Events

Pre-1600

538 Year 538 ( DXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Iohannes without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1291 '' Ab ...

–

Vitiges Vitiges or Vitigis or Witiges (died 542) was king of Ostrogothic Italy from 536 to 540. He succeeded to the throne of Italy in the early stages of the Gothic War of 535–554, as Belisarius had quickly captured Sicily the previous year and w ...

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

of the

Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the larg ...

ends his siege of Rome and retreats to

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...

, leaving the city to the victorious

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

general,

Belisarius Belisarius (; el, Βελισάριος; The exact date of his birth is unknown. – 565) was a military commander of the Byzantine Empire under the emperor Justinian I. He was instrumental in the reconquest of much of the Mediterranean terri ...

. * 1088 – Election of

Urban II Pope Urban II ( la, Urbanus II; – 29 July 1099), otherwise known as Odo of Châtillon or Otho de Lagery, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 12 March 1088 to his death. He is best known for convening th ...

as the 159th

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He is best known for initiating the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

. *

1158 Year 1158 ( MCLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Autumn – Emperor Manuel I (Komnenos) sets out from Constantinople at ...

– German city Munich (München) is first mentioned as ''forum apud Munichen'' in the Augsburg arbitration by Holy Roman Emperor

Friedrich I Frederick I may refer to: * Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht. * Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978) * Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105) * Frederick I, Count of Zolle ...

. *

1579 Year 1579 ( MDLXXIX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, and a common year starting on Monday of the Proleptic Gregorian calendar. Events January–June * January 6 ...

– Start of the Siege of Maastricht, part of the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...

1601–1900

1622 Events January–May * January 7 – The Holy Roman Empire and Transylvania sign the Peace of Nikolsburg. * February 8 – King James I of England dissolves the English Parliament. * March 12 – Ignatius of Loyola, F ...

–

Ignatius of Loyola Ignatius of Loyola, Society of Jesus, S.J. (born Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola; eu, Ignazio Loiolakoa; es, Ignacio de Loyola; la, Ignatius de Loyola; – 31 July 1556), venerated as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spain, Spanish Catholic ...

and

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; Latin: ''Franciscus Xaverius''; Basque: ''Frantzisko Xabierkoa''; French: ''François Xavier''; Spanish: ''Francisco Javier''; Portuguese: ''Francisco Xavier''; 7 April 15063 December 1 ...

, founders of the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

, are canonized by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. *

1689 Events January–March * January 22 (January 12, 1688 O.S.) – Glorious Revolution in England: The Convention Parliament is convened to determine if King James II of England, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, vacated th ...

–

James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Gloriou ...

landed at

Kinsale Kinsale ( ; ) is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 (a ...

, starting the

Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...

. *

1811 Events January–March * January 8 – An unsuccessful slave revolt is led by Charles Deslondes, in St. Charles and St. James Parishes, Louisiana. * January 17 – Mexican War of Independence – Battle of Calderón Brid ...

–

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

: A day after a successful

rearguard A rearguard is a part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines, such as communication lines, behind an army. Even more ...

action, French Marshal

Michel Ney Michel Ney, 1st Duke of Elchingen, 1st Prince of the Moskva (; 10 January 1769 – 7 December 1815), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one o ...

once again successfully delays the pursuing Anglo-

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

force at the

Battle of Redinha The Battle of Redinha was a rearguard action which took place on March 12, 1811, during Masséna's retreat from Portugal, by a French division under Marshal Ney against a considerably larger Anglo-Portuguese force under Wellington. Challengin ...

1901–present

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

– The

Girl Guides Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...

(later renamed the

Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as simply Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized a ...

) are founded in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. *

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos (1913), Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not ven ...

– The future capital of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

is officially named

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. *

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

–

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

becomes the capital of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

again after

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

held this status for most of the period since 1713. *

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

– The

Kapp Putsch The Kapp Putsch (), also known as the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch (), was an attempted coup against the German national government in Berlin on 13 March 1920. Named after its leaders Wolfgang Kapp and Walther von Lüttwitz, its goal was to undo the ...

begins when the

Marinebrigade Ehrhardt The Marinebrigade Ehrhardt, also known as the Ehrhardt Brigade, was a Freikorps unit of the early Weimar Republic. It was formed on 17 February 1919 as the Second Marine Brigade from members of the former Imperial German Navy under the leade ...

is ordered to march on Berlin. *

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

– In

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, the

St. Francis Dam The St. Francis Dam was a concrete gravity dam located in San Francisquito Canyon in Los Angeles County, California, United States, built from 1924 to 1926 to serve Los Angeles's growing water needs. It catastrophically failed in 1928 due to a d ...

fails; the resulting floods kill 431 people. *

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

–

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

begins the ''

Salt March The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India led by Mahatma Gandhi. The twenty-four day march lasted from 12 March to 6 April 1930 as a di ...

'', a 200-mile march to the sea to protest the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

monopoly on salt in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. *

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

–

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

addresses the nation for the first time as

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

. This is also the first of his "

fireside chats The fireside chats were a series of evening radio addresses given by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, between 1933 and 1944. Roosevelt spoke with familiarity to millions of Americans about recovery from the Great De ...

". *

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

– ''

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

:''

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

troops occupy and absorb

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. *

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *January ...

–

Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

signs the

Moscow Peace Treaty The Moscow Peace Treaty was signed by Finland and the Soviet Union on 12 March 1940, and the ratifications were exchanged on 21 March. It marked the end of the 105-day Winter War, upon which Finland ceded border areas to the Soviet Union. The ...

with the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, ceding almost all of

Finnish Karelia Karelia ( fi, Karjala) is a historical province of Finland which Finland partly ceded to the Soviet Union after the Winter War of 1939–40. The Finnish Karelians include the present-day inhabitants of North and South Karelia and the still-surv ...

. *

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

– The

Battle of Java The Battle of Java (Invasion of Java, Operation J) was a battle of the Pacific War, Pacific theatre of World War II. It occurred on the island of Java (island), Java from 28 February – 12 March 1942. It involved forces from the Empire of Ja ...

ends with the surrender of the

American-British-Dutch-Australian Command The American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command, or ABDACOM, was a short-lived, supreme command for all Allied forces in South East Asia in early 1942, during the Pacific War in World War II. The command consists of the forces of Australia ...

to the

Japanese Empire The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten ...

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

. *

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

–

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

: The

Truman Doctrine The Truman Doctrine is an American foreign policy that pledged American "support for democracies against authoritarian threats." The doctrine originated with the primary goal of containing Soviet geopolitical expansion during the Cold War. It was ...

is proclaimed to help stem the spread of

Communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

. *

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

– The

Llandow air disaster The Llandow air disaster was an aircraft accident in Wales in 1950. At that time it was the world's worst air disaster with a total of 80 fatalities. The aircraft, an Avro Tudor V, had been privately hired to fly rugby union enthusiasts to an ...

kills 80 people when the aircraft they are travelling in crashes near

Sigingstone Sigingstone ( cy, Tresigin) is a small hamlet in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It mainly consists of residential housing and two small working farms. There are two roads - one leading to the two nearby towns Llantwit Major and Cowbridge, and the ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. At the time this was the world's deadliest air disaster. *

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

–

Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...

takes power from

Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of ...

when the

People's Consultative Assembly The People's Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat Republik Indonesia, MPR-RI) is the legislative branch in Politics of Indonesia, Indonesia's political system. It is composed of the membe ...

inaugurate him as Acting President of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. *

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

–

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

achieves independence from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. *

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

– The

1971 Turkish military memorandum The 1971 Turkish military memorandum ( tr, 12 Mart Muhtırası), issued on 12 March that year, was the second military intervention to take place in the Republic of Turkey, coming 11 years after its 1960 predecessor. It is known as the "coup by m ...

is sent to the

Süleyman Demirel Süleyman Sami Demirel (; 1 November 1924 – 17 June 2015) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician, engineer, and statesman who served as the List of Presidents of Turkey, 9th President of Turkey from 1993 to 2000. He previously served as the ...

government of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

and the government resigns. *

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

–

Sir Tim Berners-Lee Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee (born 8 June 1955), also known as TimBL, is an English computer scientist best known as the inventor of the World Wide Web. He is a Research fellow, Professorial Fellow of Computer Science at the University of Oxf ...

submits his proposal to

CERN The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in a northwestern suburb of Gene ...

for an information management system, which subsequently develops into the

World Wide Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web se ...

. *

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

–

becomes a

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

while remaining a member of the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

. *

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

– Several bombs explode in

Mumbai, India Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

, killing about 300 people and injuring hundreds more. * 1993 –

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

announces that it will withdraw from the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation ...

and refuses to allow inspectors access to its nuclear sites. *

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

– Former

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...

members the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

join

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

. *

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

–

Zoran Đinđić Zoran Đinđić ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран Ђинђић, ; 1 August 1952 – 12 March 2003) was a Serbian politician who served as the prime minister of Serbia from 2001 until his assassination in 2003. He was the mayor of Belgrade in 1997. Đinđić ...

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, is

assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

. * 2003 – The

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

officially release a global warning of outbreaks of

Severe acute respiratory syndrome Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), the first identified strain of the SARS coronavirus species, ''seve ...

(SARS). *

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

– The

President of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...

Roh Moo-hyun Roh Moo-hyun (; ; 1 September 1946 – 23 May 2009) was a South Korean politician and lawyer who served as the ninth president of South Korea between 2003 and 2008. Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for ...

, is impeached by its

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

: the first such

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

in the nation's history. *

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

– Financier

Bernie Madoff Bernard Lawrence Madoff ( ; April 29, 1938April 14, 2021) was an American fraudster and financier who was the admitted mastermind of the largest Ponzi scheme in history, worth about $64.8 billion. He was at one time chairman of the NASDA ...

pleads guilty to one of the largest frauds in

Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...

's history. *

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

– A reactor at the

Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant The is a disabled nuclear power plant located on a site in the towns of Ōkuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The plant suffered major damage from the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, 2011. The ...

explodes and releases radioactivity into the atmosphere a day after the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...

. *

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

– A

gas explosion A gas explosion is an explosion resulting from mixing a gas, typically from a gas leak, with air in the presence of an ignition source. In household accidents, the principal explosive gases are those used for heating or cooking purposes such as nat ...

in the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

neighborhood of

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

kills eight and injures 70 others. *

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

– In the House of Commons, the revised

EU Withdrawal Bill The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (also known as the Great Repeal Act) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that provides both for repeal of the European Communities Act 1972, and for parliamentary approval to be require ...

was rejected by a margin of 149 votes. *

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

– The

suspends travel from Europe due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Births

Pre-1600

1270 Year 1270 ( MCCLXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1270th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 270th year of the 2nd millennium, the 70th ...

–

Charles, Count of Valois Charles of Valois (12 March 1270 – 16 December 1325), the fourth son of King Philip III of France and Isabella of Aragon, was a member of the House of Capet and founder of the House of Valois, whose rule over France would start in 1328 ...

(d. 1325) * 1515 –

Caspar Othmayr Caspar Othmayr (12 March 1515 – 4 February 1553) was a German Lutheran pastor and composer. Othmayr was born in Amberg, Upper Palatinate, and studied in Heidelberg as a pupil of Lorenz Lemlin, among others. Later, he became rector of the monast ...

, German Lutheran pastor and composer (d. 1553)

1601–1900

1607 Events January–June * January 13 – The Bank of Genoa fails, after the announcement of national bankruptcy in Spain. * January 19 – San Agustin Church, Manila, is officially completed; by the 21st century it will be the ...

–

Paul Gerhardt Paul Gerhardt (12 March 1607 – 27 May 1676) was a German theologian, Lutheran minister and hymnodist. Biography Gerhardt was born into a middle-class family at Gräfenhainichen, a small town between Halle and Wittenberg. His father died in ...

, German poet and composer (d. 1676) *

1613 Events January–June * January 11 – Workers in a sandpit in the Dauphiné region of France discover the skeleton of what is alleged to be a 30-foot tall man (the remains, it is supposed, of the giant Teutobochus, a legendary ...

–

André Le Nôtre André Le Nôtre (; 12 March 1613 – 15 September 1700), originally rendered as André Le Nostre, was a French landscape architect and the principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France. He was the landscape architect who designed the gar ...

, French gardener and architect (d. 1700) *

1626 Events January–March * January 7 – Polish-Swedish War: Battle of Wallhof in Latvia – Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, defeats a Polish army. * January 9 – Peter Minuit sails from Texel Island for America's Ne ...

–

John Aubrey John Aubrey (12 March 1626 – 7 June 1697) was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the ''Brief Lives'', his collection of short biographical pieces. He was a pioneer archaeologist, ...

, English historian and philosopher (d. 1697) *

1637 Events January–March * January 5 – Pierre Corneille's tragicomedy ''Le Cid'' is first performed, in Paris, France. * January 16 – The siege of Nagpur ends in what is now the Maharashtra state of India, as Kok Shah, the ...

–

Anne Hyde Anne Hyde (12 March 163731 March 1671) was Duchess of York and Albany as the first wife of James, Duke of York, who later became King James II and VII. Anne was the daughter of a member of the English gentry – Edward Hyde (later created ...

Duchess of York Duchess of York is the principal Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom, courtesy title held by the wife of the duke of York. Three of the eleven dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, whilst two of ...

and Albany (d. 1671) *

1672 Events January–March * January 2 – After the government of England is unable to pay the nation's debts, King Charles II decrees the Stop of the Exchequer, the suspension of payments for one year "upon any warrant, secur ...

–

Richard Steele Sir Richard Steele (bap. 12 March 1672 – 1 September 1729) was an Anglo-Irish writer, playwright, and politician, remembered as co-founder, with his friend Joseph Addison, of the magazine ''The Spectator''. Early life Steele was born in Du ...

, Irish-Welsh journalist and politician (d. 1729) *

1685 Events January–March * January 6 – American-born British citizen Elihu Yale, for whom Yale University in the U.S. is named, completes his term as the first leader of the Madras Presidency in India, administering the colony ...

–

George Berkeley George Berkeley (; 12 March 168514 January 1753) – known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne of the Anglican Church of Ireland) – was an Anglo-Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immate ...

, Irish bishop and philosopher (d. 1753) *

1710 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin b ...

–

Thomas Arne Thomas Augustine Arne (; 12 March 17105 March 1778) was an English composer. He is best known for his patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!" and the song "A-Hunting We Will Go", the latter composed for a 1777 production of ''The Beggar's Opera'', whic ...

, English composer (d. 1778) *

1735 Events January–March * January 2 – Alexander Pope's poem ''Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot'' is published in London. * January 8 – George Frideric Handel's opera ''Ariodante'' is premièred at the Royal Opera House in Covent G ...

–

François-Emmanuel Guignard, comte de Saint-Priest François-Emmanuel Guignard, comte de Saint-Priest (12 March 173526 February 1821), was a French politician and diplomat during the Ancien Régime and French Revolution. Biography Early career Born in Grenoble, he was admitted as a ''chevalier ...

, French politician and diplomat (d. 1821) *

1753 Events January–March * January 3 – King Binnya Dala of the Hanthawaddy Kingdom orders the burning of Ava, the former capital of the Kingdom of Burma. * January 29 – After a month's absence, Elizabeth Canning returns ...

– Jean Denis, French politician, lawyer, jurist, journalist, and historian (d. 1827) *

1766 Events January–March * January 1 – Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") becomes the new Stuart claimant to the throne of Great Britain, as King Charles III, and figurehead for Jacobitism. * January 14 – Chr ...

–

Claudius Buchanan Claudius Buchanan FRSE (12 March 1766 – 9 February 1815) was a Scottish theologian, an ordained minister of the Church of England, and an evangelical missionary for the Church Missionary Society. He served as Vice Provost of the College of C ...

, Scottish theologian (d. 1815) *

1781 Events January–March * January – William Pitt the Younger, later Prime Minister of Great Britain, enters Parliament, aged 21. * January 1 – Industrial Revolution: The Iron Bridge opens across the River Severn in Eng ...

–

Frederica of Baden Princess Frederica Dorothea Wilhelmina of Baden (12 March 1781 – 25 September 1826) was Queen of Sweden from 1797 to 1809 as the consort of King Gustav IV Adolf. Life Early life Frederica of Baden was born in Karlsruhe in the Grand Duchy of Ba ...

, Queen consort to

Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden Gustav IV Adolf or Gustav IV Adolph (1 November 1778 – 7 February 1837) was King of Sweden from 1792 until he was deposed in a coup in 1809. He was also the last Swedish monarch to be the ruler of Finland. The occupation of Finland in 1808–09 ...

(d. 1826) *

1784 Events January–March * January 6 – Treaty of Constantinople: The Ottoman Empire agrees to Russia's annexation of the Crimea. * January 14 – The Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Brit ...

–

William Buckland William Buckland Doctor of Divinity, DD, Royal Society, FRS (12 March 1784 – 14 August 1856) was an English theologian who became Dean of Westminster. He was also a geologist and paleontology, palaeontologist. Buckland wrote the first full ...

, English geologist and paleontologist;

Dean of Westminster The Dean of Westminster is the head of the chapter at Westminster Abbey. Due to the Abbey's status as a Royal Peculiar, the dean answers directly to the British monarch (not to the Bishop of London as ordinary, nor to the Archbishop of Canterbur ...

(d. 1856) *

1795 Events January–June * January – Central England records its coldest ever month, in the Central England temperature, CET records dating back to 1659. * January 14 – The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Uni ...

–

William Lyon Mackenzie William Lyon Mackenzie (March12, 1795 August28, 1861) was a Scottish Canadian-American journalist and politician. He founded newspapers critical of the Family Compact, a term used to identify elite members of Upper Canada. He represented Yor ...

, Scottish-Canadian journalist and politician, 1st

Mayor of Toronto The mayor of Toronto is the head of Toronto City Council and chief executive officer of the municipal government. The mayor is elected alongside city council every four years on the fourth Monday of October; there are no term limits. While in ...

(d. 1861) * 1795 –

George Tyler Wood George Tyler Wood (March 12, 1795 – September 3, 1858) was an American military officer and politician who served as the second Governor of Texas. Background Most records dealing with Wood's personal life have been lost due to fire or other ca ...

, American military officer and politician (d. 1858) *

1806 Events January–March * January 1 ** The French Republican Calendar is abolished. ** The Kingdom of Bavaria is established by Napoleon. * January 5 – The body of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, lies in state in the Painted Hall ...

–

Jane Pierce Jane Means Pierce (née Appleton; March 12, 1806 – December 2, 1863) was the wife of Franklin Pierce and the first lady of the United States from 1853 to 1857. She married Franklin Pierce, then a Congressman, in 1834 despite her family's misgiv ...

, American wife of

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

, 15th First Lady of the United States (d. 1863) *1807 – James Abbott (Indian Army officer), James Abbott, Indian Army officer (d. 1896) *1815 – Louis-Jules Trochu, French military leader and politician (d. 1896) *1821 – John Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1893) * 1821 – Medo Pucić, Croatian writer and politician (d. 1882) *1823 – Katsu Kaishū, Japanese statesman (d. 1899) *1824 – Gustav Kirchhoff, Russian-German physicist and academic (d. 1887) *1832 – Charles Boycott, English farmer and agent (d. 1897) *1834 – Hilary A. Herbert, Secretary of the Navy (d. 1919) *1835 – Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician (d. 1909) * 1835 – Sigismondo Savona, Maltese educator and politician (d. 1908) *1837 – Alexandre Guilmant, French organist and composer (d. 1911) *1838 – William Henry Perkin, English chemist and academic (d. 1907) *1843 – Gabriel Tarde, French sociologist and criminologist (d. 1904) *1855 – Eduard Birnbaum, Polish-born German cantor (d. 1920) *1857 – William V. Ranous, American actor and director (d. 1915) *1858 – Adolph Ochs, American publisher (d. 1935) *1859 – Ernesto Cesàro, Italian mathematician (d. 1906) *1860 – Eric Stenbock, Estonian poet and author (d. 1895) *1863 – Gabriele D'Annunzio, Italian soldier, journalist, poet, and playwright (d. 1938) * 1863 – Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian and Ukrainian mineralogist and chemist (d. 1945) *1864 – W. H. R. Rivers, English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, and psychiatrist (d. 1922) * 1864 – Alice Tegnér, Swedish organist, composer, and educator (d. 1943) *1869 – George Forbes (New Zealand politician), George Forbes, New Zealand politician, 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1947) *1874 – Edmund Eysler, Austrian composer (d. 1949) *1877 – Wilhelm Frick, German lawyer and politician, Federal Ministry of the Interior (Germany), German Federal Minister of the Interior (d. 1946) *1878 – Gemma Galgani, Italian mystic and saint (d. 1903) *1880 – Henry Drysdale Dakin, English-American chemist and academic (d. 1952) *1881 – Väinö Tanner, Finnish politician of Social Democratic Party of Finland; the Prime Minister of Finland (d. 1966) *1882 – Carlos Blanco Galindo, Bolivian politician (d. 1943) *1883 – Sándor Jávorka, Hungarian botanist (d. 1961) *1888 – Walter Hermann Bucher, German-American geologist and paleontologist (d. 1965) * 1888 – Hans Knappertsbusch, German conductor (d. 1965) *1890 – Evert Taube, Swedish singer-songwriter and lute player (d. 1976) *1896 – Jesse Fuller, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1976) *1898 – Tian Han, Chinese playwright (d. 1968) * 1898 – Luitpold Steidle, German army officer and politician (d. 1984) *1899 – Ramón Muttis, Argentine footballer (d. 1955) *1900 – Rinus van den Berge, Dutch athlete (d. 1972) * 1900 – Sylvi Kekkonen, Finnish writer and wife of President of Finland Urho Kekkonen (d. 1974) * 1900 – Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, 19th President of Colombia (d. 1975)

1901–present

*1904 – Lyudmila Keldysh, Russian mathematician (d. 1976) *1905 – Takashi Shimura, Japanese actor (d. 1982) *1907 – Dorrit Hoffleit, American astronomer and academic (d. 2007) *1908 – Rita Angus, New Zealand painter (d. 1970) * 1908 – David Marshall (Singaporean politician), David Marshall, Singaporean lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Singapore (d. 1995) *1909 – Petras Cvirka, Lithuanian author (d. 1947) *1910 – Masayoshi Ōhira, Japanese politician, 68th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1980) * 1910 – László Lékai, Archbishop of Esztergom and Cardinal (d. 1986) *1911 – Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Mexican academic and politician, 49th President of Mexico (d. 1979) *

– Willie Hall (English footballer), Willie Hall, English international footballer (d. 1967) * 1912 – Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic (d. 2006) *

– Yashwantrao Chavan, Indian politician, 5th Deputy Prime Minister of India (d. 1984) * 1913 – Agathe von Trapp, Hungarian-American singer and author (d. 2010) *1915 – Alberto Burri, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1995) * 1915 – Jiří Mucha, Czech journalist (d. 1991) *1917 – Leonard Chess, American record company executive, co-founder of Chess Records (d. 1969) * 1917 – Millard Kaufman, American author and screenwriter (d. 2009) * 1917 – Googie Withers, Indian-Australian actress (d. 2011) *

– Pádraig Faulkner, Irish Fianna Fáil politician (d. 2012) * 1918 – Elaine de Kooning, American painter and academic (d. 1989) *1921 – Gianni Agnelli, Italian businessman (d. 2001) * 1921 – Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (d. 1986) *1922 – Jack Kerouac, American author and poet (d. 1969) * 1922 – Lane Kirkland, American sailor and union leader (d. 1999) *1923 – Hjalmar Andersen, Norwegian speed skater and cyclist (d. 2013) * 1923 – Norbert Brainin, Austrian violinist (d. 2005) * 1923 – Wally Schirra, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2007) * 1923 – Mae Young, American wrestler (d. 2014) *1925 – Leo Esaki, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate * 1925 – Harry Harrison (writer), Harry Harrison, American author and illustrator (d. 2012) *1926 – George Ariyoshi, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Hawaii * 1926 – Arthur A. Hartman, American career diplomat (d. 2015) * 1926 – John Clellon Holmes, American author and professor (d. 1988) * 1926 – David Nadien, American violinist (d. 2014) *1927 – Raúl Alfonsín, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 46th President of Argentina (d. 2009) * 1927 – Emmett Leith, professor of electrical engineering and co-inventor of three-dimensional holography (d. 2005) * 1927 – Sudharmono, 5th Vice President of Indonesia (d. 2006) *

– Edward Albee, American director and playwright (d. 2016) *1929 – Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (d. 2014) *

– Antony Acland, British former diplomat and Provost of Eton College (d. 2021) *1931 – Józef Tischner, Polish priest and philosopher (d. 2000) *1932 – Bob Houbregs, Canadian basketball player (d. 2014) * 1932 – Andrew Young, American pastor and politician, 14th United States Ambassador to the United Nations *

– Myrna Fahey, American actress (d. 1973) * 1933 – Barbara Feldon, American actress *1934 – Francisco J. Ayala, Spanish-American evolutionary biologist and philosopher *1936 – Virginia Hamilton, American children's books author (d. 2002) * 1936 – Michał Heller, Polish professor of philosophy * 1936 – Eddie Sutton, American basketball player and coach (d. 2020) *1937 – Zoltán Horváth (fencer), Zoltán Horvath, Hungarian sabre fencer * 1937 – Zurab Sotkilava, Georgian operatic tenor (d. 2017) *

– Vladimir Msryan, Armenian actor (d. 2010) * 1938 – Johnny Rutherford, American race car driver and sportscaster * 1938 – Ken Spears, American writer (d. 2020) * 1938 – Juan Horacio Suárez, Argentine bishop * 1938 – Ron Tutt, American drummer *

– Al Jarreau, American singer (d. 2017) *1941 – Josip Skoblar, former Croatian footballer *

– Jimmy Wynn, American baseball player (d. 2020) *1943 – Ratko Mladić, Serbian general *1944 – Erwin Mueller, former American basketball player (d. 2018) *1945 – Anne Summers, Australian feminist writer, editor, publisher and public servant *1946 – Dean Cundey, American cinematographer and film director * 1946 – Liza Minnelli, American actress, singer and dancer * 1946 – Frank Welker, American voice actor and singer *

– Peter Harry Carstensen, German educator and politician * 1947 – Jan-Erik Enestam, Finland-Swedish politician * 1947 – David Rigert, Soviet Olympic weightlifter * 1947 – Mitt Romney, American businessman and politician, 70th Governor of Massachusetts *1948 – Virginia Bottomley, Scottish social worker and politician, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport * 1948 – Kent Conrad, American politician * 1948 – James Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist *1949 – Rob Cohen, American director, producer, and screenwriter * 1949 – David Mellor, British politician *

– Javier Clemente, Spanish footballer and manager *1952 – André Comte-Sponville, French philosopher * 1952 – Yasuhiko Okudera, former Japanese footballer * 1952 – John Mitchell (footballer, born 1952), John Mitchell, English footballer *1953 – Pavel Pinigin, former Soviet wrestler and Olympic champion *1954 – Anish Kapoor, Indian-English sculptor *1956 – Ove Aunli, former Norwegian cross-country skier * 1956 – Stanisław Bobak, Polish ski jumper (d. 2010) * 1956 – Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris, English bass player and songwriter * 1956 – Lesley Manville, English actress * 1956 – Dale Murphy, American baseball player * 1956 – Pim Verbeek, Dutch football manager (d. 2019) *1957 – Patrick Battiston, French footballer and coach * 1957 – Marlon Jackson, American singer-songwriter and dancer * 1957 – Andrey Lopatov, Soviet basketball player *1958 – Phil Anderson (cyclist), Phil Anderson, English-Australian cyclist *1959 – Milorad Dodik, Bosnian Serb politician and president of Republika Srpska * 1959 – Luenell, American comedian and actress * 1959 – Michael Walter (luger), Michael Walter, German luger (d. 2016) *1960 – Jason Beghe, American actor * 1960 – Courtney B. Vance, American actor and painter *1962 – Julia Campbell, American actress * 1962 – Andreas Köpke, former German footballer * 1962 – Chris Sanders, American illustrator and voice actor * 1962 – Darryl Strawberry, American baseball player and minister *1963 – John Andretti, American race car driver (d. 2020) * 1963 – Candy Costie, American swimmer * 1963 – Joaquim Cruz, Brazilian runner and coach * 1963 – Reiner Gies, German boxer * 1963 – Ian Holloway, English footballer and manager * 1963 – Paul Way, English golfer * 1963 – Jake Weber, English actor *1964 – Dieter Eckstein, retired German footballer * 1964 – Umirzak Shukeyev, Kazakh chairman of Samruk-Kazyna *1965 – Steve Finley, American baseball player * 1965 – Ivari Padar, former Minister of Finance and Minister of Agriculture of the Estonian Social Democratic Party *1966 – David Daniels (countertenor), David Daniels, American countertenor * 1966 – Grant Long, American basketball player and sportscaster *

– Julio Dely Valdés, Panamanian footballer and manager *

– Tammy Duckworth, Thai-American colonel, pilot, and politician * 1968 – Aaron Eckhart, American actor and producer *1969 – Graham Coxon, English singer-songwriter and guitarist * 1969 – Jake Tapper, American journalist and author *1970 – Karen Bradley, British politician * 1970 – Dave Eggers, American author and screenwriter * 1970 – Mathias Grönberg, Swedish golfer * 1970 – Rex Walters, American basketball player and coach *

– Isaiah Rider, American basketball player and rapper * 1971 – Dragutin Topić, Serbian high jumper *1972 – Doron Sheffer, Israeli basketball player *1974 – Charles Akonnor, former Ghanaian footballer * 1974 – Walid Badir, former Israeli footballer *1975 – Nicolae Grigore (footballer, born 1975), Nicolae Grigore, former Romanian footballer * 1975 – Edgaras Jankauskas, former Lithuanian footballer * 1975 – Srđan Pecelj, Bosnian footballer *1976 – Deron Quint, American ice hockey defenseman * 1976 – Zhao Wei, Chinese actress, film director, producer and pop singer *1977 – Michelle Burgher, track and field athlete * 1977 – Ramiro Corrales, American soccer player * 1977 – Amdy Faye, former Senegalese footballer * 1977 – Brent Johnson, American ice hockey player *1978 – Casey Mears, American race car driver * 1978 – Marco Ferreira, Portuguese footballer * 1978 – Arina Tanemura, Japanese author and illustrator *1979 – Rhys Coiro, American actor * 1979 – Pete Doherty, English musician, songwriter, actor, poet, writer, and artist * 1979 – Jamie Dwyer, Australian field hockey player and coach * 1979 – Gerard López, former Spanish footballer * 1979 – Ben Sandford, New Zealand skeleton racer * 1979 – Tim Wieskötter, German sprint canoer * 1979 – Edwin Villafuerte, Ecuadorian goalkeeper *1980 – Césinha, Brazilian footballer * 1980 – Becky Holliday, American pole vaulter * 1980 – Jens Mouris, Dutch cyclist * 1980 – Douglas Murray (ice hockey), Douglas Murray, Swedish ice hockey player *1981 – Hideo Itami, Kenta Kobayashi, Japanese wrestler and kick-boxer * 1981 – Katarina Srebotnik, Slovenian tennis player * 1981 – Holly Williams (musician), Holly Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist *1982 – Lili Bordán, Hungarian-American actress * 1982 – Samm Levine, American actor and comedian * 1982 – Ilya Nikulin, Russian ice hockey player * 1982 – Hisato Satō, Japanese footballer * 1982 – Yūto Satō, Japanese footballer * 1982 – Tobias Schweinsteiger, German footballer *1983 – Atif Aslam, Pakistani singer and actor *1984 – Shreya Ghoshal, Indian singer * 1984 – Jaimie Alexander, American actress *1985 – Marco Bonanomi, Italian racing driver * 1985 – Aleksandr Bukharov, Russian footballer * 1985 – Ed Clancy, English track and road cyclist * 1985 – Andriy Tovt, Ukrainian footballer *1986 – Martynas Andriuškevičius, Lithuanian basketball player * 1986 – Oleh Dopilka, Ukrainian footballer * 1986 – Danny Jones, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor * 1986 – Ben Offereins, Australian runner * 1986 – František Rajtoral, Czech footballer (d. 2017) *1987 – Manuele Boaro, Italian cyclist * 1987 – Jessica Hardy, American swimmer * 1987 – Maxwell Holt, American volleyball player * 1987 – Teimour Radjabov, Azerbaijani chess player * 1987 – Chris Seitz, American soccer player * 1987 – Vadim Shipachyov, Russian ice hockey player * 1987 – Pablo Velázquez, Paraguayan footballer *1988 – Sebastian Brendel, German canoe racer * 1988 – Kostas Mitroglou, Greek footballer * 1988 – Cristian Chagas Tarouco, Brazilian footballer *

– Jordan Adéoti, French footballer * 1989 – Vytautas Černiauskas, Lithuanian footballer * 1989 – Tyler Clary, former American swimmer * 1989 – Richard Eckersley (footballer), Richard Eckersley, English footballer * 1989 – Chen Jianghua, Chinese basketball player * 1989 – Siim Luts, Estonian footballer *1990 – Alexander Kröckel, German skeleton racer * 1990 – Irakli Kvekveskiri, Georgian footballer * 1990 – Dawid Kubacki, Polish ski jumper * 1990 – Matias Myttynen, Finnish ice hockey player * 1990 – Ilija Nestorovski, Macedonian footballer * 1990 – Milena Raičević, Montenegrin handballer * 1990 – Mikko Sumusalo, Finnish footballer *1991 – Felix Kroos, German footballer * 1991 – Niclas Heimann, German footballer * 1991 – Leandro Fernández (footballer, born 1991), Leandro Fernandez, Argentine footballer *

– Daniele Baselli, Italian footballer * 1992 – Jordan Ferri, French footballer * 1992 – Ciara Mageean, Irish middle-distance runner * 1992 – Jiří Skalák, Czech footballer *

– Shehu Abdullahi, Nigerian footballer * 1993 – Amjad Attwan, Iraqi footballer * 1993 – Anton Shramchenko, Belarusian footballer *1994 – Katie Archibald, Scottish track cyclist * 1994 – Jerami Grant, American basketball player * 1994 – Christina Grimmie, American singer-songwriter (d. 2016) *1996 – Sehrou Guirassy, French footballer * 1996 – Karim Hafez, Egyptian footballer * 1996 – Robert Murić, Croatian footballer * 1996 – Cene Prevc, Slovenian ski jumper * 1997 – Dean Henderson, English footballer * 1997 – Allan Saint-Maximin, French footballer * 1997 – Felipe Vizeu, Brazilian footballer *1998 – Mecole Hardman, American football player * 1998 – Daniel Samohin, Israeli figure skater * 1998 – Elizaveta Ukolova, Czech figure skater *2001 – Kim Min-kyu (entertainer), Kim Min-kyu, South Korean singer and actor

Deaths

Pre-1600

* 417 – Pope Innocent I, Innocent I, pope of the Catholic Church * 604 – Pope Gregory I, Gregory I, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 540) *1022 – Symeon the New Theologian (b. 949) *1160 – Al-Muqtafi, caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate (b. 1096) *1316 – Stefan Dragutin (b. c. 1244) *1539 – Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, English diplomat and politician (b. 1477)

1601–1900

*1699 – Peder Griffenfeld, Danish politician (b. 1635) *1898 – Zachris Topelius, Finnish-Swedish journalist, historian, and author (b. 1818)

1901–present

*1916 – Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian author (b. 1830) *1925 – Sun Yat-sen, Chinese physician and politician, 1st List of Presidents of the Republic of China, President of the Republic of China (b. 1866) *1929 – Asa Griggs Candler, American businessman and politician, 44th List of mayors of Atlanta, Mayor of Atlanta (b. 1851) *1935 – Mihajlo Pupin, Serbian-American physicist and chemist (b. 1858) *

– William Henry Bragg, English physicist, chemist, and mathematician, Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862) *1943 – Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian sculptor (b. 1869) *1946 – Ferenc Szálasi, Hungarian soldier and politician, List of heads of state of Hungary, Head of State of Hungary (b. 1897) *1949 – Wilhelm Steinkopf, German chemist (b. 1879) *1954 – Marianne Weber, German sociologist and suffragist (b. 1870) *1955 – Charlie Parker, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1920) * 1955 – Theodor Plievier, German author best known for his anti-war novel (b. 1892) *1957 – Josephine Hull, American actress (b. 1877) *

– Eugene Lindsay Opie, American physician and pathologist (b. 1873) *1973 – Frankie Frisch, American baseball player and manager (b. 1898) *1974 – George D. Sax, American banker and businessman (b. 1904) *1985 – Eugene Ormandy, Hungarian-American violinist and conductor (b. 1899) *

– Maurice Evans (actor), Maurice Evans, English-American actor (b. 1901) *1991 – Ragnar Granit, Finnish-Swedish neuroscientist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1900) * 1991 – William Heinesen, Faroese author, poet, and author (b. 1900) *

– Lucy M. Lewis, American potter (b. 1890) *1998 – Beatrice Wood, American painter and potter (b. 1893) *

– Yehudi Menuhin, American-Swiss violinist and conductor (b. 1916) * 1999 – Bidu Sayão, Brazilian-American soprano (b. 1902) *2000 – Aleksandar Nikolić, Yugoslav basketball coach (b. 1924) *2001 – Morton Downey Jr., American singer-songwriter, actor, and talk show host (b. 1933) * 2001 – Robert Ludlum, American author (b. 1927) * 2001 – Victor Westhoff, Dutch botanist and academic (b. 1916) *2002 – Spyros Kyprianou, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Cyprus (b. 1932) * 2002 – Jean-Paul Riopelle, Canadian painter and sculptor (b. 1923) *

–

, Serbian philosopher and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Serbia (b. 1952) * 2003 – Howard Fast, American novelist and screenwriter (b. 1914) * 2003 – Lynne Thigpen, American actress and singer (b. 1948) *

– Milton Resnick, Russian-American painter (b. 1917) *2006 – Victor Sokolov, Russian-American priest and journalist (b. 1947) *2008 – Jorge Guinzburg, Argentinian journalist and producer (b. 1949) * 2008 – Lazare Ponticelli, Italian-French soldier and supercentenarian (b. 1897) *2010 – Miguel Delibes, Spanish journalist and author (b. 1920) *

– Nilla Pizzi, Italian singer (b. 1919) *2012 – Dick Harter, American basketball player and coach (b. 1930) * 2012 – Michael Hossack, American drummer (b. 1946) * 2012 – Friedhelm Konietzka, German-Swiss footballer and manager (b. 1938) * 2013 – Michael Grigsby, English director and producer (b. 1936) * 2013 – Ganesh Pyne, Indian painter and illustrator (b. 1937) *

– Věra Chytilová, Czech actress, director, and screenwriter (b. 1929) * 2014 – Paul C. Donnelly, American scientist and engineer (b. 1923) * 2014 – José Policarpo, Portuguese cardinal (b. 1936) *2015 – Willie Barrow, American minister and activist (b. 1924) * 2015 – Michael Graves, American architect and academic, designed the Portland Building and the Humana Building (b. 1934) * 2015 – Ada Jafri, Pakistani poet and author (b. 1924) * 2015 – Terry Pratchett, English journalist, author, and screenwriter (b. 1948) *2016 – Rafiq Azad, Bangladeshi poet and author (b. 1942) * 2016 – Felix Ibru, Nigerian architect and politician, List of Governors of Delta State, Governor of Delta State (b. 1935) * 2016 – Lloyd Shapley, American mathematician and economist, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1923) *2021 – Ronald DeFeo Jr., American criminal (b. 1951)

Holidays and observances

*Arbor Day#China, Arbor Day (China) *Arbor Day#Taiwan, Arbor Day (Taiwan) *Aztec New Year *Christian Calendar of saints, feast day: **Ælfheah the Bald, Alphege **Bernard of Carinola, Bernard of Carinola (or of Capua) **Gorgonius, Gorgonius, Peter Cubicularius and Dorotheus of Nicomedia **Saint Mura, Mura (McFeredach) **Saint Fina, Fina **Maximilian of Tebessa **Paul Aurelian **Pope Gregory I (Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Church, and Anglican Communion) **Theophanes the Confessor **March 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) *National Day (Mauritius) *World Day Against Cyber Censorship *Youth Day (Zambia)

References

External links

BBC: On This Day
*
Historical Events on March 12
{{months Days of the year March