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March 21 is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 285 days remaining until the end of the year.
Common date of the Equinox . In astrology , the day of the Equinox is the first full day of the sign of Aries . It is also the traditional first day of the astrological year.
Events
630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem .717 - Battle of Vincy between Charles Martel and Ragenfrid .1188 - Accession to the throne of Japan by emperor Antoku .1413 - Henry V becomes King of England .1556 - In Oxford , Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is burned at the stake .1788 - A fire in New Orleans leaves most of the town in ruins.1800 - With the church leadership driven out of Rome during an armed conflict, Pius VII is crowned Pope in Venice with a temporary papal tiara made of papier-mâché .1801 - The Battle of Alexandria is fought between British and French forces near the ruins of Nicopolis in Egypt .1804 - Code Napoléon is adopted as French civil law .1821 - First revolutionary act in Monastery of Agia Lavra , Kalavryta , Greek War of Independence .1844 - The Bahá'í calendar begins. This is the first day of the first year of the Bahá'í calendar . It is annually celebrated by members of the Bahá'í Faith as the Bahá'í New Year or Náw-Rúz .1844 - The original date predicted by William Miller for the return of Christ.
1857 - An earthquake in Tokyo , Japan kills over 100,000.1859 - Zoological Society of Philadelphia , 1st in US, incorporated1871 - Otto von Bismarck is appointed Chancellor of the German Empire .1871 - Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone .
1913 - Over 360 are killed and 20,000 homes destroyed in the Great Dayton Flood in Dayton, Ohio.1918 - World War I : Second Battle of the Somme begins.1928 - Charles Lindbergh is presented the Medal of Honor for his first trans-Atlantic flight.1933 - Construction of Dachau , the first Nazi Germany concentration camp , is completed.1935 - Shah Reza Pahlavi formally asks the international community to call Persia by its native name, Iran , which means 'Land of the Aryans '.1937 - Ponce Massacre : 18 people and a 7-yr-old girl in Ponce , Puerto Rico are gunned down by a police squad acting under orders of US-appointed PR Governor, Blanton C. Winship .1943 - Massacre of the town of Kalavryta , Greece by German Nazi troops.1945 - World War II : British troops liberate Mandalay , Burma .1952 - Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball , the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio .1960 - Apartheid : Massacre in Sharpeville , South Africa : Police open fire on a group of unarmed black South African demonstrators, killing 69 and wounding 180.1963 - Alcatraz , a federal penitentiary on an island in San Francisco Bay , closes.1964 - In Copenhagen , Denmark , Gigliola Cinquetti wins the ninth Eurovision Song Contest for Italy singing "Non ho l'età " ("I'm not old enough").1965 - Ranger program : NASA launches Ranger 9 which is the last in a series of unmanned lunar space probes .1965 - Martin Luther King Jr leads 3,200 people on the start of the third and finally successful civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama .
1968 - Battle of Karameh in Jordan between Israeli Defense Forces and Fatah .1970 - The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto .1970 - Vinko Bogataj crashes during a ski-jumping championship in Germany ; his image becomes that of the "agony of defeat guy" in the opening credits of ABC's Wide World of Sports .
1980 - US President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan .1980 - On the season finale of the soap opera Dallas J.R. Ewing is shot by an unseen assailant, leading to the catchphrase "Who Shot JR?"
1985 - Canadian paraplegic athlete and humanitarian Rick Hansen begins his circumnavigation of the globe in a wheelchair in the name of spinal cord injury medical research.1989 - Sports Illustrated baseball player Pete Rose to baseball gambling .1990 - Namibia becomes independent after 75 years of South African rule.1997 - In a Tel Aviv , Israel coffee shop, a suicide bomber kills 3 and injures 49.1998 - Good Friday Agreement signed in Northern Ireland .1999 - Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon .2002 - In Pakistan , Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh along with three other suspects are charged with murder for their part in the kidnapping and killing of Wall Street Journal Daniel Pearl .2002 - British schoolgirl Amanda Dowler is abducted in broad daylight on her way home from Heathside School in Walton-on-Thames , Surrey .
2004 - In Malaysia , the 11th Federal and State elections are held, returning the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional to power with an increased majority.2006 - Immigrant workers constructing the Burj Dubayy in Dubai , The United Arab Emirates and a new terminal of Dubai International Airport join together and riot, causing $1M in damage.
Births
1521 - Maurice, Elector of Saxony (d. 1553)1527 - Hermann Finck , German composer (d. 1558)1685 - Johann Sebastian Bach , German composer (d. 1750)1713 - Francis Lewis , American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1803)1763 - Jean Paul , German writer (d. 1825)1768 - Joseph Fourier , French mathematician (d. 1830)1801 - Maria Theresa of Tuscany , Queen of Sardinia (d. 1855)1806 - Benito Juárez , Mexican statesman and national hero (d. 1872)1811 - Nathaniel Woodard , English educationalist (d. 1891)1835 - Thomas Hayward , English cricketer (d. 1876)1839 - Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky , Russian composer (d. 1881)1854 - Alick Bannerman , Australian cricketer (d. 1924)1863 - George Owen Squier , American inventor and Major General in U.S. Signal Corp(d. 1934)1869 - Florenz Ziegfeld , theater producer (d. 1932)1876 - John Tewksbury , American athlete (d. 1968)1880 - Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson , American actor (d. 1971)1882 - Aleksander Kesküla , Estonian politician and nationalist (d. 1963)1885 - Pierre Renoir , French stage and film actor and director (d. 1952)1895 - Zlatko Baloković , Croatian violinist (d. 1955)1901 - Karl Arnold , German politician (d. 1958)1902 - Son House , American musician (d. 1988)1904 - Forrest Mars Sr. , American candymaker (d. 1999)1904 - Nikolaos Skalkottas , Greek composer (d. 1949)
1906 - Jim Thompson , American designer and businessman1910 - M S Khan , Bangladeshi intellectual (d. 1978)1913 - George Abecassis , English race car driver (d. 1991)1913 - Heinz "Pritzl" Bär , German fighter pilot (d. 1957)
1914 - Paul Tortelier , French cellist (d. 1990)1917 - Frank Hardy , Australian author (d. 1994)1920 - Georg Ots , Estonian singer (d. 1975)1920 - Manolis Chiotis , Greek bouzouki virtuoso and song writer (d. 1970)1921 - Arthur Grumiaux , Belgian violinist (d. 1986)1922 - Russ Meyer , American film director and producer (d. 2004)1923 - Philip Abbott , American actor (d. 1998)1923 - Shri Mataji Nirmala Srivastava , Founder of Sahaja Yogav
1925 - Peter Brook , British film director and producer1925 - Hugo Koblet , Swiss cyclist (d. 1964)
1927 - Hans-Dietrich Genscher , German politician1929 - Maurice Catarcio , wrestler1930 - James Coco , actor (d. 1987)1932 - Walter Gilbert , American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate1932 - Joseph Silverstein , American violinist and conductor
1933 - Michael Heseltine , English politician1934 - Al Freeman, Jr. , American actor1935 - Brian Clough , English footballer and football manager (d. 2004)1936 - Ed Broadbent , Canadian politician1936 - Mike Westbrook , British jazz composer, bandleader and pianist
1940 - Solomon Burke , American singer1942 - Françoise Dorléac , French actress (d. 1967)1943 - István Gyulai , Hungarian General Secretary of the IAAF (d. 2006)1943 - Hartmut Haenchen , German conductor
1943 - Vivian Stanshall , English musician, artist, actor, writer, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (d. 1995)
1944 - Marie-Christine Barrault , French actress1945 - Rose Stone , American musician (Sly & the Family Stone )1946 - Timothy Dalton , British actor1949 - Slavoj Žižek , Slovenian sociologist, philosopher and cultural critic1949 - Eddie Money , American musician1950 - Roger Hodgson , English musician, former member of Supertramp 1951 - Russell Thompkins Jr , American singer (The Stylistics )1956 - Guy Chadwick , English guitarist, vocalist and songwriter (The House of Love )1956 - Ingrid Kristiansen , Norwegian runner
1958 - Sabrina Le Beauf , American actress1958 - Gary Oldman , English actor
1959 - Sarah Jane Morris , English Singer1959 - Nobuo Uematsu , Japanese composer
1960 - Benito de Leon , Filipino military officer1960 - Ayrton Senna , Brazilian race car driver and three-time F1 World Champion (d. 1994)1960 - Robert Sweet , American drummer
1961 - Shawn Lane , American guitar virtuoso (d. 2003)1961 - Lothar Matthäus , German footballer
1962 - Matthew Broderick , American actor1962 - Kathy Greenwood , Canadian actress
1962 - Rosie O'Donnell , American comedian, actress, talk show host, and publisher
1962 - Mark Waid , American comic book writer
1963 - Shawon Dunston , American baseball player1963 - Ronald Koeman , Dutch footballer and football manager
1964 - Ahmed Radhi , Iraqi international football star1964 - Jesper Skibby , Danish professional cyclist
1965 - Xavier Bertrand , French politician1967 - Jonas "Joker" Berggren , Swedish musician (Ace of Base )1967 - Adrian Chiles , British television and radio presenter
1967 - Maxim Reality , British MC (The Prodigy )
1968 - DJ Premier (Preemo), hip hop producer1969 - Ali Daei , Iranian footballer1972 - Large Professor , hip hop artist1972 - Chris Candido , professional wrestler (d. 2005)1973 - Ananda Lewis , American model and television personality1973 - Stuart Nethercott , English footballer
1973 - Jerry Supiran , American actor
1974 - Laura Allen , American actress1974 - Jose Clayton , Tunisian footballer
1974 - Rhys Darby , New Zealand Comedian
1975 - Fabricio Oberto , Argentine basketball player1975 - Justin Pierce , British actor (d. 2000)
1975 - Mark Williams , Welsh snooker player
1978 - Charmaine Dragun , Australian news anchor (d. 2007)1978 - Kevin Federline , American dancer/hip hop artist
1978 - Cristian Guzmán , Dominican baseball player
1978 - Rani Mukherjee , Indian actress
1980 - Marit Bjørgen , Norwegian cross-country skier1980 - Ronaldinho Gaucho , Brazilian international footballer
1980 - Deryck Whibley , Canadian guitarist and singer (Sum41 )
1982 - Aaron Hill , American baseball player1982 - Colin Turkington , British racing driver
1985 - Ryan Callahan , American hockey player1985 - Adrian Peterson , American Football player
1988 - Lee Cattermole , English footballer1990 - Mandy Capristo , German Singer (Monrose )2004 - Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg
Deaths
1063 – Blessed Richeza of Lotharingia , venerated in Roman Catholicism , wife of King Mieszko II of Poland 1076 - Robert I, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1011)1181 - Taira Kiyomori , Japanese Feudal general (b. 1118)1306 - Robert II, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1248)1487 - Nicholas of Flue , Swiss hermit and saint (b. 1417)1556 - Thomas Cranmer , Archbishop of Canterbury (burned at the stake) (b. 1489)1617 - Pocahontas , Native American, daughter of Powhatan (b. c.1595)1656 - James Ussher , Irish Anglican archbishop (b. 1581)1676 - Henri Sauval , French historian (b. 1623)1729 - John Law , Scottish economist (b. 1671)1734 - Robert Wodrow , Scottish historian (b. 1679)1751 - Johann Heinrich Zedler , German publisher (b. 1706)1762 - Nicolas Louis de Lacaille , French astronomer (b. 1713)1772 - Jacques-Nicolas Bellin , French cartographer (b. 1703)1795 - Giovanni Arduino , Italian geologist (b. 1714)1801 - Andrea Luchesi , Italian composer (b. 1741)1804 - Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon-Condé (executed) (b. 1772)1843 - Robert Southey , English poet (b. 1774)1843 - Guadalupe Victoria , first President of Mexico (b. 1786)
1850 - Miguel Pedrorena , American settler1863 - Edwin Vose Sumner , American Civil War general (b. 1797)1881 - Samuel Courtauld , American-born textile magnate (b. 1793)1884 - Ezra Abbot , American bible scholar (b. 1819)1910 - Nadar , French photographer (b. 1820)1915 - Frederick Winslow Taylor , American inventor (b. 1856)1934 - Franz Schreker , Austrian composer (b. 1878)1936 - Alexander Glazunov , Russian composer (b. 1865)1945 - Artur Nebe , German SS officer (b. 1894)1951 - Willem Mengelberg , Dutch conductor (b. 1871)1958 - Cyril M. Kornbluth , American writer (b. 1923)1970 - Manolis Chiotis , Greek songwriter and musician (b. 1920)1975 - Joe Medwick , baseball player (b. 1911)1980 - Peter Stoner , American mathematician, astronomer and Christian apologist (b. 1888)1984 - Shauna Grant , American actress (suicide) (b. 1963)1985 - Sir Michael Redgrave , English actor (b. 1908)1987 - Dean Paul Martin , American musician (b. 1951)1987 - Robert Preston , American actor (b. 1918)
1991 - Leo Fender , American guitar manufacturer (b. 1909)1992 - John Ireland , Canadian film actor and director (b. 1914)1992 - Natalie Sleeth , American composer (b. 1930)
1994 - Macdonald Carey , American actor (b. 1913)1994 - Dack Rambo , American actor (b. 1941)
1994 - Lili Damita , French actress (b. 1904)
1997 - W. V. Awdry , English children's writer (b. 1911)1998 - Galina Ulanova , Russian prima ballerina assoluta (b. 1910)1999 - Ernie Wise , British comedian (b. 1925)2001 - Chung Ju-yung , Korean industrialist (b. 1915)2001 - Norma MacMillan , Canadian voice actress (b. 1921)
2001 - Anthony Steel , English actor (b. 1920)
2002 - Herman Talmadge , American politician (b. 1913)2003 - Umar Wirahadikusumah , Fourth Vice President of Indonesia (b. 1924)2004 - Ludmilla Tchérina , French ballet dancer and actress (b. 1924)2005 - Barney Martin , American actor (b. 1923)2005 - Bobby Short , American singer (b. 1924)
2007 - Drew Hayes , American writer & graphic artist (b. 1969)2007 - Sven O. Høiby , the father of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway (b. 1936)
2007 - Kevin Whitrick , first British man to commit suicide on a live chatroom (b. 1964)
Holidays and observances
External links
