March 12
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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: