March 12

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March 12 in recent years   2024 (Tuesday)   2023 (Sunday)   2022 (Saturday)   2021 (Friday)   2020 (Thursday)   2019 (Tuesday)   2018 (Monday)   2017 (Sunday)   2016 (Saturday)   2015 (Thursday)

March 12 is the 71st day of the year (72nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 294 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 515 BC - Construction is completed on the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
• 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Roman general, Belisarius.
• 1664 - New Jersey becomes a colony of Britain.
• 1868 - Henry James O'Farrell attempts to assassinate Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh.
• 1881 - Andrew Watson made his Scotland debut as the world's first black international football player and captain.
• 1894 - Coca-Cola is sold in bottles for the first time.
• 1908 - The Pan-Macedonian group is formed in Athens to support the Greek Struggle for Macedonia.
• 1912 - The Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA) are founded in the U.S..
• 1913 - Canberra Day: The future capital of Australia was officially named Canberra. (Melbourne remained temporary capital until 1927 while the new capital was still under construction.)
• 1918 - Moscow becomes the capital of Russia again after Saint-Petersburg held this status for 215 years.
• 1928 - In California, the St. Francis Dam fails, killing 400 people.
• 1930 - Mahatma Gandhi leads a 200-mile march known as Dandi March to the sea in defiance of British opposition, to protest the British monopoly on salt.
• 1933 - Great Depression: Franklin Delano Roosevelt addresses the nation for the first time as President of the United States. This was also the first of his "Fireside Chats."
• 1938 - Anschluss: German troops occupy Austria; annexation declared the following day.
• 1940 - Winter War: Finland signs the Moscow Peace Treaty with the Soviet Union, ceding almost all of Finnish Karelia. Finnish troops and remaining population are immediately evacuated.
• 1947 - The Truman Doctrine is proclaimed to help stem the spread of Communism.
• 1954 - Sahitya Akademi is founded in India.
• 1956 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 500 for the first time (500.24)
• 1967 - Suharto takes over from Sukarno to become President of Indonesia.
• 1968 - Mauritius achieves independence.
• 1992 - Mauritius becomes a republic while remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
• 1993 - Several bombs explode in Bombay (Mumbai), India, killing about 300 and injuring hundreds more.
• 1993 - North Korea nuclear weapons program: North Korea says that it plans to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and refuses to allow inspectors access to nuclear sites.
• 1994 - The Church of England ordains its first female priests.
• 1999 - Former Warsaw Pact members the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland join NATO.
• 2003 - Zoran Đinđić, Prime Minister of Serbia, assassinated in Belgrade.
• 2004 - Roh Moo-hyun, President of South Korea is impeached by its national assembly for the first time in the nation's history.
• 2005 - Tung Chee Hwa, the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong, steps down from his post after his resignation is approved by the Chinese central government.

Births

• 1270 - Charles of Valois, son of Philip III of France (d. 1325)
• 1386 - Ashikaga Yoshimochi, Japanese shogun (d. 1428)
• 1478 - Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence (d. 1516)
• 1607 - Paul Gerhardt, German hymnist (d. 1676)
• 1613 - André Le Nôtre, French landscape architect (d. 1700)
• 1620 - Johann Heinrich Hottinger, Swiss philologist and theologian (d. 1667)
• 1626 - John Aubrey, English antiquary and writer (d. 1697)
• 1637 - Anne Hyde, wife of James II of England (d. 1671)
• 1647 - Victor-Maurice, comte de Broglie, French general (d. 1727)
• 1685 - George Berkeley, Irish theologian (d. 1753)
• 1710 - Thomas Arne, English composer (d. 1778)
• 1718 - Joseph Damer, English politician (d. 1798)
• 1806 - Jane Pierce, First Lady of the United States (d. 1863)
• 1821 - Sir John Abbott, third Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1893)
• 1824 - Gustav Kirchhoff, German physicist (d. 1887)
• 1831 - Clement Studebaker, American automobile pioneer (d. 1901)
• 1832 - Charles Boycott, British land agent and originator of the term to boycott (d. 1897)
• 1835 - Simon Newcomb, American astronomer and mathematician (d. 1909)
• 1837 - Alexandre Guilmant, French organist and composer (d. 1911)
• 1838 - William Henry Perkin, English chemist (d. 1907)
• 1859 - Abraham H. Cannon, Mormon apostle (d. 1896)
• 1863 - Gabriele D'Annunzio, Italian writer (d. 1938)
• 1863 - Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian mineralogist (d. 1945)
• 1864 - W. H. R. Rivers, British psychiatrist (d. 1922)
• 1880 - Nikolaos Georgantas, Greek discus thrower (d. 1958)
• 1880 - Henry Drysdale Dakin, British-American biochemist, known for the Dakin-West reaction (d. 1952)
• 1881 - Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, First President of Turkey (d. 1938)
• 1881 - Gunnar Nordström, Finnish physicist (d. 1923)
• 1883 - Zoltán Meskó, Hungarian Nazi (d. 1959)
• 1889 - Þórbergur Þórðarson, Icelandic author (d. 1974)
• 1890 - Vaslav Nijinsky, Polish ballet dancer (d. 1950)
• 1890 - William Dudley Pelley, American leader of the Silver Legion (d. 1965)
• 1895 - William C. Lee, U.S. Army general (d. 1948)
• 1907 - Arthur Hewlett, British actor (d. 1997)
• 1907 - Dorrit Hoffleit, American astronomer (d. 2007)
• 1908 - Rita Angus, New Zealand painter (d. 1970)
• 1911 - Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, President of Mexico (d. 1979)
• 1912 - Irving Layton, Canadian poet (d. 2006)
• 1912 - Paul Weston, American pianist, arranger and conductor (d. 1996)
• 1918 - Elaine de Kooning, American artist (d. 1989)
• 1921 - Gianni Agnelli, Italian auto executive (d. 2003)
• 1921 - Ülo Jõgi, Estonian freedom fighter (d. 2007)
• 1921 - Gordon MacRae, American singer and actor (d. 1986)
• 1922 - Jack Kerouac, American writer (d. 1969)
• 1922 - Lane Kirkland, American labor leader (d. 1999)
• 1923 - Hjalmar Andersen, Norwegian speed skater
• 1923 - Norbert Brainin, Austrian violinist (d. 2005)
• 1923 - Wally Schirra, American astronaut (d. 2007)
• 1923 - Mae Young, American professional wrestler
• 1925 - Louison Bobet, French cyclist (d. 1983)
• 1925 - Georges Delerue, French film composer (d. 1992)
• 1925 - Leo Esaki, Japanese physicist, Nobel laureate
• 1925 - Harry Harrison, American author
• 1928 - Edward Albee, American dramatist
• 1928 - Thérèse Lavoie-Roux, Quebec politician and senator
• 1928 - Aldemaro Romero, Venezuelan musician (d. 2007)
• 1929 - U Win Tin, jailed Burmese journalist
• 1930 - Vernon Law, American baseball player
• 1931 - Herbert Kelleher, Southwest Airlines co-founder
• 1931 - Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, American actor (d. 1980)
• 1932 - Barbara Feldon, American actress and model
• 1932 - Andrew Young, American civil rights activist and politician
• 1936 - Patrick Procktor, English artist (d. 2003)
• 1938 - Johnny Rutherford, American automobile racer
• 1940 - Al Jarreau, American singer
• 1940 - M.A. Numminen, Finnish singer and writer
• 1942 - Ratko Mladić, Republika Srpska leader
• 1945 - Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, American gangster
• 1946 - Liza Minnelli, American singer and actress
• 1946 - Serge Turgeon, Quebec actor and union leader (d. 2004)
• 1947 - Kalervo Palsa, Finnish artist (d. 1987)
• 1947 - Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts
• 1948 - James Taylor, American musician
• 1948 - Kent Conrad, Democratic Senator of North Dakota
• 1948 - Virginia Bottomley, British politician
• 1949 - Rob Cohen, American film director, producer and writer
• 1949 - Natalia Kuchinskaya, Soviet gymnast
• 1950 - Javier Clemente, Spanish football manager
• 1950 - Jon Provost, American actor
• 1952 - Eliézer Niyitegeka, Rwandan journalist, politician and genocidaire
• 1953 - Carl Hiaasen, American journalist and author
• 1953 - Ron Jeremy, American pornographic actor
• 1956 - Steve Harris, English musician (Iron Maiden)
• 1956 - Dale Murphy, American baseball player
• 1957 - Marlon Jackson, American singer and musician (The Jackson 5)
• 1960 - Minoru Niihara, Japanese singer
• 1960 - Maki Nomiya, Japanese singer
• 1960 - Courtney B. Vance, American actor
• 1961 - Joseph Facal, Quebec politician
• 1962 - Darryl Strawberry, American baseball player
• 1963 - Joaquim Cruz, Brazilian runner
• 1965 - Steve Finley, American baseball player
• 1965 - Shawn Gilbert, American baseball player
• 1965 - Steve Levy, American sports journalist
• 1965 - Liza Umarova, Chechen torch singer
• 1967 - Julio Dely Valdes, Panamanian footballer
• 1968 - Aaron Eckhart, American actor
• 1969 - Graham Coxon, English musician (Blur)
• 1969 - Jake Tapper, American journalist
• 1970 - Dave Eggers, American writer, editor, and publisher
• 1970 - Sean Hopp, American painter and musician
• 1970 - Roy Khan, Norwegian singer (Kamelot)
• 1970 - John Nemechek, American NASCAR driver (d. 1997)
• 1971 - Tony Eveready (Duane Moore), American adult film actor
• 1972 - Hector Luis Bustamante, Colombian actor
• 1972 - James Maritato, American professional wrestler
• 1975 - Kelle Bryan, English singer
• 1975 - Annabel Port, English radio presenter
• 1976 - Simon Young, English music journalist
• 1976 - Zhao Wei, Chinese actress
• 1977 - Marcus 40 (Mark Hendry), New Zealand actor
• 1978 - Masuimi Max, American model
• 1978 - Casey Mears, American auto racer
• 1978 - Claudio Sanchez, American musician (Coheed and Cambria)
• 1978 - Arina Tanemura, Japanese mangaka
• 1979 - Pete Doherty, English musician
• 1979 - Nidia Guenard, American professional wrestler
• 1979 - Edwin Villafuerte, Ecuadorian footballer
• 1982 - Tobias Schweinsteiger, German footballer
• 1985 - Bradley Wright-Phillips, English footballer
• 1984 - Shreya Ghoshal, Indian Singer
• 1985 - Tosh Townend, American skateboarder
• 1986 - Danny Jones, English singer (McFly)

Deaths

• 604 - Pope Gregory I
• 1289 - King Demetre II of Georgia (b. 1259)
• 1374 - Emperor Go-Kogon of Japan (b. 1336)
• 1447 - Shah Rukh, ruler of Persia and Transoxonia (b. 1377)
• 1507 - Cesare Borgia, Italian general and statesman (b. 1475)
• 1608 - Koriki Kiyonaga, Japanese warlord (b. 1530)
• 1628 - John Bull, English composer
• 1648 - Tirso de Molina, Spanish writer (b. 1571)
• 1681 - Frans van Mieris, Sr., Dutch painter (b. 1635)
• 1699 - Peder Griffenfeld, Danish statesman (b. 1635)
• 1757 - Giuseppe Galli-Bibiena, Italian architect/painter (b. 1696)
• 1790 - Andreas Hadik, Austro-Hungarian general (b. 1710)
• 1832 - Friedrich Kuhlau, German composer (b. 1786)
• 1872 - Zeng Guofan, Chinese politician and general (b. 1811)
• 1894 - Illarion Pryanishnikov, Russian painter (b. 1840)
• 1898 - Zacharias Topelius, Finnish-Swedish writer (b. 1818)
• 1908 - Edmondo De Amicis, Italian children's writer (b. 1846)
• 1909 - Joe Petrosino, NYPD lieutenant (b. 1860)
• 1914 - George Westinghouse, American entrepreneur and engineer (b. 1846)
• 1916 - Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian writer (b. 1830)
• 1925 - Sun Yat-sen, Chinese revolutionary and politician (b. 1866)
• 1929 - Asa Griggs Candler, American businessman (b. 1851)
• 1930 - Alois Jirásek, Czech writer (b. 1851)
• 1930 - William George Barker, Canadian fighter ace (b. 1894)
• 1937 - Charles-Marie Widor, French organist and composer (b. 1844)
• 1937 - Jenő Hubay, Hungarian violinist (b. 1858)
• 1942 - Robert Bosch, German industrialist (b. 1861)
• 1943 - Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian sculptor (b. 1869)
• 1944 - Artur Gavazzi, Croatian geographer (b. 1861)
• 1946 - Ferenc Szálasi, Hungarian politician (executed) (b. 1897)
• 1947 - "Winston Churchill the American", American novelist (b. 1871)
• 1955 - Charlie Parker, American jazz saxophonist (b. 1920)
• 1973 - Frankie Frisch, American baseball player (b. 1898)
• 1974 - George D. Sax, Drive-in bank and instant loan innovator. Owner of the Saxony Hotel. (b. 1904)
• 1978 - John Cazale, American actor (b. 1935)
• 1978 - Gene Moore, American baseball player (b. 1909)
• 1980 - Arthur Charles Dobson, British racing driver (b. 1914)
• 1984 - Arnold Ridley, English playwright and actor (b. 1896)
• 1985 - Eugene Ormandy, Hungarian conductor (b. 1899)
• 1987 - Woody Hayes, American football coach (b. 1913)
• 1989 - Maurice Evans, English-born actor (b. 1901)
• 1990 - Wallace Breem, British author (b. 1926)
• 1991 - Ragnar Granit, Finnish neuroscientist, Nobel laureate (b. 1900)
• 1991 - Edwin H. Land, American inventor (b. 1909)
• 1995 - Juanin Clay, American actress (b. 1949)
• 1998 - Judge Dread, English musician (b. 1945)
• 1998 - Beatrice Wood, American artist and ceramist (b. 1893)
• 1998 - Jozef Kroner, Slovak actor (b. 1924)
• 1999 - Yehudi Menuhin, American-born violinist (b. 1916)
• 2001 - Morton Downey, Jr., American television talk show host (b. 1933)
• 2001 - Robert Ludlum, American author (b. 1927)
• 2002 - Spyros Kyprianou, Cypriot politician (b. 1932)
• 2002 - Jean-Paul Riopelle, Quebec painter and sculptor (b. 1923)
• 2003 - Zoran Đinđić, Prime Minister of Serbia (b. 1952)
• 2003 - Howard Fast, American author (b. 1914)
• 2003 - Andrei Kivilev, Kazakh cyclist (b. 1973)
• 2003 - Lynne Thigpen, American actress (b. 1948)
• 2005 - Bill Cameron, Canadian journalist (b. 1943)
• 2006 - István Gyulai, Hungarian athletic official (b. 1943)
• 2006 - Victor Sokolov, Russian dissident journalist and priest (b. 1947)

Holidays and observances

• Faroe Islands - Grækarismessa (Mass of St. Gregor): According to tradition, the oystercatcher, the Faroes' national bird returns this day. This event is celebrated in the capital, Tórshavn
• Mauritius - National Day.
• Ancient Latvia - Gregoru Diena observed.
• Arbor Day in People's Republic of China and Taiwan.
• Adelaide Cup in South Australia

Liturgical feasts

In the Roman Catholic Church:

• St. Theophanes the Confessor
• St. Maximilian
• St. Fina

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

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