March 17 is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 289 days remaining until the end of the year.

 

Events

45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.

180 – Marcus Aurelius dies leaving Commodus the sole emperor of the Roman Empire.

455 – Petronius Maximus becomes, with support of the Roman Senate, emperor of the Western Roman Empire.

624 – Led by Muhammad, the Muslims of Medina defeat the Quraysh of Mecca in the Battle of Badr.

1001 – The King of Butuan in the Philippines sends a tributary mission to the Song dynasty of China.

1337 – Edward, the Black Prince is made Duke of Cornwall, the first Duchy in England.

1452 – The Battle of Los Alporchones is fought in the context of the Spanish Reconquista between the Emirate of Granada and the combined forces of the Kingdom of Castile and Murcia resulting in a Christian victory.

1560 – Fort Coligny on Villegagnon Island in Rio de Janeiro is attacked and destroyed during the Portuguese campaign against France Antarctique.

1677 – The Siege of Valenciennes, during the Franco-Dutch War, ends with France's taking of the city.

1776 – American Revolution: British forces evacuate Boston, ending the Siege of Boston, after George Washington and Henry Knox place artillery in positions overlooking the city.

1780 – American Revolution: George Washington grants the Continental Army a holiday "as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence".

1805 – The Italian Republic, with Napoleon as president, becomes the Kingdom of Italy, with Napoleon as King.

1842 – The Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is formed;

1860 – The First Taranaki War begins in Taranaki, New Zealand, a major phase of the New Zealand land wars.

1861 – The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed.

1891 – SS Utopia collides with HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar and sinks, killing 562 of the 880 passengers on board.

1921 – The Second Polish Republic adopts the March Constitution.

1939 – Second Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Nanchang between the Kuomintang and Japan begins,

1941 – In Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1942 – Holocaust: The first Jews from the Lvov Ghetto are gassed at the Belzec death camp in what is today eastern Poland.

1945 – The Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany, collapses, ten days after its capture.

1947 – First flight of the B-45 Tornado strategic bomber.

1948 – The Benelux, France, and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels, a precursor to the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO.

1950 – Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name "californium".

1957 – A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines kills Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.

1958 – The United States launches the Vanguard 1 satellite.

1959 – Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, flees Tibet for India.

1960 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

1963 – Mount Agung erupted on Bali killing more than 1,100 people.

1966 – Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, the DSV Alvin submarine finds a missing American hydrogen bomb.

1968 – As a result of nerve gas testing in Skull Valley, Utah, over 6,000 sheep are found dead.

1969 – Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.

1970 – My Lai Massacre: The United States Army charges 14 officers with suppressing information related to the incident.

1973 – The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Burst of Joy is taken, depicting a former prisoner of war being reunited with his family, which came to symbolize the end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War.

1976 – The Troubles: Four civilians are killed when the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) detonates a car bomb outside a pub crowded with people celebrating Saint Patrick's Day in Dungannon, Northern Ireland.

1979 – The Penmanshiel Tunnel collapses during engineering works, killing two workers.

1985 – Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the "Night Stalker", commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles murder spree.

1988 – A Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, Avianca Flight 410, crashes into a mountainside near the Venezuelan border killing 143.

1988 – Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.

1992 – Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires: Suicide car bomb attack kills 29 and injures 242.

1992 – A referendum to end apartheid in South Africa is passed 68.7% to 31.2%.

2000 – Five hundred thirty members of the Ugandan cult Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God die in a fire, considered to be a mass murder or suicide orchestrated by leaders of the cult. Elsewhere another 248 members are later found dead.

2003 – Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Robin Cook, resigns from the British Cabinet in disagreement with government plans for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

2004 – Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Belgrade and Niš are destroyed.

2013 – The largest meteorite (since NASA started observing the Moon in 2005) hit the Moon.

 

Births

1231 – Emperor Shijō of Japan (d. 1242)

1473 – James IV of Scotland (d. 1513)

1628 – François Girardon, French sculptor (d. 1715)

1665 – Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, French harpsichord player and composer (d. 1729)

1676 – Thomas Boston, Scottish philosopher and theologian (d. 1732)

1686 – Jean-Baptiste Oudry, French painter and engraver (d. 1755)

1725 – Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-American general and politician (d. 1806)

1747 – Johannes Jährig, German linguist (d. 1795)

1777 – Patrick Brontë, English priest and author (d. 1861)

1777 – Roger B. Taney, American politician and jurist, 5th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1864)

1780 – Thomas Chalmers, Scottish minister, economist, and educator (d. 1847)

1781 – Ebenezer Elliott, English poet and educator (d. 1849)

1804 – Jim Bridger, American fur trader and explorer (d. 1881)

1820 – Jean Ingelow, English poet and author (d. 1897)

1834 – Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and businessman, co-founded Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (d. 1900)

1839 – Josef Rheinberger, Liechtensteiner-German organist and composer (d. 1901)

1846 – Kate Greenaway, English author and illustrator (d. 1901)

1849 – Charles F. Brush, American inventor, co-invented the Arc lamp (d. 1929)

1856 – Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter (d. 1910)

1862 – Silvio Gesell, Belgian merchant and economist (d. 1930)

1864 – Joseph Baptista, Indian engineer, lawyer, and politician (d. 1930)

1866 – Pierce Butler, American lawyer and jurist (d. 1939)

1870 – Horace Donisthorpe, English entomologist and myrmecologist (d. 1951)

1872 – Konstantinos Skarlatos, Greek general and target shooter (d. 1969)

1876 – Frederick Ayres, American composer (d. 1926)

1877 – Frank Castleman, American football player and coach (d. 1946)

1877 – Otto Gross, Austrian-German psychoanalyst and philosopher (d. 1920)

1880 – Patrick Hastings, English lawyer and politician, Attorney General for England and Wales (d. 1952)

1880 – Lawrence Oates, English lieutenant and explorer (d. 1912)

1881 – Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)

1883 – Urmuz, Romanian lawyer and judge (d. 1923)

1884 – Alcide Nunez, American clarinet player (Original Dixieland Jass Band and Louisiana Five) (d. 1934)

1885 – Ralph Rose, American shot putter, discus thrower, and tug of war competitor (d. 1913)

1886 – Princess Patricia of Connaught (d. 1974)

1888 – Arthur Edward Barstow, Scottish Major-General in the British Indian Army (d. 1942)

1888 – Paul Ramadier, French politician, Prime Minister of France (d. 1961)

1890 – Ted Adams, American film actor (d. 1973)

1892 – Sayed Darwish, Egyptian singer-songwriter and producer (d. 1923)

1894 – Paul Green, American playwright and academic (d. 1981)

1895 – Lloyd Rees, Australian painter (d. 1988)

1897 – Jozef Mazur, American painter and sculptor (d. 1970)

1900 – Manuel Plaza, Chilean runner (d. 1969)

1901 – Alfred Newman, American composer and conductor (d. 1970)

1902 – Bobby Jones, American golfer and lawyer (d. 1971)

1904 – Chaim Gross, Austrian-American sculptor and educator (d. 1991)

1906 – Brigitte Helm, German-Swiss actress (d. 1996)

1907 – Jean Van Houtte, Belgian academic and politician, 50th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1991)

1907 – Takeo Miki, Japanese politician, 41st Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1988)

1910 – Sonny Werblin, American businessman (d. 1991)

1911 – Vello Kaaristo, Estonian skier (d. 1965)

1911 – John Patrick Spiegel, American psychiatrist and academic (d. 1991)

1912 – Bayard Rustin, American activist (d. 1987)

1914 – Sammy Baugh, American football player and coach (d. 2008)

1915 – Henry Bumstead, American art director and production designer (d. 2006)

1915 – Ray Ellington, English singer, drummer, and bandleader (d. 1985)

1915 – Hans Namuth, German-American photographer (d. 1990)

1915 – Bill Roycroft, Australian equestrian rider (d. 2011)

1917 – Takis Sinopoulos, Greek poet and critic (d. 1981)

1919 – Nat King Cole, American singer, pianist, and television host (d. 1965)

1920 – John La Montaine, American pianist and composer (d. 2013)

1920 – Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshi politician, 1st President of Bangladesh (d. 1975)

1921 – Meir Amit, Israeli general and politician, 12th Israeli Minister of Communications (d. 2009)

1922 – Patrick Suppes, American psychologist and philosopher (d. 2014)

1924 – Stephen Dodgson, English composer and educator (d. 2013)

1925 – Gabriele Ferzetti, Italian actor (d. 2015)

1926 – Siegfried Lenz, Polish-German author and playwright (d. 2014)

1926 – Marjory Shedd, Canadian badminton player (d. 2008)

1927 – Betty Allen, American soprano (d. 2009)

1927 – Rudy Ray Moore, American actor, singer, and producer (d. 2008)

1928 – William John McKeag, Canadian businessman and politician, 17th Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba (d. 2007)

1929 – Florence Howe, American historian, author, and publisher, founded The Feminist Press

1930 – Paul Horn, American-Canadian flute player and saxophonist (d. 2014)

1930 – James Irwin, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 1991)

1931 – Patricia Breslin, American actress (d. 2011)

1931 – David Peakall, English-American chemist and toxicologist (d. 2001)

1932 – Donald N. Langenberg, American physicist and academic

1933 – Myrlie Evers-Williams, American journalist and activist

1933 – Pat Galvin, Australian public servant

1933 – Penelope Lively, English author

1933 – Sándor Rácz, Hungarian politician (d. 2013)

1935 – Frederick T. Mackenzie, American sedimentary and global biogeochemist

1935 – Patrick Etolu, Ugandan high jumper (d. 2013)

1936 – Ladislav Kupkovič, Slovakian composer and conductor

1936 – Patty Maloney, American actress and puppeteer

1936 – Ken Mattingly, American admiral, pilot, and astronaut

1937 – Adam Wade, American singer, drummer, and actor

1937 – Galina Samsova, Russian ballerina

1938 – David Dilks, English historian and academic

1938 – Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-French dancer and choreographer (d. 1993)

1938 – Keith O'Brien, Irish-Scottish cardinal

1938 – Izold Pustõlnik, Estonian astronomer and academic (d. 2008)

1938 – Zola Taylor, American singer (The Platters) (d. 2007)

1939 – Jim Gary, American sculptor (d. 2006)

1939 – Bill Graham, Canadian academic and politician, 4th Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs

1939 – Robin Knox-Johnston, English sailor

1939 – Giovanni Trapattoni, Italian footballer and manager

1940 – Mark White, American lawyer and politician, 43rd Governor of Texas

1941 – Wang Jin-pyng, Taiwanese soldier and politician

1941 – Paul Kantner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and KBC Band) (d. 2016)

1941 – Max Stafford-Clark, English director and academic

1942 – John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer (d. 1994)

1942 – Yoko Yamamoto, Japanese actress

1943 – Jeff Banks, Welsh fashion designer

1943 – Andrew Brook, Canadian philosopher, author, and academic

1943 – Don Mitchell, American actor (d. 2013)

1943 – Jim Weatherly, American singer-songwriter

1944 – Pattie Boyd, English model, author, and photographer

1944 – Cito Gaston, American baseball player and manager

1944 – John Lill, English pianist

1944 – John Sebastian, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Lovin' Spoonful, Even Dozen Jug Band, and The Mugwumps)

1945 – Michael Hayden, American general, 20th Director of the Central Intelligence Agency

1945 – Elis Regina, Brazilian singer (d. 1982)

1945 – Dennis Joseph Sullivan, American bishop

1946 – John Baines, English historian and academic

1946 – Harold Ray Brown, American drummer (War and Lowrider Band)

1946 – Gavin Campbell, English actor and television host

1946 – Michael Finnissy, English pianist and composer

1947 – Jan Andersson, Swedish educator and politician

1947 – Yury Chernavsky, Russian-American songwriter and producer

1947 – Tony Cole, Australian public servant

1947 – James K. Morrow, American author

1948 – William Gibson, American-Canadian author

1948 – Alex MacDonald, Scottish footballer and manager

1949 – Hartmut Briesenick, German shot putter (d. 2013)

1949 – Patrick Duffy, American actor and director

1949 – Daniel Lavoie, Canadian singer-songwriter and actor

1949 – Pat Rice, Irish footballer and coach

1949 – Stuart Rose, English businessman

1949 – Shih Wing-ching, Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist

1950 – Patrick Adams, American songwriter and producer

1950 – Michael Been, American singer-songwriter (The Call) (d. 2010)

1950 – Mehmet Ali İrtemçelik, Turkish diplomat

1951 – Donald Findlay, Scottish lawyer and academic

1951 – Scott Gorham, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Thin Lizzy, 21 Guns, and Black Star Riders)

1951 – Craig Ramsay, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1951 – Kurt Russell, American actor and producer

1952 – Susie Allanson, American singer and actress

1952 – Barry Horne, English activist (d. 2001)

1952 – Nikos Xydakis, Egyptian-Greek singer-songwriter and pianist

1953 – Filemon Lagman, Filipino activist (d. 2001)

1953 – Ken Lyons, American bass guitarist, (38 Special) (d. 2012)

1953 – Chuck Muncie, American football player (d. 2013)

1954 – Lesley-Anne Down, English actress

1954 – Jüri Pihl, Estonian politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior

1955 – Jyunichi Haruta, Japanese actor

1955 – Mark Boone Junior, American actor

1955 – Cynthia McKinney, American educator and politician

1955 – Paul Overstreet, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (S-K-O)

1955 – Gary Sinise, American actor, director, and bass player (Lt. Dan Band)

1956 – Patrick McDonnell, American author and illustrator

1957 – Michael Kelly, American journalist and author (d. 2003)

1958 – José Manuel Abascal, Spanish runner

1958 – Christian Clemenson, American actor

1958 – Jorge Ramos, Mexican-American journalist and author

1959 – Danny Ainge, American basketball player and coach

1959 – Paul Black, American singer-songwriter and drummer (L.A. Guns)

1960 – Vicki Lewis, American actress and singer

1961 – Sam Bowie, American basketball player

1961 – Dana Reeve, American actress, singer, and activist (d. 2006)

1961 – Casey Siemaszko, American actor

1961 – Alexander Bard, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer (Army of Lovers, Vacuum, and Bodies Without Organs)

1962 – Ank Bijleveld, Dutch politician

1962 – Kalpana Chawla, Indian-American engineer and astronaut (d. 2003)

1962 – Janet Gardner, American singer and guitarist (Vixen)

1962 – Clare Grogan, Scottish singer and actress (Altered Images)

1962 – Roxy Petrucci, American drummer (Madam X and Vixen)

1962 – Rob Sitch, Australian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1963 – Roger Harper, Guyanese cricketer

1963 – Nick Peros, Canadian guitarist and composer

1964 – Stefano Borgonovo, Italian footballer (d. 2013)

1964 – Lee Dixon, English footballer and journalist

1964 – Rob Lowe, American actor and producer

1964 – Sulev Oll, Estonian journalist and poet

1964 – Jacques Songo'o, Cameroonian footballer and coach

1965 – Andrew Hudson, South African cricketer

1966 – Espen Hammer, Norwegian philosopher

1966 – Andrew Rosindell, English journalist and politician

1966 – Jeremy Sheffield, English actor and dancer

1967 – Van Conner, American bass player (Screaming Trees)

1967 – Billy Corgan, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (The Smashing Pumpkins, Zwan, Spirits in the Sky, and Starchildren)

1967 – Barry Minkow, American pastor and businessman

1968 – Eri Nitta, Japanese singer, actress, and lyricist (Onyanko Club)

1969 – Alexander McQueen, English fashion designer, founded Alexander McQueen (d. 2010)

1969 – Hugo Speer, English actor

1969 – Hanna Stjärne, Swedish journalist

1970 – Juliet Campbell, Jamaican sprinter

1970 – Patrick Lebeau, Canadian ice hockey player

1970 – Gene Ween, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Ween)

1971 – Bill Mueller, American baseball player and coach

1972 – Melissa Auf der Maur, Canadian-American singer-songwriter and bass player (Hole, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Tinker)

1972 – Torquil Campbell, English-Canadian singer-songwriter and actor (Stars and Memphis)

1972 – Marc Gunn, American harp player (Brobdingnagian Bards)

1972 – Mia Hamm, American soccer player

1972 – Sean Price, American rapper and producer (Boot Camp Clik and Heltah Skeltah) (d. 2015)

1973 – Rico Blanco, Filipino singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (Rivermaya)

1973 – Caroline Corr, Irish singer and drummer (The Corrs)

1973 – Amelia Heinle, American actress

1973 – Vance Wilson, American baseball player and manager

1973 – Jerome Woods, American football player

1974 – Marisa Coughlan, American actress

1974 – Mark Dolan, English comedian and television host

1974 – Tõnis Kasemets, Estonian race car driver

1974 – Oliver Palotai, German keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (Kamelot, Circle II Circle, and Sons of Seasons)

1975 – Test, Canadian-American wrestler (d. 2009)

1975 – Justin Hawkins, English singer-songwriter (The Darkness, British Whale, and Hot Leg)

1975 – Gina Holden, Canadian actress

1975 – Puneeth Rajkumar, Indian actor, singer, and producer

1976 – Brittany Daniel, American actress and producer

1976 – Cynthia Daniel, American actress and photographer

1976 – Scott Downs, American baseball player

1976 – Stephen Gately, Irish singer-songwriter, dancer, and actor (Boyzone) (d. 2009)

1976 – Álvaro Recoba, Uruguayan footballer

1977 – Tamar Braxton, American singer-songwriter and actress (The Braxtons)

1978 – Jason M. Burns, American author and publisher

1978 – Zachery Kouwe, American journalist

1978 – Saša Stanišić, Bosnian-German author

1979 – Lollipop, American wrestler and manager

1979 – Coco Austin, American model and actress

1979 – Andrew Ference, Canadian ice hockey player

1979 – Stephen Kramer Glickman, Canadian actor, director, producer, and fashion designer

1979 – Million Wolde, Ethiopian runner

1981 – Aaron Baddeley, American-Australian golfer

1981 – Servet Çetin, Turkish footballer

1981 – Eva Fislová, Slovak tennis player

1981 – Kyle Korver, American basketball player

1981 – Thorsten Stuckmann, German footballer

1982 – Steven Pienaar, South African footballer

1983 – Raul Meireles, Portuguese footballer

1984 – Ryan Rottman, American actor, producer, and screenwriter

1985 – Vassiliki Arvaniti, Greek volleyball player

1985 – Tuğba Karademir, Turkish-Canadian figure skater

1986 – Edin Džeko, Bosnian footballer

1986 – Miles Kane, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Little Flames, The Rascals, and The Last Shadow Puppets)

1986 – Nick Newell, American mixed martial artist

1986 – Olesya Rulin, Russian-American actress and singer

1986 – Silke Spiegelburg, German pole vaulter

1987 – Federico Fazio, Argentinian footballer

1987 – Krisnan Inu, New Zealand rugby player

1987 – Rob Kardashian, American model and businessman

1987 – Ryan Parent, Canadian ice hockey player

1987 – Bobby Ryan, American ice hockey player

1988 – Grimes, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer

1988 – Rasmus Elm, Swedish footballer

1988 – Fraser Forster, English footballer

1988 – Ryan White, Canadian ice hockey player

1989 – Shinji Kagawa, Japanese footballer

1989 – Mason Musso, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Metro Station)

1990 – Saina Nehwal, Indian Badminton player

1990 – Hozier, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist

1991 – Jack De Belin, Australian rugby league player

1993 – Matteo Bianchetti, Italian footballer

1995 – Akari Hayami, Japanese actress, model, and singer (Momoiro Clover Z)

1995 – Ashley Taylor, Australian rugby league player

1997 – Katie Ledecky, American swimmer

 

Deaths

45 BC – Titus Labienus, Roman lieutenant (b. 100 BC)

180 – Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (b. 121)

659 – Gertrude of Nivelles, Belgian nun and saint (b. 626)

836 – Haito, German monk and bishop (b. 763)

1040 – Harold Harefoot, English king (b. 1015)

1058 – Lulach, Scottish son of Gille Coemgáin of Moray (b. 1030)

1199 – Jocelin of Glasgow, Scottish monk and bishop (b. 1130)

1272 – Emperor Go-Saga of Japan (b. 1220)

1425 – Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Japanese shogun (b. 1407)

1516 – Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours (b. 1479)

1565 – Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian and academic (b. 1500)

1573 – Reginald Grey, 5th Earl of Kent, English peer

1620 – John Sarkander, Polish-Moravian priest and saint (b. 1576)

1640 – Philip Massinger, English playwright (b. 1583)

1649 – Gabriel Lalemant, French missionary and martyr (b. 1610)

1680 – François de La Rochefoucauld, French author (b. 1613)

1704 – Menno van Coehoorn, Dutch soldier and engineer (b. 1641)

1715 – Gilbert Burnet, Scottish bishop and historian (b. 1643)

1741 – Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet and playwright (b. 1671)

1764 – George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield, English astronomer and politician (b. 1695)

1782 – Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-Swiss mathematician and physicist (b. 1700)

1828 – James Edward Smith, English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society (b. 1759)

1830 – Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French general and politician, French Minister of War (b. 1764)

1846 – Friedrich Bessel, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1784)

1849 – William II of the Netherlands (b. 1792)

1853 – Christian Doppler, Austrian physicist and mathematician (b. 1803)

1871 – Robert Chambers, Scottish geologist and publisher, co-founded Chambers Harrap (b. 1802)

1875 – Ferdinand Laub, Czech violinist and composer (b. 1832)

1893 – Jules Ferry, French lawyer and politician, 44th Prime Minister of France (b. 1832)

1917 – Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (b. 1838)

1926 – Aleksei Brusilov, Georgian-Russian general (b. 1853)

1937 – Austen Chamberlain, English politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1863)

1941 – Marguerite Nichols, American actress (b. 1895)

1946 – Dai Li, Chinese general (b. 1897)

1946 – William Merz, American gymnast and triathlete (b. 1878)

1949 – Aleksandra Ekster, Russian-French painter and set designer (b. 1882)

1956 – Fred Allen, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1894)

1956 – Irène Joliot-Curie, French physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)

1957 – Ramon Magsaysay, Filipino captain and politician, 7th President of the Philippines (b. 1907)

1958 – John Pius Boland, Irish tennis player and politician (b. 1870)

1961 – Susanna M. Salter, American politician (b. 1860)

1962 – Pat Clayton, English soldier and surveyor (b. 1896)

1965 – Amos Alonzo Stagg, American football player and coach (b. 1862)

1969 – Frederick Garfield Gilmore, American boxer (b. 1887)

1974 – Louis Kahn, American architect, designed Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban (b. 1901)

1976 – Luchino Visconti, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1906)

1981 – Paul Dean, American baseball player (b. 1913)

1983 – Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)

1987 – Santo Trafficante, Jr., American mob boss (b. 1914)

1988 – Nikolas Asimos, Greek singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1949)

1989 – Merritt Butrick, American actor (b. 1959)

1990 – Capucine, French model and actress (b. 1928)

1990 – Ric Grech, Ukrainian-English bass player (Family, Blind Faith, and Traffic) (b. 1946)

1992 – Grace Stafford, American actress (b. 1903)

1993 – Helen Hayes, American actress (b. 1900)

1994 – Mai Zetterling, Swedish actress and director (b. 1925)

1995 – Rick Aviles, American actor (b. 1952)

1995 – Ronald Kray, English gangster (b. 1933)

1996 – René Clément, French director and screenwriter (b. 1913)

1996 – Terry Stafford, American singer-songwriter (b. 1941)

1997 – Jermaine Stewart, American singer-songwriter and dancer (b. 1957)

1998 – Harold Copp, Canadian biochemist and academic (b. 1915)

1999 – Ernest Gold, Austrian-American composer (b. 1921)

1999 – Rod Hull, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1936)

1999 – Jean Pierre-Bloch, French activist (b. 1905)

2002 – Rosetta LeNoire, American actress (b. 1911)

2002 – Văn Tiến Dũng, Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence for Vietnam (b. 1917)

2002 – Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, American broadcaster, created the Today Show and The Tonight Show (b. 1908)

2003 – Su Buqing, Chinese mathematician and academic (b. 1902)

2004 – Rachel Hudson, English murder victim (b. 1984)

2004 – J.J. Jackson, American radio and television host (b. 1941)

2005 – Royce Frith, Canadian lawyer, politician, and diplomat, Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (b. 1923)

2005 – George F. Kennan, American historian and diplomat, United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union (b. 1904)

2005 – Andre Norton, American author (b. 1912)

2006 – Bob Blue, American songwriter and educator (b. 1948)

2006 – Oleg Cassini, French-American fashion designer (b. 1913)

2006 – Ray Meyer, American basketball player and coach (b. 1913)

2006 – İstemihan Taviloğlu, Turkish composer and educator (b. 1945)

2007 – John Backus, American mathematician and computer scientist, designed Fortran (b. 1924)

2007 – Roger Bennett, American singer-songwriter and pianist (Legacy Five and Cathedral Quartet) (b. 1959)

2007 – Jim Cronin, English zoo keeper and activist, founded Monkey World (b. 1951)

2008 – Roland Arnall, French-American businessman and diplomat, 63rd United States Ambassador to the Netherlands (b. 1939)

2009 – Clodovil Hernandes, Brazilian television host and politician (b. 1937)

2009 – Fernand Lindsay, Canadian organist and educator (b. 1929)

2010 – Alex Chilton, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Box Tops and Big Star) (b. 1950)

2010 – Sid Fleischman, American author and screenwriter (b. 1920)

2010 – Charlie Gillett, English musicologist and radio host (b. 1942)

2011 – Michael Gough, English actor (b. 1916)

2011 – Ferlin Husky, American singer and guitarist (b. 1925)

2012 – Paul Boyer, American historian and academic (b. 1935)

2012 – John Demjanjuk, Ukrainian Nazi guard (b. 1920)

2012 – Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria (b. 1923)

2012 – Margaret Whitlam, Australian swimmer and author (b. 1919)

2013 – Rudolf Battěk, Czech sociologist and politician (b. 1924)

2013 – William B. Caldwell, III, American general (b. 1925)

2013 – Steve Davis, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1952)

2013 – André Fontaine, French historian and journalist (b. 1921)

2013 – Olivier Metzner, French lawyer (b. 1949)

2013 – Jan van Houwelingen, Dutch politician (b. 1939)

2014 – Mercy Edirisinghe, Sri Lankan actress (b. 1945)

2014 – Gene Feist, American director and playwright, co-founded the Roundabout Theatre Company (b. 1923)

2014 – Marek Galiński, Polish cyclist (b. 1974)

2014 – Joseph Kerman, American musicologist and critic (b. 1924)

2014 – Rachel Lambert Mellon, American heiress, philanthropist, gardener, and art collector (b. 1910)

2014 – Paddy McGuigan, Irish singer-songwriter (The Barleycorn) (b. 1939)

2014 – Oswald Morris, English cinematographer (b. 1915)

2014 – L'Wren Scott, American model and fashion designer (b. 1964)

2015 – Ashley Adams, Australian target shooter (b. 1955)

2015 – Bob Appleyard, English cricketer and businessman (b. 1924)

2015 – Raymond D. Fowler, American psychologist and academic (b. 1930)

2015 – Kuniyoshi Kaneko, Japanese painter, photographer and illustrator (b. 1936)

2015 – Frank Perris, Canadian motorcycle racer (b. 1931)

2015 – Guido Zappa, Italian mathematician and theorist (b. 1915)

 

Holidays and observances

Children's Day (Bangladesh)

Christian feast day:

Alexius of Rome (Eastern Church)

Gertrude of Nivelles

John Sarkander

Joseph of Arimathea (Western Church)

Patrick

March 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, Massachusetts)

Liberalia, in honor of Liber Pater. Considered by some to be part of Agonalia. (Ancient Rome)

National Muay Thai Day

Saint Patrick's Day, a public holiday in Ireland, Montserrat and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, widely celebrated in the English-speaking world and to a lesser degree, elsewhere.