Historical Events
Bluebird Sets Land Speed Record
Mar 7 Malcolm Campbell sets world land speed record speed of 276.71 mph driving his famous Blue Bird car; last record set at Daytona Beach, Florida
- Mar 7 Saar incorporated into Germany
Hitler Announces Luftwaffe
Mar 9 Adolf Hitler publicly announces the creation of a new air force, the Luftwaffe
- Mar 11 Bank of Canada first opens on Wellington Street, Ottawa
Luftwaffe Created
Mar 11 Hermann Goering officially creates the Luftwaffe (German Air Force)
Headley Steers WI Win
Mar 15 Brilliant batsman George Headley steers West Indies to an innings victory over England in 4th cricket Test at Kingston, Jamaica with a patient, unbeaten 270
- Mar 16 Adolf Hitler orders German rearmament in violation of The Treaty of Versailles
Life Begins at 8:40
Mar 16 Harold Arlen, Ira Gershwin and Yip Harburg's musical "Life Begins at 8:40", starring Ray Bolger and Lulla Gear, closes at the Winter Garden Theatre, NYC, after 237 performances
- Mar 16 Scotland beats England, 10-7 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh to allow Ireland to win the Home Nations Rugby Championship with a 2-1 record
- Mar 17 KSO-AM in Des Moines Iowa call sign is given to KWCR
- Mar 21 Jean Anouilh's play "Y avait un prisonnier" premieres in Paris
- Mar 21 Persia is officially renamed Iran
- Mar 22 Blood tests authorized as evidence in court cases in New York
- Mar 24 Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour goes national on NBC Radio Network
- Mar 25 1st Belgium government of Van Zealand resigns
- Mar 26 RJ Mitchell & Major Sorley discuss armament of Supermarine Spitfire
Triumph of the Will
Mar 28 Influential Nazi Propaganda film "Triumph of the Will" released showing Nuremberg rallies, commissioned by Adolf Hitler and directed by Leni Riefenstahl
Goddard Employs Gyroscopes
Mar 28 Robert Goddard uses gyroscopes to control a rocket
Famous Birthdays
- Mar 1 Judith Rossner, American novelist ("Looking for Mr. Goodbar"; "August"), born in New York City (d. 2005)
- Mar 1 Robert Conrad [Conrad R. Falk], American actor (Wild Wild West), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2020)
- Mar 2 Al Waxman, Canadian radio, stage, and screen actor (Cagney & Lacey - "Lt. Smauels"; Meatballs 3; Spasms), and director, born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2001)
- Mar 2 Porky Pig, Warner Bros. cartoon character created by Friz Freleng and Frank Tashlin (Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series), first debuts in "I Haven't Got a Hat"
- Mar 3 Gene Bess, American Basketball HOF coach (1,300-416 [.757 win %] all-time winningest college coach; Three Rivers Community College 1971-2020; National Junior C'ship 1979, 92), born in Oak Ridge, Missouri
- Mar 3 Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgarian dissident and politician (Bulgarian President, 1990-97), born in Veselinovo, Bulgaria (d. 2015)
- Mar 4 Nancy Whiskey [Anne Wilson], Scottish folk singer and guitarist ("Freight Train"), born in Dalmarnock, Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2003)
- Mar 5 Billy Tubbs, American college basketball coach (Southwestern Uni, Lamar Uni, Uni of Oklahoma, Texas Christian Uni), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2020)
- Mar 5 Mal Anderson, Australian tennis player (US Open-1957), born in Theodore, Queensland
- Mar 5 Philip K Chapman, Australian astronaut (Apollo 14 support), born in Melbourne, Victoria (d. 2021)
- Mar 6 Derek Kevan, English soccer striker (14 caps; WBA 262 games, Manchester City), born in Ripon, England (d. 2013)
- Mar 6 Ron Delany, Irish 1500m runner (Olympic gold 1956), born in Arklow, Republic of Ireland
- Mar 8 George Coleman, American jazz saxophonist (Slide Hampton, Miles Davis, Chet Baker), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Mar 9 Andrew Viterbi, American telecommunications scientist and businessman (CDMA Technology, Qualcomm Inc.), born in Bergamo, Italy [1]
- Mar 10 (Graham) "Polly" Farmer, Australian rules footballer. 1953-71 (East Perth, Geelong, West Perth), born in North Fremantle, Australia (d. 2019)
- Mar 10 Ivan Calin, Moldavian President and Prime Minister 1980-1990), born in Ribneta, Moldova (d. 2012)
- Mar 12 Arnold Margolin, American television writer and producer (Love American Style), born in Illinois
- Mar 12 Helga Pilarczyk, German soprano (Salome; Lulu), born in Schöningen, Germany (d. 2011)
- Mar 12 John Gross, author (Age of Kipling, Dickens & 20th Century)
- Mar 13 David Nobbs, English comedic writer (The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin), born in Petts Wood, Kent (d. 2015)
- Mar 13 Don Nute, American actor, born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania (d. 1991)
- Mar 13 Joseph Mascolo, American actor (Days of Our Lives), born in West Hartford, Connecticut (d. 2016)
- Mar 13 Leslie Parrish, American actress and activist, born in Melrose, Massachusetts
- Mar 13 Michael Walzer, American political theorist, born in New York
- Mar 14 Jo van den Booren, Dutch composer, born in Maastricht, Netherlands
- Mar 15 Jimmy Lee Swaggart, evangelist
Judd Hirsch (89 years old)
Mar 15 American Emmy and Tony Award-winning stage and screen actor (Taxi - "Alex";, I'm Not Rappaport; Dear John; Ordinary People), born in The Bronx, New York
- Mar 16 Teresa Berganza, Spanish mezzo-soprano (Rossini), born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2022)
- Mar 17 (Patrick Henry) "Adam" Wade, American pop singer (The Writing On The Wall), actor (Kiss Me Goodbye), and 1st US Black game show host (Musical Chairs), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2022)
- Mar 17 Vladimir Popović, Serbian soccer midfielder (20 caps, Yugoslavia; Red Star Belgrade) and manager (Intercontinental Cup, Red Star Belgrade 1991), born in Belgrade, Serbia (d. 2020)
- Mar 18 Ole Barndorff-Nielsen, Danish mathematician and statistical theorist, born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2022)
- Mar 19 Burt Metcalfe, Canadian-American television actor (Father of the Bride), screenwriter and producer (M*A*S*H), born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (d. 2022)
- Mar 19 Phyllis Newman, American Tony Award-winning actress (Subways Are for Sleeping: Coming of Age), and singer, born in Jersey City, New Jersey (d. 2019)
- Mar 20 Sam Lay, American drummer and vocalist (Original Thunderbirds; Howlin' Wolf; Bob Dyan; Paul Butterfield), born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 2022)
- Mar 20 Ted Bessell, American director and actor (Don-That Girl, Gomer Pyle- Frankie), born in Flushing, New York (d. 1996)
- Mar 21 Antonio Membrado, Spanish-French classical guitarist and composer, born in Madrid, Spain (d. 2016)
- Mar 21 Brian Clough, English football player and manager, born in Middlesborough, England (d. 2004)
- Mar 21 Hubert Fichte, German writer, born in Perleberg (d. 1986)
- Mar 22 Bertil Johansson, Swedish soccer striker (5 caps; IFK Göteborg 267 games) and manager (IFK Göteborg), born in Gothenburg, Sweden (d. 2021)
- Mar 22 Danny Ray, American MC, stage manager, valet and "cape man" for soul singer James Brown, born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 2021)
- Mar 22 M. Emmet Walsh, American character actor (Blade Runner; Wildcats; Blood Simple; Knives Out), born in Ogdensburg New York (d. 2024) [1]
- Mar 23 Barry Cryer, British comic, writer (The Kenny Everett Show; Ross Abbot; The Two Ronnies), and actor (All You Need Is Cash), born in Leeds, England (d. 2022)
- Mar 23 Desmond Pitcher, British businessman and CEO (Merseyside Development Corporation), born in Liverpool, England
Carol Kaye (89 years old)
Mar 24 American session bassist (Beach Boys, Sonny & Cher, Simon & Garfunkel), born in Everett, Washington
- Mar 24 Mary Berry, English food writer and TV presenter (The Great British Bake Off), born in Bath, England
- Mar 24 Peter Bichsel, Swiss writer (Gruppe Olten), born in Bellach
- Mar 25 (Juan) "Johnny" Pacheco, Dominican-American salsa flutist, bandleader, composer, record producer and label executive (Fania Records), born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic (d. 2021) [1]
- Mar 25 Gabriel 'Flash' Elorde, Filipino boxer (featherweight and super featherweight champion), born in Bogo (d. 1985)
- Mar 25 Susan Engel, British actress (Ascendancy), born in Vienna, Austria
Mahmoud Abbas (89 years old)
Mar 26 2nd President of the Palestine National Authority (2005-present), born in Safed, Mandatory Palestine
- Mar 27 Abelardo Castillo, Argentine writer and novelist, born in San Pedro, Buenos Aires (d. 2017)
- Mar 27 Fr. Stanley Rother, American Roman Catholic priest, martyr and missionary to Guatemala, born in Okarche, Oklahoma (d. 1981)
- Mar 27 Julian Glover, English actor (QED, Heat & Dust, Mandela), born in Hampstead, London
- Mar 27 Michael Howard, 21st Earl of Suffolk and 14th Earl of Berkshire (House of Lords, 1956-99), born in the UK (d. 2022)
Michael Parkinson (1935-2023)
Mar 28 English broadcaster and TV talkshow host and interviewer (Parkinson), born in Cudworth, West Riding [1]
- Mar 29 Ruby Murray, Irish pop singer ("Heartbeat"; "Softly, Softly"), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland (d. 1996)
- Mar 30 Gordon Mumma, American pianist, composer, and educator (University of California, 1975-94), born in Framingham, Massachusetts
- Mar 30 John Charles Eaton, American composer, born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania (d. 2015)
- Mar 30 Karl Berger, German-American jazz pianist, vibraphone player, and musicologist, born in Heidelberg, Germany (d. 2023)
Herb Alpert (89 years old)
Mar 31 American Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz trumpeter and bandleader (Tijuana Brass - "This Guy's In Love With You"; Whipped Cream and Other Delights), and record executive (A&M), born in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California
Famous Deaths
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr (1841-1935)
Mar 6 US 59th Supreme Court justice (1902-32), dies of pneumonia at 93
- Mar 8 Ruan Lingyu [Fenggen], Chinese silent film actress (The Goddess), commits suicide at 24
- Mar 10 Barend Barendse, Dutch actor and director (Heilig recht), dies at 82
- Mar 12 Mihajlo "Micheal" Pupin, Serbian-American physicist and telephone pioneer, dies at 76
- Mar 16 Aron Nimzowitsch, Latvian-born chess player (b. 1886)
- Mar 16 John Macleod, Scottish-Canadian physiologist (Nobel 1923), dies at 58
- Mar 23 Florence Moore, American vaudeville, stage and silent screen actress, dies of cancer at 48
- Mar 30 Romanos Melik'yan, Armenian composer, dies at 51
