandal. David Paterson replaces him.
- 2009 – Marc Ravalomanana resigns as President of Madagascar, as Andry Rajoelina takes over, following weeks of unrest.
- 2011 - 2011 Libyan civil war: The United Nations Security Council authorizes military intervention to protect civilians in Libya, as well as a no-fly zone over Libya.
Births [change]
- 765 – Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid Caliph (d. 809) (N.S March 27 on Gregorian calendar)
- 1231 - Emperor Shijo of Japan (d. 1242)
- 1473 – King James IV of Scotland (d. 1513)
- 1537 - Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Japanese general and politician (d. 1598)
- 1628 - Francois Girardon, French sculptor (d. 1715)
- 1665 - Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, French musician, harpsichordist and composer (d. 1829)
- 1676 - Thomas Boston, Scottish church leader (d. 1732)
- 1686 - Jean-Baptiste Oudry, French painter, engraver and tapestry designer (d. 1755)
- 1725 - Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-American military and political leader
- 1777 - Patrick Bronte, father of the Brontë sisters (d. 1861)
- 1777 - Roger Brooke Taney, 5th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (d. 1864)
- 1780 - Thomas Chalmers, Scottish theologian, religious reformer and writer (d. 1847)
- 1813 – King Kamehameha III of Hawaii (d. 1854) (March 17 was official birthday)
- 1822 – Sa'id, Khedive (Viceroy) of Egypt (d. 1854)
- 1832 - Walter Q. Gresham, United States Secretary of State (d. 1895)
- 1834 – Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and inventor (d. 1900)
- 1846 - Kate Greenaway, English author and illustrator (d. 1901)
- 1849 - Charles F. Brush, American inventor and entrepreneur (d. 1929)
- 1856 - Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter (d. 1910)
- 1865 – Gabriel Narutowicz, President of Poland (d. 1922)
- 1872 - Konstantinos Skarlatos, Greek shooter (d. 1969)
- 1876 - Frederick Ayres, American composer (d. 1926)
- 1877 - Otto Gross, Austrian psychoanalyst (d. 1920)
- 1879 - Jim Nance McCord, Governor of Tennessee (d. 1968)
- 1880 – Lawrence Oates, English Antarctic explorer (d. 1912)
- 1881 – Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss physiologist (d. 1973)
- 1883 - Urmuz, Romanian writer (d. 1923)
- 1884 – Alcide Nunez, American jazz clarinettist (d. 1934)
- 1885 - Ralph Rose, American athlete (d. 1913)
- 1886 - Princess Patricia of Connaught (d. 1974)
- 1888 - Paul Ramadier, French politician (d. 1961)
- 1892 - Sayed Darwish, Egyptian singer and composer (d. 1923)
- 1900 – Alfred Neumann, American movie composer (d. 1970)
- 1902 – Bobby Jones, American golfer (d. 1971)
- 1907 – Miki Takeo, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1988)
- 1907 - Jean Van Houtte, Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1991)
- 1907 - John O. Pastore, Governor of Rhode Island (d. 2000)
- 1908 - Brigitte Helm, German silent movie actress (d. 1996)
- 1911 - Vello Kaaristo, Estonian cross-country skier (d. 1965)
- 1912 - Bayard Rustin, American Civil rights activist (d. 1987)
- 1914 - Juan Ongania, Argentine military officer and politician (d. 1995)
- 1915 - Ray Ellington, British singer (d. 1985)
- 1919 – Nat King Cole, American singer (d. 1965)
- 1920 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, President of Bangladesh (d. 1975)
- 1920 - Jose Tomas Sanchez, Filipino cardinal (d. 2012)
- 1921 – Meir Amit, Israeli politician and general (d. 2009)
- 1925 - Gabriele Ferzetti, Italian actor
- 1926 - Siegfried Lenz, German author
- 1930 – James Irwin, American astronaut (d. 1991)
- 1933 – Penelope Lively, British writer
- 1935 - Oscar Panno, Argentine chess player
- 1938 – Rudolf Nureyev, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1993)
- 1938 – Keith O'Brien, former Roman Catholic Archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh and cardinal
- 1939 – Giovanni Trapattoni, Italian footballer and manager
- 1939 - Robin Knox-Johnston, British yachtsman
- 1940 - Mark White, 40th Governor of Texas
- 1941 - Paul Kantner, American musician
- 1942 – John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer (d. 1994)
- 1943 - Jim Weatherly, American singer-songwriter
- 1944 - John Sebastian, American singer, songwriter and guitarist
- 1944 - Juan Ramon Veron, Argentine footballer and coach
- 1945 – Michael Hayden, General USAF, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
- 1947 - Yury Chernavsky, Russian composer and producer
- 1948 - William Gibson, American author
- 1949 – Patrick Duffy, American actor
- 1951 – Donald Findlay, Scottish lawyer
- 1951 - Kurt Russell, American actor
- 1955 – Cynthia McKinney, American politician
- 1955 – Gary Sinise, American actor
- 1956 - Rory McGrath, English comedian and writer
- 1957 - Michael Kelly, American journalist (d. 2003)
- 1961 - Dana Reeve, American actress and activist (d. 2006)
- 1962 – Clare Grogan, Scottish singer and actress
- 1964 – Lee Dixon, English footballer and pundit
- 1964 – Rob Lowe, American actor
- 1964 – Jacques Songo'o, Cameroonian footballer
- 1967 - Billy Corgan, American musician
- 1969 – Alexander McQueen, British fashion designer (d. 2010)
- 1969 - Bruce Parry, British former soldier, traveler and adventurer
- 1972 – Mia Hamm, American soccer player
- 1973 – Caroline Corr, Irish singer and musician
- 1974 – Mark Dolan, British television presenter
- 1975 – Justin Hawkins, British singer (The Darkness)
- 1975 - Andrew Martin, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 2009)
- 1976 – Stephen Gately, Irish singer (Boyzone) (d. 2009)
- 1976 - Alvaro Recoba, Uruguayan footballer
- 1979 - Sharman Joshi, Indian actor
- 1979 - Stephen Kramer Glickman, American actor and comedian
- 1981 - Servet Cetin, Turkish footballer
- 1982 – Steven Pienaar, South African footballer
- 1983 – Raul Meireles, Portuguese footballer
- 1984 - Ryan Rottman, American actor
- 1986 – Edin Dzeko, Bosnian footballer
- 1987 – Bobby Ryan, American ice hockey player
- 1987 - Rob Kardashian, American television personality
- 1987 - Ryan Parent, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1989 – Shinji Kagawa, Japanese footballer
- 1989 - Mason Musso, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
Deaths [change]
- 45 BC - Titus Labienus, Roman leader (b. 100 BC)
- 180 – Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor (b. 121)
- unknown year (probably 461 or 493) – Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland
- 659 - Gertrude of Nivelles, Belgian abbess (b. 626)
- 1040 – Harold Harefoot, King of England
- 1058 - Lulach, King of the Scots
- 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. 1479)
- 1741 – Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet (b. 1674)
- 1782 – Daniel Bernoulli, Swiss mathematician (b. 1700)
- 1830 - Lauren de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French politician (b. 1764)
- 1846 - Friedrich Bessel, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1764)
- 1849 – King William II of the Netherlands (b. 1792)
- 1853 – Christian Doppler, Austrian physician and mathematician (b. 1803)
- 1886 - Leopold Zunz, German Jewish scientist (b. 1794)
- 1893 - Jules Ferry, French statesman (b. 1832)
- 1917 – Franz Brentano, German philosopher (b. 1838)
- 1926 - Aleksei Brusilov, Russian general (b. 1853)
- 1937 – Austen Chamberlain, English statesman (b. 1863)
- 1941 - Marguerite Nichols, American actress (b. 1895)
- 1946 - Dai Li, Chinese spymaster (b. 1897)
- 1956 – Irene Joliot-Curie, French physicist (b. 1897)
- 1956 - Fred Allen, American actor (b. 1894)
- 1957 – Ramon Magsaysay, President of the Philippines (b. 1907)
- 1958 - John Pius Boland, Irish politician and tennis player (b. 1870)
- 1976 - Luchino Visconti, Italian director (b. 1906)
- 1983 – Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist (b. 1903)
- 1990 - Capucine, French actress (b. 1931)
- 1993 – Charlotte Hughes, British supercentenarian (b. 1877)
- 1994 - Mai Zetterling, Swedish actress and singer (b. 1925)
- 1995 - Sunnyland Slim, American blues musician (b. 1907)
- 1995 – Ronnie Kray, British gangster (b. 1933)
- 1996 - Rene Clement, French movie director and screenwriter (b. 1913)
- 1996 - Terry Stafford, American singer (b. 1941)
- 1999 - Jean Pierre-Bloch, French resistance activist and politician (b. 1905)
- 2002 - Van Tien Dung, Vietnamese general and politician (b. 1917)
- 2003 - Su Buqing, Chinese mathematician and educator (b. 1902)
- 2006 - Oleg Cassini, American fashion designer (b. 1913)
- 2006 - G. William Miller, American politician (b. 1925)
- 2007 - John Backus, American computer scientist (b. 1924)
- 2007 - Ernst Haefliger, Swiss tenor (b. 1919)
- 2009 – Clodovil Hernandes, Brazilian politician and television host (b. 1937)
- 2010 – Alex Chilton, American musician (b. 1950)
- 2011 – Michael Gough, British actor (b. 1916)
- 2012 - John Demjanjuk, Ukrainian convicted Nazi war criminal (b. 1920)
- 2012 - Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria, leader of the Egyptian Coptic Church (b. 1923)
Holidays [change]
- St. Patrick's Day - celebrating the patron saint of Ireland, celebrated in Ireland and in Irish communities worldwide
