March 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

  • 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem Shahnameh.
  • 1126 – Following the death of his mother Urraca, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of Castile and León.
  • 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bourgeois militias and the army of the bishop of Strasbourg.
  • 1576 – Spanish explorer Diego García de Palacio first sights the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Copán.
  • 1618 – Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion.
  • 1655 – John Casor becomes the first legally-recognized slave in England’s North American colonies where a crime was not committed.
  • 1658 – Treaty of Roskilde: After a devastating defeat in the Northern Wars (1655–1661), Frederick III, the King of Denmark–Norway is forced to give up nearly half his territory to Sweden to save the rest.
  • 1702 – Queen Anne, the younger sister of Mary II, becomes Queen regnant of England, Scotland, and Ireland
  • 1722 – The Safavid Empire of Iran is defeated by an army from Afghanistan at the Battle of Gulnabad, pushing Iran into anarchy.
  • 1736 – Nader Shah, founder of the Afsharid dynasty, is crowned Shah of Iran.
  • 1775 – An anonymous writer, thought by some to be Thomas Paine, publishes “African Slavery in America”, the first article in the American colonies calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery.
  • 1777 – Regiments from Ansbach and Bayreuth, sent to support Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War, mutiny in the town of Ochsenfurt.
  • 1782 – Gnadenhutten massacre: Ninety-six Native Americans in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, who had converted to Christianity, are killed by Pennsylvania militiamen in retaliation for raids carried out by other Indian tribes.
  • 1801 – War of the Second Coalition: At the Battle of Abukir, a British force under Sir Ralph Abercromby lands in Egypt with the aim of ending the French campaign in Egypt and Syria.
  • 1817 – The New York Stock Exchange is founded.
  • 1844 – King Oscar I ascends to the thrones of Sweden and Norway.
  • 1862 – American Civil War: The Naval Battle of Hampton Roads begins.
  • 1868 – Sakai incident: Japanese samurai kill 11 French sailors in the port of Sakai, Osaka.
  • 1910 – French aviator Raymonde de Laroche becomes the first woman to receive a pilot’s license.
  • 1914 – First flights (for the Royal Thai Air Force) at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok.
  • 1916 – World War I: A British force unsuccessfully attempts to relieve the siege of Kut (present-day Iraq) in the Battle of Dujaila.
  • 1917 – International Women’s Day protests in St. Petersburg mark the beginning of the February Revolution (February 23rd in the Julian calendar).
  • 1917 – The United States Senate votes to limit filibusters by adopting the cloture rule.
  • 1920 – The Arab Kingdom of Syria, the first modern Arab state to come into existence, is established.
  • 1921 – Spanish Prime Minister Eduardo Dato Iradier is assassinated while exiting the parliament building in Madrid.
  • 1924 – A mine disaster kills 172 coal miners near Castle Gate, Utah.
  • 1936 – Daytona Beach and Road Course holds its first oval stock car race.
  • 1937 – Spanish Civil War: The Battle of Guadalajara begins.
  • 1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Army forces gave an ultimatum to Dutch East Indies Governor General Jonkheer Tjarda van Starkenborgh Stachouwer and KNIL Commander in Chief Lieutenant General Hein Ter Poorten, to unconditionally surrender.
  • 1942 – World War II: Imperial Japanese Army forces captured Rangoon, Burma from British.
  • 1947 – Thirteen thousand troops of the Republic of China Army arrive in Taiwan after the February 28 Incident and launch crackdowns which kill thousands of people, including many elites. This turns into a major root of the Taiwan independence movement.
  • 1949 – President of France Vincent Auriol and ex-emperor of Annam Bảo Đại sign the Élysée Accords, giving Vietnam greater independence from France and creating the State of Vietnam to oppose Viet Minh-led Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
  • 1957 – Egypt re-opens the Suez Canal after the Suez Crisis.
  • 1957 – The 1957 Georgia Memorial to Congress, which petitions the U.S. Congress to declare the ratification of the 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution null and void, is adopted by the U.S. state of Georgia.
  • 1963 – The Ba’ath Party comes to power in Syria in a coup d’état by a clique of quasi-leftist Syrian Army officers calling themselves the National Council of the Revolutionary Command.
  • 1965 – Thirty-five hundred United States Marines are the first American land combat forces committed during the Vietnam War.
  • 1966 – Nelson’s Pillar in Dublin, Ireland, destroyed by a bomb.
  • 1971 – The Fight of the Century between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali commences. Frazier wins in 15 rounds via unanimous decision.
  • 1974 – Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France.
  • 1979 – Philips demonstrates the compact disc publicly for the first time.
  • 1983 – Cold War: While addressing a convention of Evangelicals, U.S. President Ronald Reagan labels the Soviet Union an “evil empire”.
  • 1985 – A supposed failed assassination attempt on Islamic cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah in Beirut, Lebanon kills at least 45 and injures 175 others.
  • 2004 – A new constitution is signed by Iraq’s Governing Council.
  • 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, carrying a total of 239 people, disappears en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
  • 2017 – The Azure Window, a natural arch on the Maltese island of Gozo, collapses in stormy weather.

Births on March 8

  • 1286 – John III, Duke of Brittany (d. 1341)
  • 1293 – Beatrice of Castile (d. 1359)
  • 1495 – John of God, Portuguese friar and saint (d. 1550)
  • 1514 – Amago Haruhisa, Japanese daimyō (d. 1562)
  • 1518 – Sidonie of Saxony, Duchess of Brunswick-Calenberg (d. 1575)
  • 1550 – William Drury, English politician (d. 1590)
  • 1658 – Thomas Trevor, 1st Baron Trevor, British Baron (d. 1730)
  • 1566 – Carlo Gesualdo, Italian lute player and composer (d. 1613)
  • 1712 – John Fothergill, English physician and botanist (d. 1780)
  • 1714 – Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, German pianist and composer (d. 1788)
  • 1726 – Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, English admiral and politician, Treasurer of the Navy (d. 1799)
  • 1746 – André Michaux, French botanist and explorer (d. 1802)
  • 1748 – William V, Prince of Orange (d. 1806)
  • 1761 – Jan Potocki, Polish ethnologist, historian, linguist, and author (d. 1815)
  • 1799 – Simon Cameron, American journalist and politician, 26th United States Secretary of War (d. 1889)
  • 1804 – Alvan Clark, American astronomer and optician (d. 1887)
  • 1822 – Ignacy Łukasiewicz, Polish inventor and businessman, invented the Kerosene lamp (d. 1882)
  • 1826 – Johann Köler, Estonian painter and academic (d. 1899)
  • 1827 – Wilhelm Bleek, German linguist and anthropologist (d. 1875)
  • 1830 – João de Deus, Portuguese poet and educator (d. 1896)
  • 1839 – Josephine Cochrane, American inventor (d. 1913)
  • 1841 – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., American colonel, lawyer, and jurist (d. 1935)
  • 1848 – LaMarcus Adna Thompson, American engineer and businessman, developed the roller coaster (d. 1917)
  • 1856 – Bramwell Booth, English 2nd General of The Salvation Army (d. 1929)
  • 1856 – Colin Campbell Cooper, American painter and academic (d. 1937)
  • 1859 – Kenneth Grahame, Scottish-English banker and author (d. 1932)
  • 1865 – Frederic Goudy, American type designer, created Copperplate Gothic and Goudy Old Style (d. 1947)
  • 1879 – Otto Hahn, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1968)
  • 1886 – Edward Calvin Kendall, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1972)
  • 1892 – Juana de Ibarbourou, Uruguayan poet and author (d. 1979)
  • 1896 – Charlotte Whitton, Canadian journalist and politician, 46th Mayor of Ottawa (d. 1975)
  • 1899 – Elmer Keith, American gun designer and author (d. 1984)
  • 1900 – Howard H. Aiken, American physicist and computer scientist, created the Harvard Mark I (d. 1973)
  • 1902 – Louise Beavers, American actress and singer (d. 1962)
  • 1902 – Jennings Randolph, American journalist and politician (d. 1998)
  • 1907 – Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greek lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Greece (d. 1998)
  • 1909 – Beatrice Shilling, English motorcycle racer and engineer (d. 1990)
  • 1909 – Paula Strasberg, American actress and acting coach (d. 1966)
  • 1910 – Claire Trevor, American actress (d. 2000)
  • 1911 – Alan Hovhaness, Armenian-American pianist and composer (d. 2000)
  • 1912 – Preston Smith, American businessman and politician, 40th Governor of Texas (d. 2003)
  • 1912 – Meldrim Thomson, Jr., American publisher and politician, 73rd Governor of New Hampshire (d. 2001)
  • 1914 – Yakov Borisovich Zel’dovich, Belarusian-Russian physicist and astronomer (d. 1987)
  • 1918 – Eileen Herlie, Scottish-American actress (d. 2008)
  • 1920 – Douglass Wallop, American author and playwright (d. 1985)
  • 1921 – Alan Hale, Jr., American actor (d. 1990)
  • 1921 – Sahir Ludhianvi, Indian poet and songwriter (d. 1980)
  • 1922 – Ralph H. Baer, German-American video game designer, created the Magnavox Odyssey (d. 2014)
  • 1922 – Cyd Charisse, American actress and dancer (d. 2008)
  • 1922 – Carl Furillo, American baseball player (d. 1989)
  • 1922 – Yevgeny Matveyev, Russian actor and director (d. 2003)
  • 1922 – Shigeru Mizuki, Japanese author and illustrator (d. 2015)
  • 1924 – Anthony Caro, English sculptor and illustrator (d. 2013)
  • 1924 – Georges Charpak, Ukrainian-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2010)
  • 1924 – Sean McClory, Irish-American actor and director (d. 2003)
  • 1925 – Warren Bennis, American scholar, author, and academic (d. 2014)
  • 1926 – Francisco Rabal, Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1929 – Hebe Camargo, Brazilian actress and singer (d. 2012)
  • 1930 – Bob Grim, American baseball player (d. 1996)
  • 1930 – Douglas Hurd, English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
  • 1931 – Neil Adcock, South African cricketer (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – John McPhee, American author and educator
  • 1931 – Gerald Potterton, English-Canadian animator, director, and producer
  • 1931 – Neil Postman, American author and critic (d. 2003)
  • 1934 – Marv Breeding, American baseball player and scout (d. 2006)
  • 1935 – George Coleman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader
  • 1936 – Sue Ane Langdon, American actress and singer
  • 1936 – Gábor Szabó, Hungarian guitarist and composer (d. 1982)
  • 1937 – Richard Fariña, American singer-songwriter and author (d. 1966)
  • 1937 – Juvénal Habyarimana, Rwandan politician, 2nd President of Rwanda (d. 1994)
  • 1938 – Pete Dawkins, American football player, colonel, and politician
  • 1939 – Jim Bouton, American baseball player and journalist (d. 2019)
  • 1939 – Lynn Seymour, Canadian ballerina and choreographer
  • 1939 – Lidiya Skoblikova, Russian speed skater and coach
  • 1939 – Robert Tear, Welsh tenor and conductor (d. 2011)
  • 1941 – Norman Stone, Scottish-English historian, author, and academic (d. 2019)
  • 1942 – Dick Allen, American baseball player and tenor
  • 1942 – Ann Packer, English sprinter, hurdler, and long jumper
  • 1943 – Susan Clark, Canadian actress and producer
  • 1943 – Michael Grade, English businessman
  • 1943 – Lynn Redgrave, English-American actress and singer (d. 2010)
  • 1943 – Dionysis Simopoulos, Greek physicist and astronomer
  • 1944 – Sergey Nikitin, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1945 – Jim Chapman, American lawyer and politician
  • 1945 – Micky Dolenz, American singer-songwriter, drummer, and actor
  • 1945 – Anselm Kiefer, German painter and sculptor
  • 1945 – Sylvia Wiegand, American mathematician
  • 1946 – Robert Jaworski, Filipino basketball player, coach, and politician
  • 1946 – Randy Meisner, American singer-songwriter and bass player
  • 1947 – Carole Bayer Sager, American singer-songwriter and painter
  • 1947 – Michael S. Hart, American author, founded Project Gutenberg (d. 2011)
  • 1947 – Vladimír Mišík, Czech singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1947 – Florentino Pérez, Spanish engineer and businessman
  • 1948 – Robert W. Boyd, American physicist and academic
  • 1948 – Gyles Brandreth, German-English actor, screenwriter, and politician
  • 1948 – Mel Galley, English rock singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008)
  • 1948 – Sam Lacey, American basketball player (d. 2014)
  • 1948 – Peggy March, American pop singer
  • 1948 – Jonathan Sacks, English rabbi, philosopher, and scholar
  • 1949 – Teofilo Cubillas, Peruvian footballer
  • 1951 – Phil Edmonds, Zambian-English cricketer and businessman
  • 1951 – Dianne Walker, American tap dancer
  • 1952 – George Allen, American lawyer and politician, 67th Governor of Virginia
  • 1953 – Jim Rice, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
  • 1954 – Steve James, American documentary filmmaker
  • 1954 – David Wilkie, Sri Lankan-Scottish swimmer
  • 1956 – Laurie Cunningham, English footballer (d. 1989)
  • 1956 – David Malpass, American economist and government official
  • 1957 – Clive Burr, English rock drummer (d. 2013)
  • 1957 – William Edward Childs, American pianist and composer
  • 1957 – Bob Stoddard, American baseball player
  • 1958 – Andy McDonald, English lawyer and politician
  • 1958 – Gary Numan, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1959 – Aidan Quinn, Irish-American actor
  • 1960 – Jeffrey Eugenides, American author and academic
  • 1960 – Irek Mukhamedov, Russian ballet dancer
  • 1960 – Buck Williams, American basketball player and coach
  • 1961 – Camryn Manheim, American actress
  • 1961 – Larry Murphy, Canadian ice hockey player and journalist
  • 1962 – Leon Robinson, American actor and producer
  • 1964 – Kate Betts, American journalist and author
  • 1965 – Kenny Smith, American basketball player and sportscaster
  • 1966 – Greg Barker, Baron Barker of Battle, English politician
  • 1966 – Jaime Levy, American computer scientist and academic
  • 1967 – Joel Johnston, American baseball player
  • 1968 – Michael Bartels, German race car driver
  • 1968 – Shawn Mullins, American singer-songwriter
  • 1969 – Juan de Dios Ramírez Perales, Mexican footballer
  • 1970 – Jason Elam, American football player
  • 1971 – Kit Symons, English-Welsh footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Georgios Georgiadis, Greek footballer and manager
  • 1972 – Matthew Nable, Australian rugby player and actor
  • 1972 – Lena Sundström, Swedish journalist and author
  • 1973 – Boris Kodjoe, Austrian-born American actor and producer
  • 1973 – Anneke van Giersbergen, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1975 – Mauro Briano, Italian footballer
  • 1976 – Gaz Coombes, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1976 – Juan Encarnación, Dominican baseball player
  • 1976 – Freddie Prinze, Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter
  • 1977 – James Van Der Beek, American actor
  • 1977 – Johann Vogel, Swiss footballer
  • 1978 – Nick Zano, American actor and producer
  • 1979 – Apathy, American rapper and producer
  • 1979 – Tom Chaplin, English singer-songwriter
  • 1979 – Andy Ross, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1980 – Stephen Milne, Australian footballer
  • 1981 – Michael Beauchamp, Australian footballer
  • 1981 – Timothy Jordan II, American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1981 – Joost Posthuma, Dutch cyclist
  • 1982 – Nicolas Armindo, French racing driver
  • 1982 – Leonidas Kampantais, Greek footballer
  • 1982 – Isak Strand, Norwegian drummer, composer, and producer
  • 1983 – André Santos, Brazilian footballer
  • 1983 – Mark Worrell, American baseball player
  • 1984 – Rafik Djebbour, Algerian footballer
  • 1984 – Ross Taylor, New Zealand cricketer
  • 1984 – Sasha Vujačić, Slovenian basketball player
  • 1987 – Jonathan Wright, Australian rugby league player
  • 1988 – Benny Blanco, American rapper and producer
  • 1990 – Asier Illarramendi, Spanish footballer
  • 1990 – Petra Kvitová, Czech tennis player
  • 1990 – Nico Salva, Filipino basketball player
  • 1990 – Ben Tozer, English footballer
  • 1991 – Miriam Bryant, Swedish-Finnish singer-songwriter
  • 1991 – Tom English, Australian rugby player
  • 1992 – Uki Satake, Japanese singer, actress, and radio host
  • 1994 – Pablo Dyego, Brazilian footballer
  • 1994 – Claire Emslie, Scottish footballer
  • 1994 – Dylan Tombides, Australian footballer (d. 2014)
  • 1996 – Matthew Hammelmann, Australian rules footballer
  • 1998 – Tali Darsigny, Canadian weightlifter

Deaths on March 8

  • 865 – Rudolf of Fulda, German theologian
  • 1126 – Urraca of León and Castile (b. 1079)
  • 1137 – Adela of Normandy, by marriage countess of Blois (b. c. 1067)
  • 1144 – Pope Celestine II
  • 1223 – Wincenty Kadłubek, Polish bishop and historian (b. 1161)
  • 1365 – Queen Noguk of Korea
  • 1403 – Bayezid I, Ottoman sultan (b. 1360)
  • 1441 – Margaret of Burgundy, Duchess of Bavaria
  • 1466 – Francesco I Sforza, Duke of Milan (b. 1401)
  • 1550 – John of God, Portuguese friar and saint (b. 1495)
  • 1619 – Veit Bach, German baker and miller (b. 1550)
  • 1641 – Xu Xiake, Chinese geographer and explorer (b. 1587)
  • 1702 – William III of England (b. 1650)
  • 1717 – Abraham Darby I, English blacksmith (b. 1678)
  • 1723 – Christopher Wren, English architect, designed St. Paul’s Cathedral (b. 1632)
  • 1731 – Ferdinand Brokoff, Czech sculptor (b. 1688)
  • 1771 – Louis August le Clerc, French-Danish sculptor and academic (b. 1688)
  • 1819 – Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge, American colonel, lawyer, and politician (b. 1739)
  • 1844 – Charles XIV John of Sweden (b. 1763)
  • 1869 – Hector Berlioz, French composer, conductor, and critic (b. 1803)
  • 1872 – Cornelius Krieghoff, Dutch-Canadian painter (b. 1815)
  • 1874 – Millard Fillmore, American lawyer and politician, 13th President of the United States (b. 1800)
  • 1887 – Henry Ward Beecher, American minister and activist (b. 1813)
  • 1887 – James Buchanan Eads, American engineer, designed the Eads Bridge (b. 1820)
  • 1889 – John Ericsson, Swedish-American engineer, designed the USS Monitor (b. 1803)
  • 1917 – Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German general and businessman, founded the Zeppelin Company (b. 1838)
  • 1923 – Krišjānis Barons, Latvian linguist and author (b. 1835)
  • 1923 – Johannes Diderik van der Waals, Dutch physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1837)
  • 1930 – William Howard Taft, American lawyer, jurist, and politician, 27th President of the United States (b. 1857)
  • 1930 – Edward Terry Sanford, American lawyer, jurist, and politician, United States Assistant Attorney General (b. 1865)
  • 1935 – Hachikō, Japanese dog (b. 1923)
  • 1937 – Howie Morenz, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1902)
  • 1941 – Sherwood Anderson, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1876)
  • 1942 – José Raúl Capablanca, Cuban chess player and theoretician (b. 1888)
  • 1944 – Fredy Hirsch, German Jewish athlete who helped thousands of Jewish children in the Holocaust (b. 1916)
  • 1945 – Frederick Bligh Bond, English archaeologist and architect (b. 1864)
  • 1948 – Hulusi Behçet, Turkish dermatologist and scientist (b. 1889)
  • 1957 – Othmar Schoeck, Swiss composer and conductor (b. 1886)
  • 1961 – Thomas Beecham, English conductor and composer (b. 1879)
  • 1971 – Harold Lloyd, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1893)
  • 1973 – Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, American keyboard player and songwriter (b. 1945)
  • 1975 – George Stevens, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1904)
  • 1976 – Alfons Rebane, Estonian colonel (b. 1908)
  • 1983 – Chabuca Granda, Peruvian-American singer-songwriter (b. 1920)
  • 1983 – Alan Lennox-Boyd, 1st Viscount Boyd of Merton, English lieutenant and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1904)
  • 1983 – William Walton, English composer (b. 1902)
  • 1985 – Edward Andrews, American actor (b. 1914)
  • 1988 – Amar Singh Chamkila, Indian singer-songwriter (b. 1961)
  • 1988 – Werner Hartmann, German physicist and academic (b. 1912)
  • 1991 – John Bellairs, American author and academic (b. 1938)
  • 1993 – Billy Eckstine, American trumpet player (b. 1914)
  • 1996 – Jack Churchill, British colonel (b. 1906)
  • 1997 – Gershon Liebman, French rabbi (b. 1905)
  • 1998 – Ray Nitschke, American football player and actor (b. 1936)
  • 1999 – Adolfo Bioy Casares, Argentinian journalist and author (b. 1914)
  • 1999 – Peggy Cass, American actress and comedian (b. 1924)
  • 1999 – Joe DiMaggio, American baseball player and coach (b. 1914)
  • 2001 – Edward Winter, American actor (b. 1937)
  • 2003 – Adam Faith, English singer (b. 1940)
  • 2003 – Karen Morley, American actress (b. 1909)
  • 2004 – Muhammad Zaidan, Syrian terrorist, founded the Palestine Liberation Front (b. 1948)
  • 2005 – César Lattes, Brazilian physicist and academic (b. 1924)
  • 2005 – Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen commander and politician, 3rd President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (b. 1951)
  • 2007 – John Inman, English actor (b. 1935)
  • 2007 – John Vukovich, American baseball player and coach (b. 1947)
  • 2009 – Hank Locklin, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1918)
  • 2009 – Zbigniew Religa, Polish surgeon and politician, Polish Minister of Health (b. 1938)
  • 2011 – Mike Starr, American bass player (b. 1966)
  • 2012 – Simin Daneshvar, Iranian author and academic (b. 1921)
  • 2012 – Minoru Mori, Japanese businessman, founded the Mori Art Museum (b. 1934)
  • 2012 – Steven Rubenstein, American anthropologist and academic (b. 1962)
  • 2013 – Haseeb Ahsan, Pakistani cricketer and manager (b. 1939)
  • 2013 – John O’Connell, Irish journalist and politician, 17th Irish Minister of Health (b. 1927)
  • 2013 – Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin, German soldier and publisher (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Leo Bretholz, Austrian-American Holocaust survivor and author (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – William Guarnere, American sergeant (b. 1923)
  • 2015 – Tjol Lategan, South African rugby player (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Sam Simon, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1955)
  • 2016 – Aldo Ferrer, Argentinian economist and diplomat (b. 1927)
  • 2016 – Ross Hannaford, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1950)
  • 2016 – George Martin, English composer, conductor, and producer (b. 1926)
  • 2018 – Kate Wilhelm, American author (b. 1928)
  • 2019 – Marshall Brodien, American actor (b. 1934)
  • 2019 – Cedrick Hardman, American football player and actor (b. 1948)
  • 2020 – Max von Sydow, Swedish actor (b. 1929)

Holidays and observances on March 8

  • Christian feast day:
    • Edward King (Church of England)
    • Felix of Burgundy
    • Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy (the Church of England, The Episcopal Church (USA))
    • John of God
    • Philemon the actor
    • March 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Earliest day on which Canberra Day can fall, while March 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in March (Australian Capital Territory)
  • Earliest day on which Commonwealth Day can fall, while March 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in March (Commonwealth of Nations)
  • Earliest day on which Decoration Day can fall, while March 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Wednesday in March (Liberia)
  • Earliest day on which Passion Sunday can fall, while April 17 is the latest; observed on the fifth Sunday of Lent (Christianity)
  • International Women’s Day, and its related observances:
    • International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day

Similar Posts

  • March 25 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 708 – Pope Constantine succeeds Pope Sisinnius as the 88th pope.
    • 717 – Theodosius III resigns the throne to the Byzantine Empire to enter the clergy.
    • 919 – Romanos Lekapenos seizes the Boukoleon Palace in Constantinople and becomes regent of the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII.
    • 1000 – Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah assassinates the eunuch chief minister Barjawan and assumes control of the government.
    • 1306 – Robert the Bruce becomes King of Scots (Scotland).
    • 1409 – The Council of Pisa opens.
    • 1555 – The city of Valencia is founded in present-day Venezuela.
    • 1576 – Jerome Savage takes out a sub-lease to start the Newington Butts Theatre outside London.
    • 1584 – Sir Walter Raleigh is granted a patent to colonize Virginia.
    • 1655 – Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is discovered by Christiaan Huygens.
    • 1802 – The Treaty of Amiens is signed as a “Definitive Treaty of Peace” between France and the United Kingdom.
    • 1807 – The Slave Trade Act becomes law, abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire.
    • 1807 – The Swansea and Mumbles Railway, then known as the Oystermouth Railway, becomes the first passenger-carrying railway in the world.
    • 1811 – Percy Bysshe Shelley is expelled from the University of Oxford for publishing the pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism.
    • 1821 – Traditional date of the start of the Greek War of Independence. The war had actually begun on 23 February 1821 (Julian calendar).
    • 1845 – New Zealand Legislative Council pass the first Militia Act constituting the New Zealand Army.
    • 1865 – American Civil War: In Virginia, Confederate forces temporarily capture Fort Stedman from the Union.
    • 1894 – Coxey’s Army, the first significant American protest march, departs Massillon, Ohio for Washington, D.C.
    • 1911 – In New York City, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 garment workers.
    • 1917 – The Georgian Orthodox Church restores its autocephaly abolished by Imperial Russia in 1811.
    • 1918 – The Belarusian People’s Republic is established.
    • 1924 – On the anniversary of Greek Independence, Alexandros Papanastasiou proclaims the Second Hellenic Republic.
    • 1931 – The Scottsboro Boys are arrested in Alabama and charged with rape.
    • 1941 – The Kingdom of Yugoslavia joins the Axis powers with the signing of the Tripartite Pact.
    • 1947 – An explosion in a coal mine in Centralia, Illinois kills 111.
    • 1948 – The first successful tornado forecast predicts that a tornado will strike Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.
    • 1949 – More than 92,000 kulaks are suddenly deported from the Baltic states to Siberia.
    • 1957 – United States Customs seizes copies of Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Howl” on obscenity grounds.
    • 1957 – The European Economic Community is established with West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg as the first members.
    • 1965 – Civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King Jr. successfully complete their 4-day 50-mile march from Selma to the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama.
    • 1969 – During their honeymoon, John Lennon and Yoko Ono hold their first Bed-In for Peace at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel (until March 31).
    • 1971 – The Army of the Republic of Vietnam abandon an attempt to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos.
    • 1975 – Faisal of Saudi Arabia is shot and killed by a mentally ill nephew.
    • 1979 – The first fully functional Space Shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for its first launch.
    • 1988 – The Candle demonstration in Bratislava is the first mass demonstration of the 1980s against the communist regime in Czechoslovakia.
    • 1995 – WikiWikiWeb, the world’s first wiki, and part of the Portland Pattern Repository, is made public by Ward Cunningham.
    • 1996 – The European Union’s Veterinarian Committee bans the export of British beef and its by-products as a result of mad cow disease (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy).
    • 2006 – Capitol Hill massacre: A gunman kills six people before taking his own life at a party in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
    • 2006 – Protesters demanding a new election in Belarus, following the rigged 2006 Belarusian presidential election, clash with riot police. Opposition leader Aleksander Kozulin is among several protesters arrested.

    Births on March 25

    • 1252 – Conradin, Duke of Swabia (d. 1268)
    • 1259 – Andronikos II Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1332)
    • 1297 – Andronikos III Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (d. 1341)
    • 1297 – Arnošt of Pardubice, Polish archbishop (d. 1364)
    • 1345 – Blanche of Lancaster (d. 1369)
    • 1347 – Catherine of Siena, Italian philosopher, theologian, and saint (d. 1380)
    • 1404 – John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, English military leader (d. 1444)
    • 1414 – Thomas Clifford, 8th Baron de Clifford, English noble (d. 1455)
    • 1434 – Eustochia Smeralda Calafato, Italian saint (d. 1485)
    • 1453 – Giuliano de’ Medici (d. 1478)
    • 1479 – Vasili III of Russia (d. 1533)
    • 1491 – Marie d’Albret, Countess of Rethel (d. 1549)
    • 1510 – Guillaume Postel, French linguist (d. 1581)
    • 1538 – Christopher Clavius, German mathematician and astronomer (d. 1612)
    • 1541 – Francesco I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1587)
    • 1545 – John II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg (d. 1622)
    • 1546 – Giacomo Castelvetro, Italian writer (d. 1616)
    • 1593 – Jean de Brébeuf, French-Canadian missionary and saint (d. 1649)
    • 1611 – Evliya Çelebi, Ottoman Turk traveller and writer (d. 1682)
    • 1636 – Henric Piccardt, Dutch lawyer (d. 1712)
    • 1643 – Louis Moréri, French priest and scholar (d. 1680)
    • 1661 – Paul de Rapin, French soldier and historian (d. 1725)
    • 1699 – Johann Adolph Hasse, German singer and composer (d. 1783)
    • 1741 – Jean-Antoine Houdon, French sculptor and educator (d. 1828)
    • 1745 – John Barry, American naval officer and father of the American navy (d. 1803)
    • 1767 – Joachim Murat, French general (d. 1815)
    • 1782 – Caroline Bonaparte, French daughter of Carlo Buonaparte (d. 1839)
    • 1800 – Ernst Heinrich Karl von Dechen, German geologist and academic (d. 1889)
    • 1808 – José de Espronceda, Spanish poet and author (d. 1842)
    • 1824 – Clinton L. Merriam, American banker and politician (d. 1900)
    • 1840 – Myles Keogh, Irish-American colonel (d. 1876)
    • 1863 – Simon Flexner, American physician and academic (d. 1946)
    • 1867 – Gutzon Borglum, American sculptor, designed Mount Rushmore (d. 1941)
    • 1867 – Arturo Toscanini, Italian-American cellist and conductor (d. 1957)
    • 1868 – Bill Lockwood, English cricketer (d. 1932)
    • 1871 – Louis Perrée, French fencer (d. 1924)
    • 1872 – Horatio Nelson Jackson, American race car driver and physician (d. 1955)
    • 1873 – Rudolf Rocker, German-American author and activist (d. 1958)
    • 1874 – Selim Sırrı Tarcan, Turkish educator and politician (d. 1957)
    • 1876 – Irving Baxter, American jumper and pole vaulter (d. 1957)
    • 1877 – Walter Little, Canadian politician (d. 1961)
    • 1878 – František Janda-Suk, Czech discus thrower and shot putter (d. 1955)
    • 1879 – Amedee Reyburn, American swimmer and water polo player (d. 1920)
    • 1881 – Béla Bartók, Hungarian pianist and composer (d. 1945)
    • 1881 – Patrick Henry Bruce, American painter and educator (d. 1936)
    • 1881 – Mary Webb, English author and poet (d. 1927)
    • 1893 – Johannes Villemson, Estonian runner (d. 1971)
    • 1895 – Siegfried Handloser, German general and physician (d. 1954)
    • 1885 – Jimmy Seed, English international footballer, inside forward and manager (d. 1966)
    • 1897 – Leslie Averill, New Zealand doctor and soldier (d. 1981)
    • 1899 – François Rozet, French-Canadian actor (d. 1994)
    • 1901 – Ed Begley, American actor (d. 1970)
    • 1903 – Binnie Barnes, English-American actress (d. 1998)
    • 1903 – Frankie Carle, American pianist and bandleader (d. 2001)
    • 1903 – Nahum Norbert Glatzer, Ukrainian-American theologian and scholar (d. 1990)
    • 1904 – Pete Johnson, American boogie-woogie and jazz pianist (d. 1967)
    • 1905 – Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim, German colonel (d. 1944)
    • 1906 – Jean Sablon, French singer and actor (d. 1994)
    • 1906 – A. J. P. Taylor, English historian and academic (d. 1990)
    • 1908 – David Lean, English director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1991)
    • 1910 – Magda Olivero, Italian soprano (d. 2014)
    • 1910 – Benzion Netanyahu, Polish-Israeli historian and academic (d. 2012)
    • 1912 – Melita Norwood, English civil servant and spy (d. 2005)
    • 1912 – Jean Vilar, French actor and director (d. 1971)
    • 1913 – Reo Stakis, Cypriot-Scottish businessman, founded Stakis Hotels (d. 2001)
    • 1914 – Norman Borlaug, American agronomist and humanitarian, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2009)
    • 1915 – Dorothy Squires, Welsh singer (d. 1998)
    • 1916 – S. M. Pandit, Indian painter and educator (d. 1993)
    • 1918 – Howard Cosell, American soldier, journalist, and author (d. 1995)
    • 1920 – Paul Scott, English author, poet, and playwright (d. 1978)
    • 1920 – Patrick Troughton, English actor (d. 1987)
    • 1920 – Usha Mehta, Gandhian and freedom fighter of India (d. 2000)
    • 1921 – Nancy Kelly, American actress (d. 1995)
    • 1921 – Simone Signoret, French actress (d. 1985)
    • 1922 – Eileen Ford, American businesswoman, co-founded Ford Models (d. 2014)
    • 1923 – Bonnie Guitar, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2019)
    • 1923 – Wim van Est, Dutch cyclist (d. 2003)
    • 1924 – Roberts Blossom, American actor (d. 2011)
    • 1924 – Machiko Kyō, Japanese actress (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Flannery O’Connor, American short story writer and novelist (d. 1964)
    • 1925 – Anthony Quinton, Baron Quinton, English physician and philosopher (d. 2010)
    • 1925 – Kishori Sinha, Indian politician, social activist and advocate (d. 2016)
    • 1926 – Riz Ortolani, Italian composer and conductor (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – László Papp, Hungarian boxer (d. 2003)
    • 1926 – Jaime Sabines, Mexican poet and politician (d. 1999)
    • 1926 – Gene Shalit, American journalist and critic
    • 1927 – P. Shanmugam, Indian politician, 13th Chief Minister of Puducherry (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Jim Lovell, American captain, pilot, and astronaut
    • 1928 – Gunnar Nielsen, Danish runner and typographer (d. 1985)
    • 1928 – Hans Steinbrenner, German sculptor (d. 2008)
    • 1929 – Cecil Taylor, American pianist and composer (d. 2018)
    • 1930 – David Burge, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2013)
    • 1930 – Carlo Mauri, Italian mountaineer and explorer (d. 1982)
    • 1930 – Rudy Minarcin, American baseball player and coach (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Humphrey Burton, English radio and television host
    • 1932 – Penelope Gilliatt, English novelist, short story writer, and critic (d. 1993)
    • 1932 – Wes Santee, American runner (d. 2010)
    • 1934 – Johnny Burnette, American singer-songwriter (d. 1964)
    • 1934 – Bernard King, Australian actor and chef (d. 2002)
    • 1934 – Karlheinz Schreiber, German-Canadian businessman
    • 1934 – Gloria Steinem, American feminist activist, co-founded the Women’s Media Center
    • 1935 – Gabriel Elorde, Filipino boxer (d. 1985)
    • 1936 – Carl Kaufmann, American-German sprinter (d. 2008)
    • 1937 – Tom Monaghan, American businessman, founded Domino’s Pizza
    • 1938 – Hoyt Axton, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1999)
    • 1938 – Daniel Buren, French sculptor and painter
    • 1938 – Fritz d’Orey, Brazilian race car driver
    • 1939 – Toni Cade Bambara, American author, academic, and activist (d. 1995)
    • 1939 – D. C. Fontana, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2019)
    • 1941 – Gudmund Hernes, Norwegian sociologist and politician, Norwegian Minister of Education and Research
    • 1942 – Aretha Franklin, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2018)
    • 1942 – Richard O’Brien, English actor and screenwriter
    • 1942 – Kim Woodburn, English television host
    • 1943 – Paul Michael Glaser, American actor and director
    • 1945 – Leila Diniz, Brazilian actress (d. 1972)
    • 1946 – Cliff Balsom, English footballer
    • 1946 – Daniel Bensaïd, French philosopher and author (d. 2010)
    • 1946 – Stephen Hunter, American author and critic
    • 1946 – Maurice Krafft, French volcanologist (d. 1991)
    • 1947 – Richard Cork, English historian and critic
    • 1947 – Elton John, English singer-songwriter, pianist, producer, and actor
    • 1948 – Bonnie Bedelia, American actress
    • 1948 – Michael Stanley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1949 – Ronnie Flanagan, Northern Irish Chief Constable (Royal Irish Constabulary, Police Service of Northern Ireland)
    • 1949 – Sue Klebold, American activist
    • 1950 – Chuck Greenberg, American saxophonist, songwriter, and producer (d. 1995)
    • 1950 – Ronnie McDowell, American singer-songwriter
    • 1950 – David Paquette, American-New Zealander pianist
    • 1951 – Jumbo Tsuruta, Japanese wrestler (d. 2000)
    • 1952 – Stephen Dorrell, English soldier and politician, Secretary of State for Health
    • 1952 – Antanas Mockus, Colombian mathematician, philosopher, and politician, Mayor of Bogotá
    • 1953 – Robert Fox, English producer and manager
    • 1953 – Vesna Pusić, Croatian sociologist and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia
    • 1953 – Haroon Rasheed, Pakistani cricketer and coach
    • 1954 – Thom Loverro, American journalist and author
    • 1955 – Daniel Boulud, French chef and author
    • 1955 – Lee Mazzilli, American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1957 – Christina Boxer, English runner and journalist
    • 1957 – Jonathan Michie, English economist and academic
    • 1957 – Aleksandr Puchkov, Russian hurdler
    • 1957 – Jim Uhls, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1958 – Lorna Brown, Canadian artist, curator, and writer
    • 1958 – Susie Bright, American journalist, author, and critic
    • 1958 – Sisy Chen, Taiwanese journalist and politician
    • 1958 – María Caridad Colón, Cuban javelin thrower and shot putter
    • 1958 – John Ensign, American physician and politician
    • 1958 – Ray Tanner, American baseball player and coach
    • 1958 – Åsa Torstensson, Swedish politician, 3rd Swedish Minister for Infrastructure
    • 1960 – Steve Norman, English saxophonist, songwriter, and producer
    • 1960 – Peter O’Brien, Australian actor
    • 1960 – Brenda Strong, American actress
    • 1961 – Mark Brooks, American golfer
    • 1962 – Marcia Cross, American actress
    • 1962 – David Nuttall, English lawyer and politician
    • 1963 – Karen Bruce, English dancer and choreographer
    • 1963 – Velle Kadalipp, Estonian architect
    • 1963 – Andrew O’Connor, British actor, comedian, magician, television presenter and executive producer
    • 1964 – René Meulensteen, Dutch footballer and coach
    • 1964 – Ken Wregget, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1964 – Norm Duke, American bowler
    • 1965 – Avery Johnson, American basketball player and coach
    • 1965 – Stefka Kostadinova, Bulgarian high jumper
    • 1965 – Sarah Jessica Parker, American actress, producer, and designer
    • 1966 – Tom Glavine, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1966 – Humberto Gonzalez, Mexican boxer
    • 1966 – Jeff Healey, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2008)
    • 1966 – Anton Rogan, Northern Irish footballer
    • 1967 – Matthew Barney, American sculptor and photographer
    • 1967 – Doug Stanhope, American comedian and actor
    • 1967 – Debi Thomas, American figure skater and physician
    • 1969 – George Chlitsios, Greek conductor and composer
    • 1969 – Dale Davis, American basketball player
    • 1969 – Cathy Dennis, English singer-songwriter, record producer and actress
    • 1969 – Jeffrey Walker, English singer-songwriter and bass player
    • 1970 – Magnus Larsson, Swedish golfer
    • 1971 – Stacy Dragila, American pole vaulter and coach
    • 1971 – Cammi Granato, American ice hockey player and sportscaster
    • 1971 – Sheryl Swoopes, American basketball player and coach
    • 1972 – Giniel de Villiers, South African race car driver
    • 1972 – Phil O’Donnell, Scottish footballer (d. 2007)
    • 1973 – Michaela Dorfmeister, Austrian skier
    • 1973 – Anders Fridén, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1973 – Bob Sura, American basketball player
    • 1974 – Serge Betsen, Cameroonian-French rugby player
    • 1974 – Lark Voorhies, American actress and singer
    • 1975 – Ladislav Benýšek, Czech ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Melanie Blatt, English singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1975 – Erika Heynatz, Papua New Guinean-Australian model and actress
    • 1976 – Francie Bellew, Irish footballer
    • 1976 – Lars Figura, German sprinter
    • 1976 – Wladimir Klitschko, Ukrainian boxer
    • 1976 – Rima Wakarua, New Zealand-Italian rugby player
    • 1977 – Natalie Clein, English cellist and educator
    • 1977 – Andrew Lindsay, Scottish rower
    • 1978 – Gennaro Delvecchio, Italian footballer
    • 1979 – Muriel Hurtis-Houairi, French sprinter
    • 1980 – Kathrine Sørland, Norwegian fashion model and television presenter
    • 1982 – Danica Patrick, American race car driver
    • 1982 – Álvaro Saborío, Costa Rican footballer
    • 1982 – Jenny Slate, American comedian, actress and author
    • 1983 – Mickaël Hanany, French high jumper
    • 1984 – Katharine McPhee, American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1984 – Liam Messam, New Zealand rugby player
    • 1985 – Carmen Rasmusen, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1985 – Diana Rennik, Estonian figure skater
    • 1986 – Marco Belinelli, Italian basketball player
    • 1986 – Megan Gibson, American softball player
    • 1986 – Kyle Lowry, American basketball player
    • 1986 – Mickey Paea, Australian rugby league player
    • 1987 – Jacob Bagersted, Danish handball player
    • 1987 – Victor Obinna, Nigerian footballer
    • 1987 – Nobunari Oda, Japanese figure skater
    • 1988 – Big Sean, American rapper, singer and songwriter
    • 1988 – Mitchell Watt, Australian long jumper
    • 1988 – Arthur Zeiler, German rugby player
    • 1989 – Aly Michalka, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1989 – Scott Sinclair, English footballer
    • 1990 – Mehmet Ekici, Turkish footballer
    • 1990 – Alexander Esswein, German footballer
    • 1991 – Scott Malone, English footballer, left-back
    • 1993 – Jacob Gagan, Australian rugby league player
    • 1993 – Sam Johnstone, English footballer
    • 1994 – Justine Dufour-Lapointe, Canadian skier

    Deaths on March 25

    • 908 – Li Kening, Chinese general
    • 940 – Taira no Masakado, Japanese samurai
    • 990 – Nicodemus of Mammola, Italian monk and saint
    • 1005 – Kenneth III, king of Scotland
    • 1051 – Hugh IV, French nobleman
    • 1189 – Frederick, duke of Bohemia
    • 1223 – Alfonso II, king of Portugal (b. 1185)
    • 1351 – Kō no Moronao, Japanese samurai
    • 1351 – Kō no Moroyasu, Japanese samurai
    • 1392 – Hosokawa Yoriyuki, Japanese samurai
    • 1458 – Íñigo López de Mendoza, 1st Marquis of Santillana, Spanish poet and politician (b. 1398)
    • 1558 – Marcos de Niza, French friar and explorer (b. 1495)
    • 1603 – Ikoma Chikamasa, Japanese daimyō (b. 1526)
    • 1609 – Olaus Martini, Swedish archbishop (b. 1557)
    • 1609 – Isabelle de Limeuil, French noble (b. 1535)
    • 1620 – Johannes Nucius, German composer and theorist (b. 1556)
    • 1625 – Giambattista Marino, Italian poet and author (b. 1569)
    • 1658 – Herman IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburg, German nobleman (b. 1607)
    • 1677 – Wenceslaus Hollar, Czech-English painter and etcher (b. 1607)
    • 1701 – Jean Regnault de Segrais, French poet and novelist (b. 1624)
    • 1712 – Nehemiah Grew, English anatomist and physiologist (b. 1641)
    • 1732 – Lucy Filippini, Italian teacher and saint (b. 1672)
    • 1736 – Nicholas Hawksmoor, English architect, designed Easton Neston and Christ Church (b. 1661)
    • 1738 – Turlough O’Carolan, Irish harp player and composer (b. 1670)
    • 1801 – Novalis, German poet and author (b. 1772)
    • 1818 – Caspar Wessel, Norwegian-Danish mathematician and cartographer (b. 1745)
    • 1857 – William Colgate, English-American businessman and philanthropist, founded Colgate-Palmolive (b. 1783)
    • 1860 – James Braid, Scottish-English surgeon (b. 1795)
    • 1869 – Edward Bates, American politician and lawyer (b. 1793)
    • 1873 – Wilhelm Marstrand, Danish painter and illustrator (b. 1810)
    • 1907 – Ernst von Bergmann, Latvian-German surgeon and academic (b. 1836)
    • 1908 – Durham Stevens, American diplomat (b. 1851)
    • 1914 – Frédéric Mistral, French lexicographer and poet, 1904 Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1830)
    • 1917 – Elizabeth Storrs Mead, American academic (b. 1832)
    • 1918 – Claude Debussy, French composer (b. 1862)
    • 1918 – Peter Martin, Australian footballer and soldier (b. 1875)
    • 1927 – Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas, Palestinian Roman Catholic nun; later canonized (b. 1843)
    • 1931 – Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, Indian journalist and politician (b. 1890)
    • 1931 – Ida B. Wells, American journalist and activist (b. 1862)
    • 1932 – Harriet Backer, Norwegian painter (b.1845)
    • 1942 – William Carr, American rower (b. 1876)
    • 1951 – Eddie Collins, American baseball player and manager (b. 1887)
    • 1956 – Lou Moore, American race car driver (b. 1904)
    • 1956 – Robert Newton, English actor (b. 1905)
    • 1957 – Max Ophüls, German-American director and screenwriter (b. 1902)
    • 1958 – Tom Brown, American trombonist (b. 1888)
    • 1964 – Charles Benjamin Howard, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1885)
    • 1965 – Viola Liuzzo, American civil rights activist (b. 1925)
    • 1969 – Billy Cotton, English singer, drummer, and bandleader (b. 1899)
    • 1969 – Max Eastman, American poet and activist (b. 1883)
    • 1973 – Jakob Sildnik, Estonian photographer and director (b. 1883)
    • 1973 – Edward Steichen, Luxembourgian-American photographer, painter, and curator (b. 1879)
    • 1975 – Juan Gaudino, Argentinian race car driver (b. 1893)
    • 1975 – Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabian king (b. 1906)
    • 1975 – Deiva Zivarattinam, Indian lawyer and politician (b. 1894)
    • 1976 – Josef Albers, German-American painter and educator (b. 1888)
    • 1976 – Benjamin Miessner, American radio engineer and inventor (b. 1890)
    • 1979 – Robert Madgwick, Australian colonel and academic (b. 1905)
    • 1979 – Akinoumi Setsuo, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 37th Yokozuna (b. 1914)
    • 1980 – Milton H. Erickson, American psychiatrist and psychologist (b. 1901)
    • 1980 – Walter Susskind, Czech-English conductor and educator (b. 1913)
    • 1982 – Goodman Ace, American comedian and writer (b. 1899)
    • 1983 – Bob Waterfield, American football player and coach (b. 1920)
    • 1986 – Gloria Blondell, American actress (b. 1910)
    • 1987 – A. W. Mailvaganam, Sri Lankan physicist and academic (b. 1906)
    • 1988 – Robert Joffrey, American dancer, choreographer, and director, co-founded the Joffrey Ballet (b. 1930)
    • 1991 – Marcel Lefebvre, French-Swiss archbishop (b. 1905)
    • 1992 – Nancy Walker, American actress, singer, and director (b. 1922)
    • 1994 – Angelines Fernández, Spanish-Mexican actress (b. 1922)
    • 1994 – Bernard Kangro, Estonian poet and journalist (b. 1910)
    • 1994 – Max Petitpierre, Swiss jurist and politician (b. 1899)
    • 1995 – James Samuel Coleman, American sociologist and academic (b. 1926)
    • 1995 – John Hugenholtz, Dutch engineer (b. 1914)
    • 1996 – John Snagge, English journalist (b. 1904)
    • 1998 – Max Green, Australian lawyer (b. 1952)
    • 1998 – Steven Schiff, American lawyer and politician (b. 1947)
    • 1999 – Cal Ripken, Sr., American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1936)
    • 2000 – Helen Martin, American actress (b. 1909)
    • 2001 – Brian Trubshaw, English cricketer and pilot (b. 1924)
    • 2002 – Kenneth Wolstenholme, English journalist and sportscaster (b. 1920)
    • 2005 – Paul Henning, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1911)
    • 2006 – Bob Carlos Clarke, Irish photographer (b. 1950)
    • 2006 – Rocío Dúrcal, Spanish singer and actress (b. 1944)
    • 2006 – Richard Fleischer, American film director (b. 1916)
    • 2006 – Buck Owens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1929)
    • 2007 – Andranik Margaryan, Armenian engineer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Armenia (b. 1951)
    • 2008 – Ben Carnevale, American basketball player and coach (b. 1915)
    • 2008 – Thierry Gilardi, French journalist and sportscaster (b. 1958)
    • 2008 – Abby Mann, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1927)
    • 2008 – Herb Peterson, American businessman, created the McMuffin (b. 1919)
    • 2009 – Johnny Blanchard, American baseball player (b. 1933)
    • 2009 – Kosuke Koyama, Japanese-American theologian and academic (b. 1929)
    • 2009 – Dan Seals, American musician (b. 1948)
    • 2009 – Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu, Turkish politician and member of the Parliament of Turkey (b. 1954)
    • 2012 – Priscilla Buckley, American journalist and author (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Hal E. Chester, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – John Crosfield, English businessman, founded Crosfield Electronics (b. 1915)
    • 2012 – Edd Gould, English animator and voice actor, founded Eddsworld (b. 1988)
    • 2012 – Antonio Tabucchi, Italian author and academic (b. 1943)
    • 2013 – Léonce Bernard, Canadian politician, 26th Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (b. 1943)
    • 2013 – Ben Goldfaden, American basketball player and educator (b. 1913)
    • 2013 – Anthony Lewis, American journalist and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Jean Pickering, English runner and long jumper (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Jean-Marc Roberts, French author and screenwriter (b. 1954)
    • 2013 – John F. Wiley, American lieutenant, football player, and coach (b. 1920)
    • 2014 – Lorna Arnold, English historian and author (b. 1915)
    • 2014 – Hank Lauricella, American football player and politician (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – Jon Lord, Canadian businessman and politician (b. 1956)
    • 2014 – Sonny Ruberto, American baseball player, coach, and manager (b. 1946)
    • 2014 – Jonathan Schell, American journalist and author (b. 1943)
    • 2014 – Ralph Wilson, American businessman, founded the Buffalo Bills (b. 1918)
    • 2015 – George Fischbeck, American journalist and educator (b. 1922)
    • 2016 – Shannon Bolin, American actress and singer (b. 1917)
    • 2017 – Cuthbert Sebastian, St. Kitts and Nevis politician (b. 1921)
    • 2018 – Zell Miller, American author and politician (b. 1932)
    • 2019 – Scott Walker, American-born British singer-songwriter (b. 1943)[9]

    Holidays and observances on March 25

    • Anniversary of the Arengo and the Feast of the Militants (San Marino)
    • Christian feast days:
      • Ælfwold II of Sherborne
      • Barontius and Desiderius
      • Blessed Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghattas
      • Omelyan Kovch (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
      • Dismas, the “Good Thief”
      • Humbert of Maroilles
      • Quirinus of Tegernsee
      • March 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Cultural Workers Day (Russia)
    • Earliest day on which Seward’s Day can fall, while March 31 is the latest; celebrated on the last Monday in March. (Alaska)
    • Empress Menen’s Birthday (Rastafari)
    • EU Talent Day (European Union)
    • Feast of the Annunciation (Christianity), and its related observances (if March 25 falls in Holy Week or Easter Week the feast is moved to the Monday after the 2nd Sunday of Easter):
      • Historic start of the new year (Lady Day) in England, Wales, Ireland, and the future United States until the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1752. (The year 1751 began on 25 March; the year 1752 began on 1 January.) It is one of the four Quarter days in Ireland and England.
      • International Day of the Unborn Child (international)
      • Mother’s Day (Slovenia)
      • Vårfrudagen or Våffeldagen, “Waffle Day” (Sweden, Norway & Denmark)
    • Freedom Day (Belarus)
    • International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (international)
    • International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members (United Nations General Assembly)
    • Maryland Day (Maryland, United States)
    • Medal of Honor Day (United States)
    • Independence Day, celebrates the start of Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire, in 1821. (Greece)
    • NZ Army Day
    • Struggle for Human Rights Day (Slovakia)
    • Tolkien Reading Day