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  • March 31 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    It is the last day of the first quarter of the year.

    March 31 in History

    • 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Maximian.
    • 1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII is present, and joins the Crusade.
    • 1492 – Queen Isabella of Castile issues the Alhambra Decree, ordering her 150,000 Jewish and Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.
    • 1561 – The city of San Cristóbal, Táchira is founded.
    • 1717 – A sermon on “The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ” by Benjamin Hoadly, the Bishop of Bangor, preached in the presence of King George I of Great Britain, provokes the Bangorian Controversy.
    • 1774 – American Revolutionary War: The Kingdom of Great Britain orders the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act.
    • 1854 – Commodore Matthew Perry signs the Convention of Kanagawa with the Tokugawa Shogunate, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade.
    • 1885 – The United Kingdom establishes the Bechuanaland Protectorate.
    • 1889 – The Eiffel Tower is officially opened.
    • 1899 – Malolos, capital of the First Philippine Republic, is captured by American forces.
    • 1906 – The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (later the National Collegiate Athletic Association) is established to set rules for college sports in the United States.
    • 1909 – Serbia formally withdraws its opposition to Austro-Hungarian actions in the Bosnian Crisis.
    • 1913 – The Vienna Concert Society rioted during a performance of modernist music by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Alexander von Zemlinsky, and Anton von Webern, causing a premature end to the concert due to violence; this concert became known as the Skandalkonzert.
    • 1917 – According to the terms of the Treaty of the Danish West Indies, the islands become American possessions.
    • 1918 – Massacre of ethnic Azerbaijanis is committed by allied armed groups of Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Bolsheviks. Nearly 12,000 Azerbaijani Muslims are killed.
    • 1918 – Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States for the first time.
    • 1921 – The Royal Australian Air Force is formed.
    • 1930 – The Motion Picture Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty-eight years.
    • 1931 – An earthquake in Nicaragua destroys Managua; killing 2,000.
    • 1931 – A Transcontinental & Western Air airliner crashes near Bazaar, Kansas, killing eight, including University of Notre Dame head football coach Knute Rockne.
    • 1933 – The Civilian Conservation Corps is established with the mission of relieving rampant unemployment in the United States.
    • 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces invade Christmas Island, then a British possession.
    • 1945 – World War II: A defecting German pilot delivers a Messerschmitt Me 262A-1, the world’s first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft, to the Americans, the first to fall into Allied hands.
    • 1949 – The Dominion of Newfoundland joins the Canadian Confederation and becomes the 10th Province of Canada.
    • 1951 – Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau.
    • 1957 – Elections to the Territorial Assembly of the French colony Upper Volta are held. After the elections PDU and MDV form a government.
    • 1958 – In the Canadian federal election, the Progressive Conservatives, led by John Diefenbaker, win the largest percentage of seats in Canadian history, with 208 seats of 265.
    • 1959 – The 14th Dalai Lama, crosses the border into India and is granted political asylum.
    • 1964 – Brazilian General Olímpio Mourão Filho orders his troops to move towards Rio de Janeiro, beginning the coup d’état.
    • 1966 – The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon.
    • 1968 – American President Lyndon B. Johnson speaks to the nation of “Steps to Limit the War in Vietnam” in a television address. At the conclusion of his speech, he announces: “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President.”
    • 1970 – Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere after 12 years in orbit.
    • 1980 – The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operates its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets because of bankruptcy and debts owed to creditors.
    • 1985 – The first WrestleMania, the biggest wrestling event from the WWE (then the WWF), takes place in Madison Square Garden in New York City.
    • 1990 – Approximately 200,000 protesters take to the streets of London to protest against the newly introduced Poll Tax.
    • 1991 – Georgian independence referendum: Nearly 99 percent of the voters support the country’s independence from the Soviet Union.
    • 1992 – The USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, is decommissioned in Long Beach, California.
    • 1992 – The Treaty of Federation is signed in Moscow.
    • 1995 – TAROM Flight 371, an Airbus A310-300, crashes near Balotesti, Romania, killing all 60 people on board.
    • 1995 – Selena is murdered by her fan club’s president Yolanda Saldívar at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas after accusations of Saldívar embezzling money from Selena’s fan club.
    • 1998 – Netscape releases Mozilla source code under an open source license.
    • 2004 – Iraq War in Anbar Province: In Fallujah, Iraq, four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed after being ambushed.
    • 2018 – Start of the 2018 Armenian revolution.

    Births on March 31

    • 1360 – Philippa of Lancaster (d. 1415)
    • 1499 – Pope Pius IV (d. 1565)
    • 1504 – Guru Angad, Indian religious leader (d. 1552)
    • 1519 – Henry II of France (d. 1559)
    • 1536 – Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese shōgun (d. 1565)
    • 1596 – René Descartes, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1650)
    • 1601 – Jakov Mikalja, Italian linguist and lexicographer (d. 1654)
    • 1621 – Andrew Marvell, English poet and politician (d. 1678)
    • 1651 – Charles II, Elector Palatine, German husband of Princess Wilhelmine Ernestine of Denmark (d. 1685)
    • 1675 – Pope Benedict XIV (d. 1758)
    • 1718 – Mariana Victoria of Spain (d. 1781)
    • 1723 – Frederick V of Denmark (d. 1766)
    • 1730 – Étienne Bézout, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1783)
    • 1732 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1809)
    • 1740 – Panoutsos Notaras, Greek politician (d. 1849)
    • 1747 – Johann Abraham Peter Schulz, German pianist and composer (d. 1800)
    • 1777 – Charles Cagniard de la Tour, French physicist and engineer (d. 1859)
    • 1778 – Coenraad Jacob Temminck, Dutch zoologist and ornithologist (d. 1858)
    • 1794 – Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan, American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1852)
    • 1809 – Edward FitzGerald, English poet and translator (d. 1883)
    • 1809 – Nikolai Gogol, Ukrainian-Russian short story writer, novelist, and playwright (d. 1852)
    • 1809 – Otto Lindblad, Swedish composer (d. 1864)
    • 1813 – Félix María Zuloaga, Mexican general and unconstitutional interim president (1858 and 1860–1862) (d. 1898)
    • 1819 – Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (d. 1901)
    • 1823 – Mary Boykin Chesnut, American author (d. 1886)
    • 1833 – Mary Abigail Dodge, American writer and essayist (d. 1896)
    • 1835 – John La Farge, American artist (d. 1910)
    • 1847 – Hermann de Pourtalès, Swiss sailor (d. 1904)
    • 1847 – Yegor Ivanovich Zolotarev, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1878)
    • 1851 – Francis Bell, Jewish New Zealand lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1936)
    • 1855 – Alfred E. Hunt, American businessman (d. 1899)
    • 1859 – Emil Fenyvessy, Hungarian actor and screenwriter (d. 1924)
    • 1865 – Anandi Gopal Joshi, Indian physician (d. 1887)
    • 1871 – Arthur Griffith, Irish journalist and politician, 3rd President of Dáil Éireann (d. 1922)
    • 1872 – Sergei Diaghilev, Russian ballet manager and critic, founded the Ballets Russes (d. 1929)
    • 1874 – Benjamín G. Hill, Mexican revolutionary general, governor of Sonora (d. 1920)
    • 1874 – Henri Marteau, French violinist and composer (d. 1934)
    • 1876 – Borisav Stanković, Serbian author (d. 1927)
    • 1878 – Jack Johnson, American boxer (d. 1946)
    • 1884 – Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-American astronomer and academic (d. 1946)
    • 1885 – Pascin, Sephardi Jewish Bulgarian-American painter and illustrator (d. 1930)
    • 1890 – Ben Adams, American jumper (d. 1961)
    • 1890 – William Lawrence Bragg, Australian-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
    • 1891 – Victor Varconi, Hungarian-American actor and director (d. 1976)
    • 1893 – Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor and manager (d. 1954)
    • 1893 – Herbert Meinhard Mühlpfordt, German physician and historian (d. 1982)
    • 1895 – Vardis Fisher, American author and academic (d. 1968)
    • 1900 – Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (d. 1974)
    • 1905 – Robert Stevenson, English director and screenwriter (d. 1986)
    • 1905 – George Treweek, Australian rugby league player (d. 1991)
    • 1906 – Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
    • 1908 – Red Norvo, American vibraphone player and composer (d. 1999)
    • 1911 – Freddie Green, American guitarist (d. 1987)
    • 1911 – Elisabeth Grümmer, German soprano (d. 1986)
    • 1912 – William Lederer, American soldier and author (d. 2009)
    • 1913 – Etta Baker, African-American singer and guitarist (d. 2006)
    • 1914 – Octavio Paz, Mexican poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
    • 1914 – Dagmar Lange, Swedish author (d. 1991)
    • 1915 – Albert Hourani, English historian and author (d. 1993)
    • 1915 – Shoichi Yokoi, Japanese sergeant (d. 1997)
    • 1916 – Lucille Bliss, American voice actress (d. 2012)
    • 1916 – Tommy Bolt, American golfer (d. 2008)
    • 1916 – John H. Wood, Jr., American lawyer and judge (d. 1979)
    • 1917 – Dorothy DeLay, American violinist and educator (d. 2002)
    • 1918 – Ted Post, American director (d. 2013)
    • 1919 – Frank Akins, American football player (d. 1993)
    • 1920 – Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, British aristocrat, socialite and author (d. 2014)
    • 1921 – Lowell Fulson, African-American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
    • 1921 – Peggy Rea, American actress and casting director (d. 2011)
    • 1922 – Richard Kiley, American actor and singer (d. 1999)
    • 1922 – Patrick Magee, Irish actor (d. 1982)
    • 1923 – Don Barksdale, American basketball player (d. 1993)
    • 1923 – François Sermon, Belgian footballer (d. 2013)
    • 1924 – Leo Buscaglia, American author and academic (d. 1998)
    • 1924 – Charles Guggenheim, American director and producer (d. 2002)
    • 1925 – Jean Coutu, Canadian actor and director (d. 1999)
    • 1926 – John Fowles, English novelist (d. 2005)
    • 1926 – Beni Montresor, Italian director, set designer, author, and illustrator (d. 2001)
    • 1926 – Rocco Petrone, American colonel and engineer (d. 2006)
    • 1927 – Cesar Chavez, American labor union leader and activist (d. 1993)
    • 1927 – William Daniels, American actor
    • 1927 – Eduardo Martínez Somalo, Spanish cardinal
    • 1927 – Vladimir Ilyushin, Russian pilot (d. 2010)
    • 1927 – Elmer Diedtrich, American businessman and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1927 – Bud MacPherson, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1988)
    • 1928 – Lefty Frizzell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
    • 1928 – Gordie Howe, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2016)
    • 1929 – Liz Claiborne, Belgian-American fashion designer, founded Liz Claiborne Inc. (d. 2007)
    • 1929 – Bert Fields, American lawyer and author
    • 1930 – Yehuda Nir, Polish Jewish-American psychiatrist (d. 2014)
    • 1930 – Jim Mutscheller, American football player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1931 – Miller Barber, American golfer (d. 2013)
    • 1931 – Tamara Tyshkevich, Belarusian shot putter (d. 1997)
    • 1932 – John Jakes, American author
    • 1932 – Nagisa Oshima, Japanese director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1933 – Anita Carter, American singer-songwriter and bassist (d. 1999)
    • 1933 – Nichita Stănescu, Romanian poet (d. 1983)
    • 1934 – Richard Chamberlain, American actor
    • 1934 – Shirley Jones, American actress and singer
    • 1934 – John D. Loudermilk, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
    • 1934 – Carlo Rubbia, Italian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1934 – Kamala Surayya, Indian poet and author (d. 2009)
    • 1935 – Herb Alpert, American singer-songwriter, trumpet player, and producer
    • 1935 – Judith Rossner, Jewish-American author (d. 2005)
    • 1936 – Marge Piercy, American poet and novelist
    • 1936 – Walter E. Williams, American economist and academic
    • 1938 – Patrick Bateson, English biologist and academic (d. 2017)
    • 1938 – Sheila Dikshit, Indian politician, 22nd Governor of Kerala (d. 2019)
    • 1938 – Antje Gleichfeld, German runner
    • 1938 – Bill Hicke, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 2005)
    • 1938 – Tõnno Lepmets, Estonian basketball player (d. 2005)
    • 1938 – Arthur B. Rubinstein, American pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 2018)
    • 1938 – David Steel, Scottish academic and politician
    • 1939 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgian anthropologist and politician, 1st President of Georgia (d. 1993)
    • 1939 – Israel Horovitz, American actor, director, and screenwriter
    • 1939 – Walker David Miller, American lawyer and judge (d. 2013)
    • 1939 – Volker Schlöndorff, German director and producer
    • 1939 – Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, German footballer
    • 1940 – Brian Ackland-Snow, English production designer and art director (d. 2013)
    • 1940 – Barney Frank, American lawyer and politician
    • 1940 – Patrick Leahy, American lawyer and politician
    • 1941 – Franco Bonvicini, Italian author and illustrator (d. 1995)
    • 1941 – Faith Leech, Australian swimmer (d. 2013)
    • 1942 – Ulla Hoffmann, Swedish politician
    • 1942 – Hugh McCracken, American guitarist and producer (d. 2013)
    • 1942 – Michael Savage, far-right American radio host and author
    • 1943 – Roy Andersson, Swedish director and screenwriter
    • 1943 – Deirdre Clancy, English costume designer
    • 1943 – Christopher Walken, American actor
    • 1944 – Pascal Danel, French singer-songwriter
    • 1944 – Angus King, American politician
    • 1944 – Mick Ralphs, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1945 – Edwin Catmull, American computer scientist and engineer
    • 1945 – Gabe Kaplan, American actor and comedian
    • 1945 – Myfanwy Talog, Welsh actress (d. 1995)
    • 1946 – Gonzalo Márquez, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 1984)
    • 1946 – Bob Russell, English politician
    • 1947 – Augustin Banyaga, Rwandan-American mathematician and academic
    • 1947 – Wendy Overton, American tennis player
    • 1947 – Kristian Blak, Danish-Faroese pianist, composer, and producer
    • 1947 – Don Foster, English academic and politician
    • 1947 – César Gaviria, Colombian economist and politician, 36th President of Colombia
    • 1947 – Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Israeli physicist and economist (d. 2011)
    • 1948 – Gary Doer, Canadian politician and diplomat, 20th Premier of Manitoba
    • 1948 – Al Gore, American soldier and politician, 45th Vice President of the United States and Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1948 – Rhea Perlman, American actress
    • 1948 – Gustaaf Van Cauter, Belgian cyclist
    • 1949 – Gilles Gilbert, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1950 – András Adorján, Hungarian chess player and author
    • 1950 – Ed Marinaro, American football player and actor
    • 1950 – Sandra Morgen, American anthropologist and academic (d. 2016)
    • 1953 – Dennis Kamakahi, American guitarist and composer (d. 2014)
    • 1955 – Svetozar Marović, President of Serbia and Montenegro
    • 1955 – Angus Young, Scottish-Australian guitarist and songwriter
    • 1957 – Alan Duncan, English businessman and politician, former Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
    • 1959 – Markus Hediger, Swiss poet and translator
    • 1959 – Anita Dillen, Dutch socialite and member of wealthy Dillen family, niece of Cor Dillen, Coen Dillen
    • 1961 – Ron Brown, American sprinter and football player
    • 1961 – Howard Gordon, American screenwriter and producer
    • 1962 – Olli Rehn, Finnish footballer and politician
    • 1963 – Paul Mercurio, Australian actor and dancer
    • 1964 – Mark Hoban, English accountant and politician
    • 1965 – Tom Barrasso, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1965 – Patty Fendick, American tennis player and coach
    • 1965 – Jean-Christophe Lafaille, French mountaineer (d. 2006)
    • 1965 – William McNamara, American actor and producer
    • 1965 – Steven T. Seagle, American author and screenwriter
    • 1966 – Roger Black, English runner and journalist
    • 1966 – Nick Firestone, American race car driver
    • 1968 – César Sampaio, Brazilian footballer
    • 1969 – Nyamko Sabuni, Burundian-Swedish politician
    • 1969 – Steve Smith, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1970 – Alenka Bratušek, Slovenian politician, 7th Prime Minister of Slovenia
    • 1971 – Demetris Assiotis, Cypriot footballer
    • 1971 – Martin Atkinson, English footballer and referee
    • 1971 – Pavel Bure, Russian ice hockey player
    • 1971 – Craig McCracken, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1971 – Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor
    • 1972 – Alejandro Amenábar, Chilean-Spanish director and screenwriter
    • 1972 – Andrew Bowen, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1972 – Luca Gentili, Italian footballer and coach
    • 1972 – Evan Williams, American businessman, co-founded Twitter and Pyra Labs
    • 1973 – Christopher Hampson, English ballet dancer and choreographer
    • 1974 – Benjamin Eicher, German director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1974 – Natali, Russian singer, composer and songwriter
    • 1974 – Stefan Olsdal, Swedish bass player
    • 1974 – Jani Sievinen, Finnish swimmer
    • 1975 – Adam Green, American director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1975 – Nathan Grey, Australian rugby player and coach
    • 1975 – Cameron Murray, Scottish rugby player
    • 1975 – Ryan Rupe, American baseball player
    • 1976 – Howard Frier, American basketball player
    • 1976 – Igors Sļesarčuks, Latvian-Russian footballer
    • 1976 – Graeme Smith, Scottish swimmer
    • 1977 – Toshiya, Japanese bass player, songwriter, and producer
    • 1977 – Garth Tander, Australian race car driver
    • 1978 – Michael Clark, Australian cricketer and footballer
    • 1978 – Stephen Clemence, English footballer, midfeider and manager
    • 1978 – Jarrod Cooper, American football player
    • 1978 – Jérôme Rothen, French footballer
    • 1979 – Omri Afek, Israeli footballer
    • 1979 – Euan Burton, Scottish martial artist and coach
    • 1979 – Alexis Ferrero, Argentinian footballer
    • 1979 – Charlie Manning, American baseball player
    • 1979 – Jonna Mendes, American skier
    • 1979 – Rhys Wesser, Australian rugby league player
    • 1980 – Martin Albrechtsen, Danish footballer
    • 1980 – Karolina Lassbo, Swedish lawyer and blogger
    • 1980 – Matias Concha, Swedish footballer
    • 1980 – Kate Micucci, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
    • 1980 – Michael Ryder, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1981 – Ryan Bingham, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1981 – Thomas Chatelle, Belgian footballer
    • 1981 – Han Tae-you, South Korean footballer
    • 1981 – Pa Dembo Touray, Gambian footballer
    • 1981 – Maarten van der Weijden, Dutch swimmer
    • 1982 – Tal Ben Haim, Israeli footballer
    • 1982 – Bam Childress, American football player
    • 1982 – Audrey Kawasaki, American painter
    • 1983 – Hashim Amla, South African cricketer
    • 1983 – Ashleigh Ball, Canadian voice actress and musician
    • 1983 – Sophie Hunger, Swiss-German musician
    • 1983 – Vlasios Maras, Greek gymnast
    • 1983 – Nigel Plum, Australian rugby league player
    • 1984 – David Clarkson, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1984 – Eddie Johnson, American soccer player
    • 1984 – James Jones, American football player
    • 1984 – Martins Dukurs, Latvian sled racer
    • 1984 – Kaie Kand, Estonian heptathlete
    • 1984 – Alberto Junior Rodríguez, Peruvian footballer
    • 1984 – Ed Williamson, English rugby player
    • 1985 – Steve Bernier, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1985 – Jo-Lonn Dunbar, American football player
    • 1985 – Jesper Hansen, Danish footballer
    • 1985 – Ivan Mishyn, Ukrainian race car driver
    • 1985 – Kory Sheets, American football player
    • 1985 – Jalmar Sjöberg, Swedish wrestler
    • 1986 – Andreas Dober, Austrian footballer
    • 1986 – James King, Scottish rugby player
    • 1986 – Paulo Machado, Portuguese footballer
    • 1987 – Nordin Amrabat, Dutch footballer
    • 1987 – Hugo Ayala, Mexican footballer
    • 1987 – Amaury Bischoff, Portuguese footballer
    • 1987 – Humpy Koneru, Indian chess player
    • 1987 – Kirill Starkov, Danish ice hockey player
    • 1987 – Nelli Zhiganshina, Russian figure skater
    • 1988 – Thomas De Corte, Belgian footballer
    • 1988 – Conrad Sewell, Australian singer and songwriter
    • 1988 – Dorin Dickerson, American football player
    • 1988 – DeAndre Liggins, American basketball player
    • 1988 – Louis van der Westhuizen, Namibian cricketer
    • 1989 – Alberto Martín Romo García Adámez, Spanish footballer
    • 1989 – Nejc Vidmar, Slovenian footballer
    • 1989 – Liu Zige, Chinese swimmer
    • 1990 – George Iloka, American football player
    • 1990 – Sandra Roma, Swedish tennis player
    • 1990 – Bang Yong-guk, South Korean rapper
    • 1991 – Milan Milanović, Serbian footballer
    • 1991 – Rodney Sneijder, Dutch footballer
    • 1992 – Stijn de Looijer, Dutch footballer
    • 1992 – Adam Zampa, Australian cricketer
    • 1993 – Mikael Ishak, Swedish footballer
    • 1994 – Samira Asghari, Afghan member of the International Olympic Committee
    • 1994 – Tyler Wright, Australian surfer
    • 1994 – Mads Würtz Schmidt, Danish road cyclist
    • 1995 – Fiona Brown, footballer
    • 1998 – Jakob Chychrun, American-born Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1999 – Japhet Tanganga, English footballer

    Deaths on March 31

    • 32 BC – Titus Pomponius Atticus, Roman nobleman of the Equestrian order (b. 109 BC)
    • 528 – Xiaoming, emperor of Northern Wei (b. 510)
    • 963 – Abu Ja’far Ahmad ibn Muhammad, Saffarid emir (b. 906)
    • 1241 – Pousa, voivode of Transylvania
    • 1251 – William of Modena, Italian bishop and diplomat
    • 1340 – Ivan I of Moscow, Russian Grand Duke (b. 1288)
    • 1342 – Dionigi di Borgo San Sepolcro, Italian Augustinian monk
    • 1462 – Isidore II of Constantinople, patriarch of Constantinople
    • 1491 – Bonaventura Tornielli, Italian Roman Catholic priest (b. 1411)
    • 1547 – Francis I, French king (b. 1494)
    • 1567 – Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (b. 1504)
    • 1621 – Philip III, Spanish king (b. 1578)
    • 1622 – Gonzalo Méndez de Canço, Royal Governor of La Florida (b. 1554)
    • 1631 – John Donne, English lawyer and poet (b. 1572)
    • 1671 – Anne Hyde, wife of James II of England (b. 1637)
    • 1723 – Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon, English soldier and politician, 14th Colonial Governor of New York (b. 1661)
    • 1741 – Pieter Burman the Elder, Dutch scholar and author (b. 1668)
    • 1751 – Frederick, Prince of Wales, Hanoverian-born heir to the British throne (b. 1707)better source needed
    • 1797 – Olaudah Equiano, Nigerian merchant, author, and activist (b.1745)
    • 1837 – John Constable, English painter and educator (b. 1776)
    • 1850 – John C. Calhoun, American lawyer and politician, 7th Vice President of the United States (b. 1782)
    • 1855 – Charlotte Brontë, English novelist and poet (b. 1816)
    • 1877 – Antoine Augustin Cournot, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1801)
    • 1880 – Henryk Wieniawski, Polish violinist and composer (b. 1835)
    • 1885 – Franz Abt, German composer and conductor (b. 1819)
    • 1907 – Galusha A. Grow, American lawyer and politician, 28th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (b. 1823)
    • 1910 – Jean Moréas, Greek poet, essayist and art critic (b. 1856)
    • 1913 – J. P. Morgan, American banker and financier (b. 1837)
    • 1915 – Wyndham Halswelle, English-Scottish runner and captain (b. 1882)
    • 1917 – Emil von Behring, German physiologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1854)
    • 1924 – George Charles Haité, English painter and illustrator (b. 1855)
    • 1927 – Kang Youwei, Chinese scholar and political reformer (b. 1858)
    • 1930 – Ludwig Schüler, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (b. 1836)
    • 1931 – Knute Rockne, American football player and coach (b. 1888)
    • 1935 – Georges V. Matchabelli, Georgian-American businessman and diplomat, founded Prince Matchabelli perfume (b. 1885)
    • 1939 – Ioannis Tsangaridis, Greek general (b. 1887)
    • 1944 – Mineichi Koga, Japanese admiral (b. 1885)
    • 1945 – Frank Findlay, New Zealand banker and politician (b. 1884)
    • 1945 – Hans Fischer, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)
    • 1950 – Robert Natus, Estonian architect (b. 1890)
    • 1952 – Wallace H. White, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1877)
    • 1956 – Ralph DePalma, Italian-American race car driver and actor (b. 1884)
    • 1968 – Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (b. 1885)
    • 1970 – Semyon Timoshenko, Soviet Commander during the Winter War and the Eastern Front of World War II (b. 1894)
    • 1975 – Percy Alliss, English golfer (b. 1897)
    • 1976 – Paul Strand, American photographer and director (b. 1890)
    • 1978 – Astrid Allwyn, American actress (b. 1905)
    • 1978 – Charles Herbert Best, American-Canadian physiologist and biochemist, co-discovered Insulin (b. 1899)
    • 1980 – Vladimír Holan, Czech poet and author (b. 1905)
    • 1980 – Jesse Owens, American sprinter and long jumper (b. 1913)
    • 1981 – Enid Bagnold, English author and playwright (b. 1889)
    • 1983 – Christina Stead, Australian author and academic (b. 1902)
    • 1986 – Jerry Paris, American actor and director (b. 1925)
    • 1988 – William McMahon, Australian lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1908)
    • 1993 – Brandon Lee, American actor and martial artist (b. 1965)
    • 1993 – Mitchell Parish, Lithuanian-American songwriter (b. 1900)
    • 1995 – Selena, American singer-songwriter (b. 1971)
    • 1996 – Dante Giacosa, Italian automobile designer and engineer (b. 1905)
    • 1996 – Jeffrey Lee Pierce, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1958)
    • 1998 – Bella Abzug, American lawyer, activist, and politician (b. 1920)
    • 1998 – Tim Flock, American race car driver (b. 1924)
    • 1998 – Joel Ryce-Menuhin, American pianist (b. 1933)
    • 1999 – Yuri Knorozov, Russian linguist and ethnographer (b. 1922)
    • 2001 – David Rocastle, English footballer (b. 1967)
    • 2001 – Clifford Shull, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
    • 2002 – Barry Took, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
    • 2002 – Moturu Udayam, Indian activist and politician (b. 1924)
    • 2003 – Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter, English-Canadian mathematician and academic (b. 1907)
    • 2003 – Anne Gwynne, American actress (b. 1918)
    • 2003 – Tommy Seebach, Danish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (b. 1949)
    • 2004 – Scott Helvenston, American soldier (b. 1965)
    • 2005 – Stanley J. Korsmeyer, American oncologist and academic (b. 1951)
    • 2005 – Justiniano Montano, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
    • 2005 – Frank Perdue, American businessman (b. 1920)
    • 2006 – Jackie McLean, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1931)
    • 2007 – Paul Watzlawick, Austrian-American psychologist and philosopher (b. 1921)
    • 2008 – Jules Dassin, American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor (b. 1911)
    • 2008 – Bill Keightley, American equipment manager (b. 1926)
    • 2009 – Raúl Alfonsín, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 46th President of Argentina (b. 1927)
    • 2009 – Choor Singh, Indian-Singaporean lawyer and judge (b. 1911)
    • 2011 – Gil Clancy, American boxer and trainer (b. 1922)
    • 2011 – Alan Fitzgerald, Australian journalist and author (b. 1935)
    • 2011 – Mary Greyeyes, the first First Nations woman to join the Canadian Armed Forces (b. 1920)
    • 2011 – Oddvar Hansen, Norwegian footballer and coach (b. 1921)
    • 2011 – Ishbel MacAskill, Scottish singer and actress (b. 1941)
    • 2011 – Henry Taub, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1927)
    • 2012 – Judith Adams, New Zealand-Australian nurse and politician (b. 1943)
    • 2012 – Dale R. Corson, American physicist and academic (b. 1914)
    • 2012 – Bernard O. Gruenke, American stained glass artist (b. 1914)
    • 2012 – Jerry Lynch, American baseball player (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Alberto Sughi, Italian painter (b. 1928)
    • 2012 – Halbert White, American economist and academic (b. 1950)
    • 2013 – Charles Amarin Brand, French archbishop (b. 1920)
    • 2013 – Ernie Bridge, Australian singer and politician (b. 1936)
    • 2013 – Bob Clarke, American illustrator (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Ahmad Sayyed Javadi, Iranian lawyer and politician, Iranian Minister of Interior (b. 1917)
    • 2013 – Dmitri Uchaykin, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1980)
    • 2014 – Gonzalo Anes, Spanish economist, historian, and academic (b. 1931)
    • 2014 – Roger Somville, Belgian painter (b. 1923)
    • 2015 – Betty Churcher, Australian painter, historian, and curator (b. 1931)
    • 2015 – Cocoa Fujiwara, Japanese author and illustrator (b. 1983)
    • 2015 – Carlos Gaviria Díaz, Colombian lawyer and politician (b. 1937)
    • 2015 – Dalibor Vesely, Czech-English historian, author, and academic (b. 1934)
    • 2016 – Ronnie Corbett, Scottish comedian, actor and screenwriter (b. 1930)
    • 2016 – Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German politician (b. 1927)
    • 2016 – Zaha Hadid, Iraqi-born English architect and academic, designed the Bridge Pavilion (b. 1950)
    • 2016 – Imre Kertész, Hungarian author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1929)
    • 2016 – Denise Robertson, British writer and television broadcaster (b. 1932)
    • 2017 – Gilbert Baker, American artist and LGBT rights activist (b. 1951)
    • 2017 – James Rosenquist, American artist (b. 1933)
    • 2019 – Nipsey Hussle, American rapper (b. 1985)

    Holidays and observances on March 31

    • Cesar Chavez Day (United States)
    • Christian feast day
      • Abdas of Susa
      • Acathius of Melitene (Eastern Orthodox Church)
      • Anesius and companions
      • Benjamin
      • Balbina
      • John Donne (Anglican Communion, Lutheran)
      • March 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis (Azerbaijan)
    • Freedom Day (Malta)
    • International Transgender Day of Visibility
    • King Nangklao Memorial Day (Thailand)
    • Thomas Mundy Peterson Day (New Jersey, United States)
    • Transfer Day (US Virgin Islands)
    • World Backup Day

  • 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

  • February 26 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 747 BC – Epoch (origin) of Ptolemy’s Nabonassar Era.
    • 364 – Valentinian I is proclaimed Roman emperor
    • 1233 – Mongol–Jin War: The Mongols capture Kaifeng, the capital of the Jin dynasty, after besieging it for months.
    • 1266 – Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and Sicilian force led by Manfred, King of Sicily. Manfred is killed in the battle and Pope Clement IV invests Charles as king of Sicily and Naples.
    • 1365 – The Ava Kingdom and the royal city of Ava (Inwa) founded by King Thado Minbya
    • 1606 – The Janszoon voyage of 1605–06 becomes the first European expedition to set foot on Australia, although it is mistaken as a part of New Guinea.
    • 1616 – Galileo Galilei is formally banned by the Roman Catholic Church from teaching or defending the view that the earth orbits the sun.
    • 1775 – The British East India Company factory on Balambangan Island is destroyed by Moro pirates
    • 1794 – The first Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen burns down.
    • 1815 – Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from Elba.
    • 1876 – Japan and Korea sign a treaty granting Japanese citizens extraterritoriality rights, opening three ports to Japanese trade, and ending Korea’s status as a tributary state of Qing dynasty China.
    • 1909 – Kinemacolor, the first successful color motion picture process, is first shown to the general public at the Palace Theatre in London.
    • 1914 – HMHS Britannic, sister to the RMS Titanic, is launched at Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
    • 1919 – President Woodrow Wilson signs an act of Congress establishing the Grand Canyon National Park.
    • 1929 – President Calvin Coolidge signs an executive order establishing the 96,000 acre Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
    • 1935 – Adolf Hitler orders the Luftwaffe to be re-formed, violating the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.
    • 1935 – Robert Watson-Watt carries out a demonstration near Daventry which leads directly to the development of radar in the United Kingdom.
    • 1936 – In the February 26 Incident, young Japanese military officers attempt to stage a coup against the government.
    • 1952 – Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada.
    • 1960 – A New York-bound Alitalia airliner crashes into a cemetery in Shannon, Ireland, shortly after takeoff, killing 34 of the 52 persons on board.
    • 1966 – Apollo program: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket
    • 1971 – U.N. Secretary-General U Thant signs United Nations proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day.
    • 1979 – The Superliner railcar enters revenue service with Amtrak.
    • 1980 – Egypt and Israel establish full diplomatic relations.
    • 1987 – Iran–Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff.
    • 1992 – Nagorno-Karabakh War: Khojaly Massacre: Armenian armed forces open fire on Azeri civilians at a military post outside the town of Khojaly leaving hundreds dead.
    • 1993 – World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a truck bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center explodes, killing six and injuring over a thousand people.
    • 1995 – The UK’s oldest investment banking institute, Barings Bank, collapses after a rogue securities broker Nick Leeson loses $1.4 billion by speculating on the Singapore International Monetary Exchange using futures contracts.
    • 2008 – The New York Philharmonic performs in Pyongyang, North Korea; this is the first event of its kind to take place in North Korea.
    • 2012 – Trayvon Martin was shot and killed at the age of 17 in Sanford, Florida.
    • 2012 – A train derails in Burlington, Ontario, Canada killing at least three people and injuring 45.
    • 2013 – A hot air balloon crashes near Luxor, Egypt, killing 19 people.

    Births on February 26

    • 1361 – Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia (d. 1419)
    • 1416 – Christopher of Bavaria (d. 1448)
    • 1564 – Christopher Marlowe, English playwright, poet and translator (d. 1593)
    • 1584 – Albert VI, Duke of Bavaria (d. 1666)
    • 1587 – Stefano Landi, Italian composer and educator (d. 1639)
    • 1629 – Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, Scottish peer (d. 1685)
    • 1651 – Quirinus Kuhlmann, German Baroque poet and mystic (d. 1689)
    • 1671 – Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, English philosopher and politician (d. 1713)
    • 1672 – Antoine Augustin Calmet, French monk and theologian (d. 1757)
    • 1677 – Nicola Fago, Italian composer and teacher (d. 1745)
    • 1718 – Johan Ernst Gunnerus, Norwegian bishop, botanist and zoologist (d. 1773)
    • 1720 – Gian Francesco Albani, Italian cardinal (d. 1803)
    • 1746 – Maria Amalia, Duchess of Parma (d. 1806)
    • 1770 – Anton Reicha, Bohemian composer and flautist (d. 1836)
    • 1777 – Matija Nenadović, Serbian priest, historian, and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Serbia (d. 1854)
    • 1786 – François Arago, French mathematician and politician, 25th Prime Minister of France (d. 1853)
    • 1799 – Benoît Paul Émile Clapeyron, French physicist and engineer (d. 1864)
    • 1802 – Victor Hugo, French author, poet, and playwright (d. 1885)
    • 1808 – Honoré Daumier, French painter, illustrator, and sculptor (d. 1879)
    • 1808 – Nathan Kelley, American architect, designed the Ohio Statehouse (d. 1871)
    • 1829 – Levi Strauss, German-American fashion designer, founded Levi Strauss & Co. (d. 1902)
    • 1842 – Camille Flammarion, French astronomer and author (d. 1925)
    • 1846 – Buffalo Bill, American soldier and hunter (d. 1917)
    • 1852 – John Harvey Kellogg, American surgeon, co-created Corn flakes (d. 1943)
    • 1857 – Émile Coué, French psychologist and pharmacist (d. 1926)
    • 1861 – Ferdinand I of Bulgaria (d. 1948)
    • 1861 – Nadezhda Krupskaya, Russian soldier and politician (d. 1939)
    • 1866 – Herbert Henry Dow, Canadian-American businessman, founded the Dow Chemical Company (d. 1930)
    • 1877 – Henry Barwell, Australian politician, 28th Premier of South Australia (d. 1959)
    • 1877 – Rudolph Dirks, German-American illustrator (d. 1968)
    • 1879 – Frank Bridge, English viola player and composer (d. 1941)
    • 1880 – Kenneth Edgeworth, Irish astronomer (d. 1972)
    • 1881 – Janus Djurhuus, Faroese poet (d. 1948)
    • 1882 – Husband E. Kimmel, American admiral (d. 1968)
    • 1885 – Aleksandras Stulginskis, Lithuanian farmer and politician, 2nd President of Lithuania (d. 1969)
    • 1887 – Grover Cleveland Alexander, American baseball player and coach (d. 1950)
    • 1887 – William Frawley, American actor and vaudevillian (d. 1966)
    • 1887 – Stefan Grabiński, Polish author and educator (d. 1936)
    • 1893 – Wallace Fard Muhammad, American religious leader, founded the Nation of Islam (disappeared 1934)
    • 1893 – Dorothy Whipple, English novelist (d. 1966)
    • 1896 – Andrei Zhdanov, Ukrainian-Russian civil servant and politician (d. 1948)
    • 1899 – Max Petitpierre, Swiss jurist and politician, 54th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1994)
    • 1900 – Halina Konopacka, Polish discus thrower and poet (d. 1989)
    • 1900 – Fritz Wiessner, German-American mountaineer (d. 1988)
    • 1902 – Jean Bruller, French author and illustrator, co-founded Les Éditions de Minuit (d. 1991)
    • 1903 – Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
    • 1903 – Orde Wingate, English general (d. 1944)
    • 1906 – Madeleine Carroll, English actress (d. 1987)
    • 1908 – Tex Avery, American animator, producer, and voice actor (d. 1980)
    • 1908 – Nestor Mesta Chayres, Mexican operatic tenor and bolero vocalist (d. 1971)
    • 1908 – Jean-Pierre Wimille, French race car driver (d. 1949)
    • 1909 – Fanny Cradock, English chef, author, and critic (d. 1994)
    • 1909 – Talal of Jordan (d. 1972)
    • 1910 – Vic Woodley, English footballer (d. 1978)
    • 1911 – Tarō Okamoto, Japanese painter and sculptor (d. 1996)
    • 1912 – Dane Clark, American actor and director (d. 1998)
    • 1913 – George Barker, English author and poet (d. 1991)
    • 1914 – Robert Alda, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1986)
    • 1916 – Jackie Gleason, American actor and singer (d. 1987)
    • 1918 – Otis R. Bowen, American physician and politician, 44th Governor of Indiana (d. 2013)
    • 1918 – Pyotr Masherov, Leader of Soviet Belarus (d. 1980)
    • 1918 – Theodore Sturgeon, American author and critic (d. 1985)
    • 1919 – Mason Adams, American actor (d. 2005)
    • 1920 – Danny Gardella, American baseball player and trainer (d. 2005)
    • 1920 – Tony Randall, American actor, director, and producer (d. 2004)
    • 1920 – Lucjan Wolanowski, Polish journalist and author (d. 2006)
    • 1921 – Betty Hutton, American actress and singer (d. 2007)
    • 1922 – Bill Johnston, Australian cricketer and businessman (d. 2007)
    • 1922 – Margaret Leighton, English actress (d. 1976)
    • 1924 – Noboru Takeshita, Japanese soldier and politician, 74th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 2000)
    • 1924 – Marc Bucci, American composer, lyricist, and dramatist (d. 2002)
    • 1925 – Everton Weekes, Barbadian cricketer and referee
    • 1926 – Doris Belack, American actress (d. 2011)
    • 1926 – Verne Gagne, American football player, wrestler, and trainer (d. 2015)
    • 1927 – Tom Kennedy, American game show host and actor
    • 1928 – Fats Domino, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2017)
    • 1928 – Ariel Sharon, Israeli general and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Israel (d. 2014)
    • 1931 – Ally MacLeod, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 2004)
    • 1931 – Robert Novak, American journalist and author (d. 2009)
    • 1931 – Josephine Tewson, English actress
    • 1932 – Johnny Cash, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2003)
    • 1933 – James Goldsmith, French-British businessman and politician (d. 1997)
    • 1934 – Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, Algerian director, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1936 – José Policarpo, Portuguese cardinal (d. 2014)
    • 1937 – Paul Dickson, American football player and coach (d. 2011)
    • 1939 – Chuck Wepner, American professional boxer
    • 1940 – Oldřich Kulhánek, Czech painter, illustrator, and stage designer (d. 2013)
    • 1942 – Jozef Adamec, Slovak footballer and manager (d. 2018)
    • 1943 – Paul Cotton, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1943 – Bill Duke, American actor and director
    • 1943 – Dante Ferretti, Italian art director and costume designer
    • 1943 – Bob “The Bear” Hite, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1981)
    • 1944 – Christopher Hope, South African author and poet
    • 1944 – Ronald Lauder, American businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Austria
    • 1945 – Peter Brock, Australian race car driver (d. 2006)
    • 1945 – Marta Kristen, Norwegian-American actress
    • 1945 – Mitch Ryder, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1946 – Colin Bell, English footballer
    • 1946 – Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2016)
    • 1947 – Sandie Shaw, English singer and psychotherapist
    • 1948 – Sharyn McCrumb, American author
    • 1949 – Simon Crean, Australian trade union leader and politician, 14th Australian Minister for the Arts
    • 1949 – Elizabeth George, American author and educator
    • 1949 – Emma Kirkby, English soprano
    • 1950 – Jonathan Cain, American singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1950 – Helen Clark, New Zealand academic and politician, 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand
    • 1951 – Steve Bell, English cartoonist
    • 1951 – Wayne Goss, Australian lawyer and politician, 34th Premier of Queensland (d. 2014)
    • 1953 – Michael Bolton, American singer-songwriter and actor
    • 1954 – Prince Ernst August of Hanover
    • 1954 – Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkish politician, 12th President of Turkey
    • 1955 – Andreas Maislinger, Austrian historian and academic, founded the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service
    • 1956 – Michel Houellebecq, French author, poet, screenwriter, and director
    • 1957 – David Beasley, American lawyer and politician, 113th Governor of South Carolina
    • 1957 – Joe Mullen, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1957 – Keena Rothhammer, American swimmer
    • 1958 – Paul Ackford, English rugby player
    • 1958 – Greg Germann, American actor and director
    • 1958 – Susan Helms, American general, engineer, and astronaut
    • 1958 – Tim Kaine, American lawyer and politician, 70th Governor of Virginia
    • 1959 – Rolando Blackman, American basketball player and coach
    • 1959 – Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkish political scientist, academic, and politician, 37th Prime Minister of Turkey
    • 1960 – Jaz Coleman, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
    • 1962 – Ahn Cheol-soo, South Korean physician, academic, and politician
    • 1963 – Chase Masterson, American actress, singer, and activist
    • 1965 – James Mitchell, American wrestler and manager
    • 1966 – Garry Conille, Haitian physician and politician, 14th Prime Minister of Haiti
    • 1966 – Marc Fortier, French-Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1966 – Najwa Karam, Lebanese singer
    • 1967 – Mark Carroll, Australian rugby league player
    • 1967 – Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese footballer
    • 1968 – Tim Commerford, American bass player
    • 1969 – Hitoshi Sakimoto, Japanese composer and producer
    • 1970 – Mark Harper, English accountant and politician, Minister of State for Immigration
    • 1970 – Scott Mahon, Australian rugby league player
    • 1971 – Erykah Badu, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
    • 1971 – Max Martin, Swedish-American record producer and songwriter
    • 1971 – Hélène Segara, French singer-songwriter and actress
    • 1973 – Marshall Faulk, American football player
    • 1973 – Ole Gunnar Solskjær, Norwegian footballer and manager
    • 1973 – Jenny Thompson, American swimmer
    • 1974 – Sébastien Loeb, French race car driver
    • 1974 – Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, Filipina television actress, host and equestrienne
    • 1976 – Nalini Anantharaman, French mathematician
    • 1976 – Chad Urmston, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1977 – Marty Reasoner, American ice hockey player and coach
    • 1977 – Tim Thomas, American basketball player
    • 1977 – Shane Williams, Welsh rugby union player
    • 1978 – Abdoulaye Faye, Senegalese footballer
    • 1979 – Corinne Bailey Rae, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1979 – Steve Evans, Welsh footballer
    • 1979 – Pedro Mendes, Portuguese international footballer, midfielder
    • 1980 – Steve Blake, American basketball player
    • 1981 – Kertus Davis, American race car driver
    • 1981 – Oh Seung-bum, South Korean footballer
    • 1982 – Li Na, Chinese tennis player
    • 1982 – Matt Prior, South African-English cricketer
    • 1982 – Nate Ruess, American singer-songwriter
    • 1983 – Jerome Harrison, American football player
    • 1983 – Pepe, Brazilian-Portuguese footballer
    • 1984 – Emmanuel Adebayor, Togolese international footballer, forward
    • 1984 – Natalia Lafourcade, Mexican singer-songwriter
    • 1984 – Beren Saat, Turkish actress
    • 1985 – Fernando Llorente, Spanish international footballer, striker
    • 1986 – Hannah Kearney, American skier
    • 1989 – Gabriel Obertan, French footballer
    • 1990 – Kateřina Cachová, Czech heptathlete
    • 1990 – Takanoiwa Yoshimori, Mongolian sumo wrestler
    • 1991 – Lee Chae-rin, South Korean singer
    • 1992 – Mikael Granlund, Finnish professional hockey player
    • 1992 – Michael Chee Kam, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1997 – Reghan Tumilty, Scottish footballer

    Deaths on February 26

    • 420 – Porphyry of Gaza, Greek bishop and saint (b. 347)
    • 943 – Muirchertach mac Néill, king of Ailech (Ireland)
    • 1154 – Roger II of Sicily (b. 1093)
    • 1266 – Manfred, King of Sicily (b. 1232)
    • 1275 – Margaret of England, Queen consort of Scots (b. 1240)
    • 1349 – Fatima bint al-Ahmar, Nasrid princess in the Emirate of Granada (b. c.1260)
    • 1360 – Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, English commander (b. 1328)
    • 1462 – John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, English politician (b. 1408)
    • 1548 – Lorenzino de’ Medici, Italian writer and assassin (b. 1514)
    • 1577 – Eric XIV of Sweden (b. 1533)
    • 1603 – Maria of Austria, Holy Roman Empress, spouse of Maximilian II (b. 1528)
    • 1608 – John Still, English bishop (b. 1543)
    • 1611 – Antonio Possevino, Italian priest and diplomat (b. 1533)
    • 1625 – Anna Vasa of Sweden, Polish and Swedish princess (b. 1568)
    • 1630 – William Brade, English violinist and composer (b. 1560)
    • 1638 – Claude Gaspard Bachet de Méziriac, French mathematician and linguist (b. 1581)
    • 1723 – Thomas d’Urfey, English poet and playwright (b. 1653)
    • 1726 – Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria (b. 1662)
    • 1770 – Giuseppe Tartini, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1692)
    • 1790 – Joshua Rowley, English admiral (b. 1730)
    • 1802 – Esek Hopkins, American admiral (b. 1718)
    • 1806 – Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, Haitian-French general (b. 1762)
    • 1813 – Robert R. Livingston, American lawyer and politician, 1st United States Secretary of Foreign Affairs (b. 1746)
    • 1815 – Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (b. 1737)
    • 1821 – Joseph de Maistre, French lawyer and diplomat (b. 1753)
    • 1864 – Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, Canadian jurist and politician, 3rd Premier of Canada East (b. 1807)
    • 1883 – Alexandros Koumoundouros, Greek lawyer and politician, 56th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1817)
    • 1887 – Anandi Gopal Joshi, First Indian women physician (b. 1865)
    • 1889 – Karl Davydov, Russian cellist and composer (b. 1838)
    • 1903 – Richard Jordan Gatling, American engineer, invented the Gatling gun (b. 1818)
    • 1906 – Jean Lanfray, Swiss convicted murderer (b. 1874)
    • 1913 – Felix Draeseke, German composer and academic (b. 1835)
    • 1921 – Carl Menger, Polish-Austrian economist and academic (b. 1840)
    • 1930 – Mary Whiton Calkins, American philosopher and psychologist (b. 1863)
    • 1931 – Otto Wallach, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1847)
    • 1936 – February 26 Incident:
      • Takahashi Korekiyo, Japanese accountant and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1854)
      • Saitō Makoto, Japanese admiral and politician, 30th Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1858)
      • Jōtarō Watanabe, Japanese general (b. 1874)
    • 1943 – Theodor Eicke, German general (b. 1892)
    • 1945 – Sándor Szurmay, Minister of Defence of the Hungarian portion of Austria-Hungary (b. 1860)
    • 1947 – Heinrich Häberlin, Swiss judge and politician, President of the Swiss National Council (b. 1868)
    • 1950 – Harry Lauder, Scottish comedian and singer (b. 1870)
    • 1951 – Sabiha Kasimati, Albanian ichthyologist (b. 1912) executed with 20 others
    • 1952 – Theodoros Pangalos, Greek general and politician, President of Greece (b. 1878)
    • 1961 – Karl Albiker, German sculptor, lithographer, and educator (b. 1878)
    • 1961 – Mohammed V of Morocco (b. 1909)
    • 1966 – Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Indian poet and politician (b. 1883)
    • 1969 – Levi Eshkol, Israeli soldier and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Israel (b. 1895)
    • 1969 – Karl Jaspers, German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher (b. 1883)
    • 1981 – Robert Aickman, English author and activist (b. 1914)
    • 1981 – Howard Hanson, American composer, conductor, and educator (b. 1896)
    • 1985 – Tjalling Koopmans, Dutch-American economist and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
    • 1989 – Roy Eldridge, American trumpet player (b. 1911)
    • 1993 – Constance Ford, American model and actress (b. 1923)
    • 1994 – Bill Hicks, American comedian (b. 1961)
    • 1995 – Jack Clayton, English director and producer (b. 1921)
    • 1997 – David Doyle, American actor (b. 1929)
    • 1998 – Theodore Schultz, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
    • 2000 – George L. Street III, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1913)
    • 2002 – Lawrence Tierney, American actor (b. 1919)
    • 2004 – Adolf Ehrnrooth, Finnish general (b. 1905)
    • 2004 – Boris Trajkovski, Macedonian politician, 2nd President of the Republic of Macedonia (b. 1956)
    • 2005 – Jef Raskin, American computer scientist, created Macintosh (b. 1943)
    • 2006 – Georgina Battiscombe, British biographer (b. 1905)
    • 2008 – Bodil Udsen, Danish actress (b. 1925)
    • 2009 – Johnny Kerr, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1932)
    • 2009 – Wendy Richard, English actress (b. 1943)
    • 2009 – Norm Van Lier, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1947)
    • 2010 – Jun Seba, also known as “Nujabes”, Japanese record producer, DJ, composer and arranger (b. 1974)
    • 2011 – Arnošt Lustig, Czech author, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1926)
    • 2012 – Richard Carpenter, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1929)
    • 2013 – Marie-Claire Alain, French organist and educator (b. 1926)
    • 2013 – Stéphane Hessel, German-French diplomat and author (b. 1917)
    • 2013 – Simon Li, Hong Kong judge and politician (b. 1922)
    • 2014 – Sorel Etrog, Romanian-Canadian sculptor, painter, and illustrator (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Phyllis Krasilovsky, American author and academic (b. 1927)
    • 2014 – Paco de Lucía, Spanish guitarist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1947)
    • 2015 – Sheppard Frere, English historian and archaeologist (b. 1916)
    • 2015 – Theodore Hesburgh, American priest, theologian, educator, and academic (b. 1917)
    • 2015 – Earl Lloyd, American basketball player and coach (b. 1928)
    • 2015 – Tom Schweich, American lawyer and politician, 36th State Auditor of Missouri (b. 1960)
    • 2016 – Andy Bathgate, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1932)
    • 2016 – Don Getty, Canadian football player and politician, 11th Premier of Alberta (b. 1933)
    • 2017 – Joseph Wapner, American lieutenant and judge (b. 1919)

    Holidays and observances on February 26

    • Christian feast day:
      • Alexander of Alexandria
      • Emily Malbone Morgan (Episcopal Church (USA))
      • Isabelle of France
      • Li Tim-Oi (Anglican Church of Canada)
      • Porphyry of Gaza
      • February 26 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • The first day of Ayyám-i-Há (Bahá’í Faith) (Please note that this observance is only locked into this date the Gregorian calendar on this date if Bahá’í Naw-Rúz takes place on March 21, which it doesn’t in all years)
    • Day of Remembrance for Victims of Khojaly Massacre (Azerbaijan)
    • Liberation Day (Kuwait)
    • Saviours’ Day (Nation of Islam)