March 18 is the 77th day of the year (78th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 288 days remaining until the end of the year.

 

Events

37 – The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius's will and proclaims Caligula emperor.

633 – Ridda wars: The Arabian Peninsula is united under the central authority of Caliph Abu Bakr.

1068 – An earthquake affects the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula, leaving up to 20,000 dead.

1229 – Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, declares himself King of Jerusalem in the Sixth Crusade.

1241 – First Mongol invasion of Poland: Mongols overwhelm Polish armies in Kraków in the Battle of Chmielnik and plunder the city.

1314 – Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is burned at the stake.

1438 – Albert II of Habsburg becomes Holy Roman Emperor.

1608 – Susenyos is formally crowned Emperor of Ethiopia.

1644 – The Third Anglo-Powhatan War begins in the Colony of Virginia.

1741 – New York governor George Clarke's complex at Fort George is burned in an arson attack, starting the New York Conspiracy of 1741.

1766 – American Revolution: The British Parliament repeals the Stamp Act.

1793 – The first republic in Germany, the Republic of Mainz, is declared by Andreas Joseph Hofmann.

1834 – Six farm labourers from Tolpuddle, Dorset, England are sentenced to be transported to Australia for forming a trade union.

1848 – March Revolution: In Berlin there is a struggle between citizens and military, costing about 300 lives.

1850 – American Express is founded by Henry Wells and William Fargo.

1865 – American Civil War: The Congress of the Confederate States adjourns for the last time.

1871 – Declaration of the Paris Commune; President of the French Republic, Adolphe Thiers, orders the evacuation of Paris.

1874 – Hawaii signs a treaty with the United States granting exclusive trade rights.

1892 – Former Governor General Lord Stanley pledges to donate a silver challenge cup, later named after him, as an award for the best hockey team in Canada the Stanley Cup.

1906 – Traian Vuia flies a heavier-than-air aircraft for 11 meters at an altitude of one meter.

1913 – King George I of Greece is assassinated in the recently liberated city of Thessaloniki.

1915 – World War I: During the Battle of Gallipoli, three battleships are sunk during a failed British and French naval attack on the Dardanelles.

1921 – The second Peace of Riga is signed between Poland and the Soviet Union.

1922 – In India, Mohandas Gandhi is sentenced to six years in prison for civil disobedience, of which he serves only two.

1925 – The Tri-State Tornado hits the Midwestern states of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, killing 695 people.

1937 – The New London School explosion in New London, Texas, kills 300 people, mostly children.

1937 – Spanish Civil War: Spanish Republican forces defeat the Italians at the Battle of Guadalajara.

1937 – A human-powered aircraft, Pedaliante, flies 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) outside Milan, Italy.

1938 – Mexico creates Pemex by expropriating all foreign-owned oil reserves and facilities.

1940 – World War II: Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini meet at the Brenner Pass in the Alps and agree to form an alliance against France and the United Kingdom.

1942 – The War Relocation Authority is established in the United States to take Japanese Americans into custody.

1944 – The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy kills 26 people and causes thousands to flee their homes.

1946 – Diplomatic relations between Switzerland and the Soviet Union are established.

1948 – Soviet consultants leave Yugoslavia in the first sign of the Tito–Stalin split.

1953 – An earthquake hits western Turkey, killing 265 people.

1959 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill into law allowing for Hawaiian statehood, which would become official on August 21.

1962 – The Évian Accords end the Algerian War of Independence, which had begun in 1954.

1965 – Cosmonaut Alexey Leonov, leaving his spacecraft Voskhod 2 for 12 minutes, becomes the first person to walk in space.

1967 – The supertanker Torrey Canyon runs aground off the Cornish coast.

1968 – Gold standard: The U.S. Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve to back US currency.

1969 – The United States begins secretly bombing the Sihanouk Trail in Cambodia, used by communist forces to infiltrate South Vietnam.

1970 – Lon Nol ousts Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia.

1970 – The U.S. postal strike of 1970 begins, one of the largest wildcat strikes in U.S. history.

1971 – In Peru a landslide crashes into Yanawayin Lake, killing 200 people at the mining camp of Chungar.

1974 – Most OPEC nations end a five-month oil embargo against the United States, Europe and Japan.

1980 – At Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia, 50 people are killed by an explosion of a Vostok-2M rocket on its launch pad during a fueling operation.

1985 – First episode of Neighbours broadcast.

1990 – Germans in the German Democratic Republic vote in the first democratic elections in the former communist dictatorship.

1990 – In the largest art theft in US history, 12 paintings, collectively worth around $300 million, are stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

1992 – In a national referendum white South Africans vote overwhelmingly in favour of ending apartheid.

1994 – Bosnia's Bosniaks and Croats sign the Washington Agreement, ending war between the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and establishing the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

1996 – A nightclub fire in Quezon City, Philippines kills 162 people.

1997 – The tail of a Russian Antonov An-24 charter plane breaks off while en route to Turkey causing the plane to crash and killing all 50 people on board and leading to the grounding of all An-24s.

2014 – The parliaments of Russia and Crimea sign an accession treaty.

2015 – The Bardo National Museum in Tunisia is attacked by gunmen. 23 people, almost all tourists, are killed, and at least 50 other people are wounded.

 

Births

1075 – Al-Zamakhshari, Persian theologian (d. 1144)

1395 – John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter, English commander (d. 1447)

1496 – Mary Tudor, Queen of France (d. 1533)

1555 – Francis, Duke of Anjou (d. 1584)

1590 – Manuel de Faria e Sousa, Portuguese historian and poet (d. 1649)

1597 – Jérôme le Royer de la Dauversière, French religious leader, founded the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal (d. 1659)

1602 – Jacques de Billy, French priest, mathematician, and theorist (d. 1679)

1603 – Simon Bradstreet, English businessman and politician, 20th Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (d. 1693)

1609 – Frederick III of Denmark (d. 1670)

1634 – Madame de La Fayette, French author (d. 1693)

1640 – Philippe de La Hire, French mathematician and astronomer (d. 1719)

1657 – Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni, Italian organist and composer (d. 1743)

1685 – Ralph Ersine, Scottish minister (d. 1752)

1690 – Christian Goldbach, Prussian-German mathematician and academic (d. 1764)

1701 – Niclas Sahlgren, Swedish businessman and philanthropist, co-founded the Swedish East India Company (d. 1776)

1733 – Christoph Friedrich Nicolai, German author and bookseller (d. 1811)

1780 – Miloš Obrenović I, Prince of Serbia (d. 1860)

1782 – John C. Calhoun, American lawyer and politician, 7th Vice President of the United States (d. 1850)

1798 – Francis Lieber, German-American jurist and philosopher (d. 1872)

1800 – Harriet Smithson, Anglo-Irish actress (d. 1854)

1804 – Carl Nebel, German engineer, architect and draughtsman, known for scenes of Mexico (d. 1855)

1813 – Christian Friedrich Hebbel, German poet and playwright (d. 1864)

1814 – Jacob Bunn, American businessman (d. 1897)

1816 – Antonio Salviati, Italian lawyer and businessman (d. 1890)

1823 – Antoine Chanzy, French general (d. 1883)

1828 – Randal Cremer, English politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1908)

1837 – Grover Cleveland, American lawyer and politician, 22nd and 24th President of the United States (d. 1908)

1840 – William Cosmo Monkhouse, English poet and critic (d. 1901)

1842 – Stéphane Mallarmé, French poet and critic (d. 1898)

1844 – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer and academic (d. 1908)

1848 – Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, American engineer and architect (d. 1938)

1848 – Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (d. 1939)

1853 – Emilie Kempin-Spyri, Swiss lawyer and academic (d. 1901)

1858 – Rudolf Diesel, German engineer, invented the Diesel engine (d. 1913)

1862 – Eugène Jansson, Swedish painter (d. 1915)

1863 – William Sulzer, American lawyer and politician, 39th Governor of New York (d. 1941)

1866 – Cemil Topuzlu, Turkish surgeon and politician; Mayor of Istanbul (b. 1958)

1869 – Neville Chamberlain, English businessman and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1940)

1874 – Nikolai Berdyaev, Russian-French philosopher and theologian (d. 1948)

1877 – Edgar Cayce, American mystic and psychic (d. 1945)

1877 – Clem Hill, Australian cricketer and engineer (d. 1945)

1878 – Percival Perry, 1st Baron Perry, English businessman (d. 1956)

1879 – Norval Baptie, Canadian speed skater (d. 1966)

1881 – Paul Le Flem, French composer and critic (d. 1984)

1882 – Gian Francesco Malipiero, Italian composer and educator (d. 1973)

1884 – Bernard Cronin, Australian author and journalist (d. 1968)

1886 – Edward Everett Horton, American actor, dancer and singer (d. 1970)

1890 – Henri Decoin, French director and screenwriter (d. 1969)

1891 – Alice Cullen, Scottish politician (d. 1969)

1893 – Costante Girardengo, Italian cyclist (d. 1978)

1893 – Jean Goldkette, French-American pianist and bandleader (d. 1962)

1893 – Wilfred Owen, English soldier and poet (d. 1918)

1898 – Jake Swirbul, American businessman, co-founded the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation (d. 1960)

1901 – William Johnson, American painter (d. 1970)

1903 – Galeazzo Ciano, Italian journalist and politician, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs (d. 1944)

1904 – Srečko Kosovel, Slovenian poet and author (d. 1926)

1904 – Margaret Tucker, Australian author and activist (d. 1996)

1905 – Thomas Townsend Brown, American physicist and engineer (d. 1985)

1905 – Robert Donat, English actor (d. 1958)

1907 – Rosita Moreno, Spanish-American actress (d. 1993)

1907 – Verda Welcome, American educator and politician (d. 1990)

1907 – John Zachary Young, English zoologist and neurophysiologist (d. 1997)

1908 – Loulou Gasté, French composer (d. 1995)

1909 – Ernest Gallo, American businessman, co-founded the E & J Gallo Winery (d. 2007)

1909 – C. Walter Hodges, English author and illustrator (d. 2004)

1911 – Al Benton, American baseball player (d. 1968)

1911 – Smiley Burnette, American singer-songwriter and actor (d. 1967)

1911 – Kullo Must, Estonian film producer (d. 1987)

1912 – Art Gilmore, American voice actor and announcer (d. 2010)

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

1913 – Reinhard Hardegen, German commander

1913 – Werner Mölders, German colonel and pilot (d. 1941)

1914 – César Guerra-Peixe, Brazilian violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1993)

1915 – Richard Condon, American author and screenwriter (d. 1996)

1918 – Bob Broeg, American journalist (d. 2005)

1919 – Christopher Challis, English cinematographer and photographer (d. 2012)

1921 – Frank Searle, Scottish zoologist and photographer (d. 2005)

1922 – Egon Bahr, German journalist and politician, Federal Minister for Special Affairs of Germany (d. 2015)

1922 – Seymour Martin Lipset, American sociologist and academic (d. 2006)

1922 – Fred Shuttlesworth, American activist, co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (d. 2011)

1923 – Andy Granatelli, American businessman (d. 2013)

1925 – James Pickles, English journalist, lawyer, and judge (d. 2010)

1926 – Peter Graves, American actor and director (d. 2010)

1926 – Dick Littlefield, American baseball player (d. 1997)

1926 – Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, Indian poet and social worker

1927 – John Kander, American pianist and composer

1927 – George Plimpton, American writer and literary editor (d. 2003)

1927 – Lillian Vernon, German-American businesswoman and philanthropist, founded the Lillian Vernon Company (d. 2015)

1928 – Julia Mullock, American-South Korean wife of Yi Gu

1928 – Miguel Poblet, Spanish cyclist (d. 2013)

1928 – Fidel V. Ramos, Filipino general and politician, 12th President of the Philippines

1929 – Jacki Clérico, French businessman (d. 2013)

1929 – John Macurdy, American opera singer

1929 – Samuel Pisar, Polish-American lawyer and author (d. 2015)

1929 – Jack B. Sowards, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2007)

1930 – Pat Halcox, English trumpet player (d. 2013)

1931 – Howard Coble, American captain, lawyer, and politician (d. 2015)

1931 – John Fraser, Scottish actor

1931 – John Mollo, English costume designer and author

1932 – John Updike, American novelist, poet, and critic (d. 2009)

1932 – Frank Nagai, Japanese singer (d. 2008)

1933 – Unita Blackwell, American activist and politician

1934 – Roy Chapman, English footballer and manager (d. 1983)

1934 – Pietro Rizzuto, Italian-Canadian politician (d. 1997)

1935 – Ole Barndorff-Nielsen, Danish mathematician and statistician

1935 – Antonios Naguib, Egyptian patriarch

1935 – Frances Cress Welsing, American psychiatrist and author (d. 2016)

1936 – F. W. de Klerk, South African lawyer and politician, 2nd State President of South Africa, Nobel Prize laureate

1937 – Rudi Altig, German cyclist and screenwriter

1937 – Mark Donohue, American race car driver (d. 1975)

1938 – Carl Gottlieb, American actor and screenwriter

1938 – Shashi Kapoor, Indian actor and producer

1938 – Kenny Lynch, English singer-songwriter and actor

1938 – Timo Mäkinen, Finnish race car driver

1938 – Charley Pride, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1938 – Machiko Soga, Japanese actress (d. 2006)

1939 – Ron Atkinson, English footballer and manager

1939 – Yannis Markopoulos, Greek composer

1940 – József Tóth, Hungarian geographer and academic (d. 2013)

1941 – John W. Derr, American soldier and politician

1941 – Wilson Pickett, American singer-songwriter (The Falcons) (d. 2006)

1942 – Albert Van Vlierberghe, Belgian cyclist (d. 1991)

1943 – Kevin Dobson, American actor and director

1943 – Toula Grivas, French-Greek actress

1943 – Nobuko Imai, Japanese viola player and educator

1943 – Dennis Linde, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006)

1944 – Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, Israeli general and politician, 22nd Transportation Minister of Israel (d. 2012)

1944 – Frank McRae, American actor and an American football player

1944 – Dick Smith, Australian publisher and businessman (Dick Smith Electronics and Australian Geographic)

1945 – Joy Fielding, Canadian actress and author

1945 – Hiroh Kikai, Japanese photographer

1945 – Michael Reagan, American journalist and radio host

1945 – Susan Tyrrell, American actress (d. 2012)

1945 – Eric Woolfson, Scottish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (The Alan Parsons Project) (d. 2009)

1946 – Martyn Griffiths, English race car driver

1946 – Michel Leclère, French race car driver

1947 – Patrick Barlow, English actor and playwright

1947 – Patrick Chesnais, French actor, director, and screenwriter

1947 – Roger Kenneth Evans, English politician

1947 – David Lloyd, English cricketer, journalist, and sportscaster

1947 – Heather Ryan, American model

1947 – B. J. Wilson, English drummer (Procol Harum) (d. 1990)

1948 – Guy Lapointe, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1948 – Brian Lloyd, Welsh footballer

1948 – Lockwood Phillips, American radio host

1949 – Bertha Gilkey, American activist (d. 2014)

1949 – Alex Higgins, Irish snooker player (d. 2010)

1949 – Åse Kleveland, Norwegian singer and politician

1949 – Hannu Siitonen, Finnish javelin thrower

1950 – James Conlon, American conductor and educator

1950 – Brad Dourif, American actor

1950 – John Hartman, American drummer (Doobie Brothers)

1950 – Eiji Okuda, Japanese actor and director

1950 – Linda Partridge, English geneticist and academic

1950 – Larry Perkins, Australian race car driver

1951 – Paul Barber, English actor

1951 – Ben Cohen, American businessman co-founded Ben and Jerry's

1951 – Bill Frisell, American guitarist and composer

1951 – Mart Murdvee, Estonian psychologist and scholar

1952 – Will Durst, American journalist and actor

1952 – Pat Eddery, Irish jockey and trainer (d. 2015)

1952 – Bernie Tormé, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Gillan, Guy McCoy Tormé, and Desperado)

1952 – Mike Webster, American football player (d. 2002)

1953 – Franz Wright, Austrian-American poet and translator (d. 2015)

1953 – Takashi Yoshimatsu, Japanese composer

1954 – Ryosuke Otani, Japanese actor and voice actor

1955 – Ana Obregón, Spanish actress, screenwriter, and biologist

1955 – Francis G. Slay, American lawyer and politician, 45th Mayor of St. Louis

1955 – Jeff Stelling, English journalist and game show host

1956 – Rick Martel, Canadian wrestler

1956 – Ingemar Stenmark, Swedish skier

1957 – Christer Fuglesang, Swedish physicist and astronaut

1957 – György Pazdera, Hungarian bass player (Pokolgép)

1957 – Wolfgang Schilling, German footballer

1958 – Richard de Zoysa, Sri Lankan journalist and author (d. 1990)

1959 – Luc Besson, French director, producer, and screenwriter, founded EuropaCorp

1959 – Irene Cara, American actress and singer-songwriter

1960 – Guy Carbonneau, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1960 – James MacPherson, Scottish actor

1960 – James Plaskett, Cypriot-English chess player

1961 – Grant Hart, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Hüsker Dü)

1961 – Todd Nelson, American tennis player

1962 – Michael Andrews, Australian rugby league player

1962 – Brian Fisher, American baseball player

1962 – Thomas Ian Griffith, American actor and martial artist

1962 – James McMurtry, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor

1962 – Mike Rowe, American actor, singer, and television host

1962 – Bob Shennan, English broadcaster

1962 – Etsushi Toyokawa, Japanese actor and director

1962 – Volker Weidler, German race car driver

1963 – Keith Brown, English cricketer

1963 – Jeff LaBar, American guitarist (Cinderella and Naked Beggars)

1963 – Vanessa L. Williams, American model, actress, and singer, Miss America 1984

1964 – Bonnie Blair, American speed skater

1964 – Paul Elliott, English footballer and sportscaster

1964 – Mika Kanai, Japanese voice actress and singer

1964 – Courtney Pine, English saxophonist and clarinet player

1965 – Birgit Clarius, German heptathlete

1965 – Yoriko Douguchi, Japanese actress

1966 – Jerry Cantrell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Alice in Chains)

1966 – Peter Jones, English businessman

1967 – Miki Berenyi, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Lush)

1967 – Ken Edenfield, American baseball player

1968 – Miguel Herrera, Mexican footballer and manager

1968 – Paul Marsden, English businessman and politician

1968 – Shin-ichiro Miki, Japanese voice actor

1969 – Andy Cutting, English accordion player and composer (Blowzabella)

1969 – Vassily Ivanchuk, Ukrainian chess player

1969 – J. David Shapiro, American actor, director, and screenwriter

1969 – Shaun Udal, English cricketer

1970 – Queen Latifah, American actress, singer and rapper

1971 – Wayne Arthurs, Australian tennis player

1971 – Mike Bell, American wrestler (d. 2008)

1971 – Mariaan de Swardt, South African-American tennis player, coach, and sportscaster

1971 – Kitty Ussher, English economist and politician

1972 – Dane Cook, American comedian, actor, director, and producer

1972 – Anja Möllenbeck, German discus thrower

1972 – Reince Priebus, American lawyer and political activist

1973 – Max Barry, Australian author and blogger

1973 – Luci Christian, American voice actress and screenwriter

1974 – Arsi Harju, Finnish shot putter

1974 – Tina Križan, Slovenian tennis player

1974 – Evan Lowenstein, American singer-songwriter (Evan and Jaron)

1974 – Jaron Lowenstein, American singer-songwriter (Evan and Jaron)

1974 – Laure Savasta, French basketball player, coach, and sportscaster

1974 – Stuart Zender, English bass player, songwriter, and producer (Jamiroquai)

1975 – Sutton Foster, American actress, singer, and dancer

1975 – Brian Griese, American football player and sportscaster

1975 – Kimmo Timonen, Finnish ice hockey player

1975 – Tomas Žvirgždauskas, Lithuanian footballer

1975 – Lucid Fall, South Korean singer

1976 – Giovanna Antonelli, Brazilian actress and producer

1976 – Jovan Kirovski, American soccer player and coach

1976 – Tomo Ohka, Japanese baseball player

1976 – Scott Podsednik, American baseball player

1976 – Mike Quackenbush, American wrestler, trainer, and author, founded Chikara wrestling promotion

1977 – Zdeno Chára, Slovak ice hockey player

1977 – Danny Murphy, English footballer and sportscaster

1977 – Fernando Rodney, Dominican-American baseball player

1977 – Willy Sagnol, French footballer and manager

1977 – Terrmel Sledge, American baseball player

1978 – Fernandão, Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2014)

1978 – Jan Bulis, Czech ice hockey player

1978 – Juris Fernandez, Filipino singer-songwriter (MYMP)

1978 – Brooke Hanson, Australian swimmer

1978 – Antonio Margarito, Mexican-American boxer

1978 – Brian Scalabrine, American basketball player and coach

1978 – Yoshie Takeshita, Japanese volleyball player

1978 – Jonas Wallerstedt, Swedish footballer, coach, and manager

1978 – Virginia Williams, American actress

1979 – Adam Levine, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (Maroon 5)

1979 – Anthony Maher, American soccer player

1980 – Sébastien Frey, French footballer

1980 – Sophia Myles, English actress

1980 – Alexei Yagudin, Russian figure skater

1980 – Natalia Poklonskaya, Ukrainian-Crimean lawyer and politician

1981 – Tora Berger, Norwegian biathlete

1981 – Fabian Cancellara, Swiss cyclist

1981 – Leslie Djhone, French sprinter

1981 – Jang Na-ra, South Korean singer and actress

1981 – Kasib Powell, American basketball player

1981 – Tom Starke, German footballer

1981 – Doug Warren, American soccer player

1981 – Lovro Zovko, Croatian tennis player

1982 – Chad Cordero, American baseball player

1982 – Timo Glock, German race car driver

1982 – Mantorras, Angolan footballer

1982 – Adam Pally, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1982 – Rei Yoshii, Japanese actress

1983 – Ethan Carter III, American wrestler

1983 – Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro, French tennis player

1983 – Andy Sonnanstine, American baseball player

1983 – Tomasz Stolpa, Polish footballer

1984 – Simone Padoin, Italian footballer

1984 – Rajeev Ram, American tennis player

1984 – Gary Roberts, English footballer

1984 – Vonzell Solomon, American singer and actress

1985 – Gennaro Esposito, Italian footballer

1985 – Bia Figueiredo, Brazilian race car driver

1985 – Marvin Humes, English singer and actor (JLS and VS)

1985 – Vince Lia, Australian footballer

1986 – Abdennour Chérif El-Ouazzani, Algerian footballer

1986 – Kaloyan Ivanov, Bulgarian basketball player

1986 – Lykke Li, Swedish singer-songwriter

1987 – Gabriel Mercado, Argentinian footballer

1987 – Cesare Rickler, Italian footballer

1987 – Rebecca Soni, American swimmer

1987 – Mauro Zárate, Argentinian footballer

1989 – Francesco Checcucci, Italian footballer

1989 – Lily Collins, English-American actress

1989 – Shreevats Goswami, Indian cricketer

1989 – Kana Nishino, Japanese singer-songwriter

1989 – Paul Marc Rousseau, Canadian guitarist and producer (Silverstein)

1990 – Corey Liuget, American football player

1991 – Dylan Mattingly, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1991 – Sam Williams, Australian rugby league player

1992 – Ryan Truex, American race car driver

1993 – Mana Iwabuchi, Japanese footballer

 

Deaths

235 – Severus Alexander, Roman emperor (b. 208)

978 – Edward the Martyr, English king (b. 962)

1227 – Pope Honorius III (b. 1148)

1314 – Jacques de Molay, Frankish knight (b. 1244)

1675 – Arthur Chichester, 1st Earl of Donegall, Irish soldier (b. 1606)

1689 – John Dixwell, English soldier and politician (b. 1607)

1696 – Robert Charnock, English academic (b. 1663)

1715 – William Fraser, 12th Lord Saltoun, Scottish politician (b. 1654)

1745 – Robert Walpole, English scholar and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1676)

1768 – Laurence Sterne, Irish novelist (b. 1713)

1781 – Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune, French economist and politician, French Controller-General of Finances (b. 1727)

1789 – Thomas Rawlins (sculptor) English funerary stonemason

1789 – Catherine Murphy, English counterfeiter

1823 – Jean-Baptiste Bréval, French cellist and composer (b. 1753)

1835 – Christian Günther von Bernstorff, Danish-Prussian politician and diplomat (b. 1769)

1845 – Johnny Appleseed, American environmentalist (b. 1774)

1871 – Augustus De Morgan, Indian-English mathematician and academic (b. 1806)

1898 – Matilda Joslyn Gage, American author and activist (b. 1826)

1907 – Marcellin Berthelot, French chemist and politician, French Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1827)

1913 – George I of Greece (b. 1845)

1918 – Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, American architect, designed the Plaza Hotel (b. 1847)

1933 – Prince Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi (b. 1873)

1936 – Eleftherios Venizelos, Greek journalist, lawyer, and politician, 93rd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1864)

1939 – Henry Simpson Lunn, English businessman, founded Lunn Poly (b. 1859)

1941 – Henri Cornet, French cyclist (b. 1884)

1947 – William C. Durant, American businessman, co-founded General Motors and Chevrolet (b. 1861)

1954 – Walter Mead, English cricketer (b. 1868)

1956 – Louis Bromfield, American environmentalist and author (b. 1896)

1962 – Walter W. Bacon, American accountant and politician, 60th Governor of Delaware (b. 1880)

1963 – Wanda Hawley, American actress and singer (b. 1895)

1964 – Sigfrid Edström, Swedish businessman, 4th President of the International Olympic Committee (b. 1870)

1965 – Farouk of Egypt (b. 1920)

1965 – Jack Quinlan, American sportscaster (b. 1927)

1969 – Barbara Bates, American actress and singer (b. 1925)

1973 – Johannes Aavik, Estonian philologist and poet (b. 1880)

1975 – Alain Grandbois, Canadian poet and educator (b. 1900)

1976 – Giuseppe Genco Russo, Italian mob boss (b. 1893)

1977 – Marien Ngouabi, Congolese politician, President of the Republic of the Congo (b. 1938)

1977 – Carlos Pace, Brazilian race car driver (b. 1944)

1978 – Leigh Brackett, American author and screenwriter (b. 1915)

1978 – Peggy Wood, American actress and singer (b. 1892)

1980 – Erich Fromm, German psychologist and philosopher (b. 1900)

1981 – Cahide Sonku, Turkish actress, director, and producer (b. 1916)

1982 – Patrick Smith, Irish farmer and politician, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (b. 1901)

1983 – Umberto II of Italy (b. 1904)

1984 – Charley Lau, American baseball player and coach (b. 1933)

1986 – Bernard Malamud, American novelist and short story writer (b. 1914)

1988 – Billy Butterfield, American trumpet player and cornet player (b. 1917)

1990 – Robin Harris, American comedian and actor (b. 1953)

1993 – Kenneth E. Boulding, English-American economist and activist (b. 1910)

1995 – Sadri Alışık, Turkish actor (b. 1925)

1995 – Robin Jacques, English illustrator (b. 1920)

1996 – Odysseas Elytis, Greek poet and critic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)

1999 – Elizabeth Huckaby, American educator (b. 1905)

2000 – Eberhard Bethge, German theologian and academic (b. 1909)

2001 – Viktor Masing, Estonian botanist and ecologist (b. 1925)

2001 – John Phillips, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Mamas & the Papas) (b. 1935)

2002 – R. A. Lafferty, American soldier and author (b. 1914)

2002 – Gösta Winbergh, Swedish tenor (b. 1943)

2003 – Karl Kling, German race car driver (b. 1910)

2003 – Adam Osborne, Thai-English businessman, founded the Osborne Computer Corporation (b. 1939)

2004 – Harrison McCain, Canadian businessman, co-founded McCain Foods (b. 1927)

2006 – Dan Gibson, Canadian photographer and cinematographer (b. 1922)

2007 – Bob Woolmer, Indian-English cricketer, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1948)

2008 – Andrew Britton, English-American author (b. 1981)

2008 – Anthony Minghella, English director and screenwriter (b. 1954)

2008 – Geoffrey Pearson, Canadian diplomat and author (b. 1927)

2009 – Omid Reza Mir Sayafi, Iranian journalist and blogger (b. 1980)

2009 – Natasha Richardson, English actress (b. 1963)

2010 – Fess Parker, American actor, singer, and businessman (b. 1924)

2011 – Warren Christopher, American lawyer and politician, 63rd United States Secretary of State (b. 1925)

2012 – Imra Agotić, Croatian general (b. 1943)

2012 – Furman Bisher, American journalist (b. 1918)

2012 – William R. Charette, American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1932)

2012 – William G. Moore Jr., American general (b. 1920)

2012 – Jalal Zolfonun, Iranian setar player and composer (b. 1937)

2013 – Muhammad Mahmood Alam, Pakistani general and pilot (b. 1935)

2013 – Mindy Baha El Din, American-Egyptian ornithologist and environmentalist (b. 1958)

2013 – Henry Bromell, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1947)

2013 – Clay Ford, American lawyer and politician (b. 1938)

2013 – Earl Hersh, American baseball player (b. 1932)

2013 – Robin M. Williams, New Zealand mathematician and academic (b. 1919)

2014 – Catherine Obianuju Acholonu, Nigerian author, playwright, and academic (b. 1951)

2014 – Kaiser Kalambo, Zambian footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1953)

2014 – Joe Lala, American actor and drummer (Blues Image and Manassas) (b. 1947)

2014 – Lucius Shepard, American author and critic (b. 1943)

2014 – Ara Shiraz, Armenian sculptor (b. 1941)

2015 – Zhao Dayu, Chinese footballer and manager (b. 1961)

2015 – Roy Doty, American illustrator (b. 1922)

2015 – Thomas Hopko, American priest and theologian (b. 1939)

2015 – Grace Ogot, Kenyan nurse, journalist, and politician (b. 1930)

 

Holidays and observances

Anniversary of the Oil Expropriation (Mexico)

Christian feast day:

Alexander of Jerusalem

Cyril of Jerusalem

Edward the Martyr

Fridianus

Salvator

March 18 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Earliest date on which Holy Wednesday can fall, while April 21 is the latest; celebrated on the week before Easter. (Christianity)

Flag Day (Aruba)

Gallipoli Memorial Day (Turkey)

Men's and Soldiers' Day (Mongolia)