1st March 1896

Radioactivity is discovered by French physicist and noble laureate Henry Becquerel.

2nd March

National Reading Day – USA.

3rd March

Hinamatsuri (Girls Day) – traditional Japanese celebration day for girls.

4th March 1963

American modernist poet William Carlos Williams dies at the age of 79 in Rutherford, USA.   (See End Note for a beautiful and appropriate poem by Williams.)

5th March 1993

Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson is banned from competing for life after failing a second drugs test.

6th March 1964

Constantine II becomes King of Greece.

7th March

Teachers Day – Albania.

8th March

 International Women’s Day.

9th March 1834

The French Foreign Legion is founded.

10th March 1876

The first telephone call takes place in which Alexander Graham Bell says ‘Mr Watson, come here, I want to see you.’

11th March 1897

A meteorite explodes over New Martinsville, West Virginia. The debris causes damage but, thankfully, no casualties.

12th March 2001

Robert Ludlum, best known for the Bourne Trilogy, dies in Florida, USA.

 13th March 1938

CBS Radio news, USA broadcasts the first World News Roundup.

14th March

White Day, Japan. A commercially instigated gift giving day where men offer their loved ones gifts totalling three times the amount offered to them on Valentine’s Day.

15th March 1978

Japanese competitive eater, and world record holder for hot dog eating, Takeru Kobayashi is born Nagano, Japan.

16th March 1621

The English settlers at Plymouth Coloney are greeted by local Mohegan, Samoset with the line, ‘Welcome! Englishmen, my name is Samoset’.

17th March

St Patrick’s Day.

18th March 1989

A 4400 year old mummy is found at the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt.

19th March

St Joseph’s Day.

20th March

World Storytelling Day.

21st March

World Poetry Day – UNESCO.

22nd March

World Water Day.

23rd March 1956

Pakistan becomes the first recognised Islamic Republic and celebrates the event each year with Republic Day.

24th March 1972

‘Direct Rule’ is imposed on Northern Ireland by the UK.

 25th March 1199

Richard I receives a wound from a crossbow bolt whilst fighting in France that eventually kills him on April 6th the same year.

26th March 2000

Author Alex Comfort, best known for ‘The Joy of Sex’, dies in South Northamptonshire aged 80.

27th March 1970

Princess Leila Pahlavi of Iran is born. Tragically, she’s found dead from an overdose in a Parisian hotel aged just 31.

 28th March 1802

The second asteroid known to man – Pallas 2 – is discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Matthaus Olbers.

29th March 1886

The first batch of Coca Cola is brewed by Dr John Pemberton in his backyard in Georgia, USA.

30th March 1858

The first pencil with an eraser attached is patented by Hymen Lipman.

31st March 1990

  The newly introduced poll tax prompts 200,000 people to take to the streets of London in protest.