Historical Events
- Mar 1 Massive strikes in northern Italian towns
- Mar 1 U-358 sinks in Atlantic
Casablanca's Academy Award Win
Mar 2 16th Academy Awards: "Casablanca", Jennifer Jones & Paul Lukas win
- Mar 2 Fumes from locomotive stalled in a tunnel suffocate 521 in Italy
Barber's 2nd Symphony
Mar 3 Premiere performance of US Army Corporal Samuel Barber's 2nd Symphony by the Boston Symphony, conducted by Serge Koussevitzky in Boston, Massachusetts
- Mar 4 1st US bombing of Berlin
- Mar 4 Anti-Germany strikes in North Italy
Piston's 2nd Symphony
Mar 5 1st performance of Walter Piston's 2nd Symphony by the National Symphony, in Washington, D.C.
- Mar 6 USAAF begins daylight bombing of Berlin
- Mar 6 WWII: British and Canadian sailors boards abandoned German U-boat U-774 seeking Enigma code machine, but are forced to scuttle the sub when efforts to tow it fail
- Mar 7 Japan begins offensive in Burma
- Mar 8 US resumes bombing Berlin
- Mar 10 U-575 sinks British corvette HMS Asphodel in the Atlantic Ocean killing 92 of the 97 men aboard
- Mar 11 Dutch resistance fighter Joop Westerweel arrested
USSR Recognizes Government
Mar 13 USSR recognizes Italian government of Pietro Badoglio
- Mar 15 Italian town of Cassino destroyed by Allied bombing
- Mar 16 French Vichy Internal minister Pierre Pucheu sentenced to death for treason
- Mar 17 Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupts after months of volcanic unrest, destroying several towns near the volcano
- Mar 18 Nazi Germany occupies Hungary
- Mar 19 British composer Michael Tippett's oratorio "A Child of Our Time" premieres at the Adelphi Theatre in London, England
- Mar 20 2,500 women trample guards and floorwalkers to purchase 1,500 alarm clocks announced for sale in a Chicago Illinois department store
- Mar 20 Bus falls off bridge into Passaic River NJ, killing 16
South of France Invasion Postponed
Mar 21 US General Eisenhower postpones invasion of the south of France until after Normandy
- Mar 22 600+ 8th Air Force bombers attack Berlin
James Stewart's Combat Mission
Mar 22 American movie star James Stewart flies his 12th combat mission, leading the 2nd Bomb Wing in an attack on Berlin
Ardeatine Massacre
Mar 24 Ardeatine massacre: Nazis led by SS officers Herbert Kappler, Erich Priebke and Karl Hass execute 335 civilians and political prisoners in occupied Rome in retaliation for the previous day's Via Rassela bombing that killed 33 Germans [1]
- Mar 24 RAF rear gunner Nicholas Alkemade survives a jump from his Lancaster bomber 18,000 feet over Germany without a parachute; his fall broken by pine trees and soft snow, suffers only a sprained leg
- Mar 25 Germany troop executes 335 residents of Rome
- Mar 26 705 British bombers attack Essen, Germany
- Mar 27 2,000 Jews are murdered in Kaunas Lithuania
- Mar 27 40 Jewish policemen in Riga, Latvia, ghetto are shot by the Gestapo
- Mar 27 Children's Aktion-Nazis collect all the Jewish children of Lovno
- Mar 28 6th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Utah defeats Dartmouth, 42-40; Utes' first title; small forward Arnie Ferrin is named tournament MOP
- Mar 28 Astrid Lindgren sprains ankle and begins writing "Pippi Longstocking"
- Mar 30 781 British bombers attack Nuremberg
- Mar 31 Hungary orders all Jews to wear yellow stars
Famous Birthdays
- Mar 1 John Breaux, American politician (Rep-D-LA, 1972-87, Senator 1987-2005), born in Crawley, Louisiana
- Mar 1 John Napier, English set designer (Royal Shakespeare Company), born in London, England
- Mar 1 Mike D'Abo, British rock vocalist (Manfred Mann - "Mighty Quinn"; Jesus Christ Superstar - "Herod"), and songwriter ("Handbags and Gladrags"), born in Betchworth, Surrey, England
Roger Daltrey (80 years old)
Mar 1 English singer and founder of the rock band "The Who", born in East Acton, London, England
- Mar 2 Katherine Crawford, American actress (Captains & King; Gemini Man), born in Los Angeles, California
- Mar 2 Leif Segerstam, Finnish violinist, conductor, and composer of 342 symphonies (...and counting!), born in Vaasa, Finland
- Mar 2 Uschi Glas, German actress
- Mar 3 Janice Garfat, rocker (Dr Hook)
- Mar 4 Bobby Womack, American R&B singer, guitarist, songwriter, and producer ("It's All Over Now"; "Woman's Got to Have It"; "Across 110th Street"), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2014)
- Mar 5 Paul Sands, comedian and actor (SCTV, Story Theater, St Elsewhere), born in Los Angeles, California
- Mar 5 Roy Gutman, American journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner
- Mar 6 Kiri Te Kanawa, New Zealand operatic soprano (Don Giovanni), born in Gisborne, New Zealand
- Mar 6 Mary Wilson, American pop vocalist (Supremes - "Where Did Our Love Go?"), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2021) [1]
- Mar 7 Elton Gallegly, American politician (Rep-R-California 1987-2013), born in Huntington Park, California
- Mar 7 Jürgen Theobaldy, German writer, born in Strasberg, France
- Mar 7 Michael Rosbash, American geneticist (Nobel Prize 2017, Drosophila period gene), born in Kansas City, Missouri
- Mar 7 Stanley Schmidt, American science fiction writer and editor, born in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Mar 7 Townes Van Zandt, American singer-songwriter ("Kathleen"; "Loretta"), born in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 1997)
- Mar 8 Buzz Hargrove, Canadian labour leader
- Mar 8 Sergey Nikitin, Russian-Soviet songwriter, poet, singer, seven-string guitarist, and biophysicist, born in Moscow, USSR
- Mar 9 Geoff Arnold, English cricketer (England medium-pacer in 34 Tests 1967-75), born in Earlsfield, Surrey, England
- Mar 9 Lee Irvine, South African cricket batsman (4 Tests, 1 x 100, 2 x 50, HS 102; Essex CCC, Natal, Transvaal), born in Durban, South Africa
- Mar 9 Trevor Burton, English guitarist and rocker (The Move), born in Aston, Birmingham
- Mar 10 David Friedman, American jazz and session percussionist, vibraphone and marimba player (Double Image), born in New York City
- Mar 11 Bobby Lyle, American jazz pianist and organist, born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Mar 11 Graham Lyle, Scottish singer-songwriter ("What's Love Got to Do With It"), born in Bellshill, Scotland
- Mar 11 Ric Rothwell, British rock drummer (Mindbenders - "The Game of Love"), born in Reddish, Cheshire, England
- Mar 14 Boris Brott, Canadian conductor (Hamilton Philharmonic, 1969-90) and music promoter (Brott Music Festival: National Academy Orchestra of Canada), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2022)
- Mar 14 Clyde Lee, American NBA player, born in Nashville, Tennessee
- Mar 14 Peter Paul Zahl, German left-wing writer and printer (shot two police officers), born in Freiburg, Germany (d. 2011)
- Mar 15 David Costell, American rock bassist (Gary Lewis and The Playboys - "This Diamond Ring"), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Mar 15 Gordon "Jazz" Summers, British music manager (Wham, Snow Patrol), born in Winchester, Hampshire (d. 2015)
- Mar 15 Jacques Doillon director/writer (La Fille de Quinze Ans)
- Mar 15 Ralph MacDonald, Trinbagonian-American jazz and R&B percussionist and songwriter ("Just the Two of Us"; "Where Is The Love"), born in Harlem, New York (d. 2011)
- Mar 17 Cito Gaston, American MLB player and manager (Toronto Blue Jays), born in San Antonio, Texas
- Mar 17 John Sebastian, American singer (Loving Spoonful - "Summer In The City"; solo - "Welcome Back"), born in New York City
- Mar 17 Pat McCauley, Northern Irish rock keyboardist and drummer (Them. 1964-65 - "Here Comes The Night"; The Other Them, 1965-67), born in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland (d. 1984)
Pattie Boyd (80 years old)
Mar 17 English model, photographer and author who married both George Harrison and Eric Clapton (not at the same time), born in Taunton, England
- Mar 18 Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, Israeli military leader and politician, (d. 2012)
- Mar 18 Dick Smith, Australian Adventurer and Businessman
- Mar 19 Joseph Celli, American experimental composer, oboist, and international reed player (Korean hojok and piri; Indian mukha vina; Japanese hickirick), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Mar 19 Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, LBJ's daughter
- Mar 19 Myung-Wha Chung, Korean concert cellist (Chung Trio), and educator, born in Seoul, Japanese Korea
- Mar 19 Said Musa, Prime Minister of Belize
Sirhan Sirhan (80 years old)
Mar 19 Palestinian-born assassin of US Senator Robert F. Kennedy, born in Jerusalem, Mandatory Palestine
- Mar 19 Tom Constanten, American rock keyboardist (Grateful Dead, 1968-70 - Aoxomoxoa), born in Long Branch, New Jersey
- Mar 21 (Roger) Hilary Minster, British character actor ('Allo 'Allo!), born in Surrey, England (d. 1999)
- Mar 21 Charles Edward Greene, Pine Bluff Ark, 4x100m runner (Olympic gold 1968)
- Mar 21 David Lindley, American session and touring multi-instrumentalist (The Kaleidoscope; Jackson Browne; James Taylor; Linda Ronstadt; Warren Zevon), born in San Marino, California (d. 2023) [1]
- Mar 21 Gaye Adegbalola [Todd], American blues singer and guitarist (Sapphire, The Uppity Blues Women - "Middle Age Blues Boogie"), teacher, and activist, born in Fredericksburg, Virginia
- Mar 21 Henrik Colding-Jorgensen, Danish organist, choirmaster, and composer, born in Riisskov, Aarhus, Denmark
- Mar 21 Jamary Oliveira, Brazilian composer (Sanctus; Piano Pièce), and music professor, born in Saúde, Bahia, Brazil (d. 2020)
- Mar 21 Marie-Christine Barrault, actress (Stardust Memories), born in Paris, France
- Mar 22 Chris Stainton, English session and touring bass and keyboard player (Joe Cocker; The Who), born in Woodseats, England
- Mar 22 Tony McPhee, British blues-rock guitarist and singer (The Groundhogs), born in Humberston, England (d. 2023)
- Mar 23 George Scott, MLB first baseman, 1966-79 (Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and 2 other teams), born in Greenville, Mississippi, (d. 2013)
- Mar 23 Michael Nyman, British pianist and composer of opera and film scores (Mesmer; Carrington; The Piano), born in Stratford, London
- Mar 23 Ric Ocasek [Otcasek], American songwriter, guitarist, singer, and producer (The Cars - "Best Friend's Girl"; "Shake It Up"; "You Are The Girl"), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2019)
- Mar 23 Salim Altaf, cricketer (Pakistan medium-pacer in 21 Tests 1967-78)
- Mar 24 R. Lee Ermey, American actor (Full Metal Jacket- Gunnery Sergeant Hartman), born in Emporia, Kansas (d. 2018)
- Mar 24 Vojislav Koštunica, Serbian Prime Minister
- Mar 25 Kelly Garrett, American actress and singer (The Night That Made America Famous), born in Chester, Pennsylvania (d. 2013)
- Mar 25 Terry L. Bruce, American politician (Rep-D-IL, 1985-93), born in Olney, Illinois
Diana Ross (80 years old)
Mar 26 American singer (The Supremes - "Stop! In The Name Of Love"; "You Can't Hurry Love"; "I Hear A Symphony"), and actress (Lady Sings Blues; Mahogany), born in Detroit, Michigan
Rick Barry (80 years old)
Mar 28 Basketball forward (NY Nets, Golden State Warriors), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey
- Mar 29 Bill Vukovich II, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year 1968; Indianapolis 500 1973 runner-up), born in Riverside, California (d. 2023)
Denny McLain (80 years old)
Mar 29 American MLB baseball pitcher, 1963-72 (AL Cy Young Award 1968-69; AL MVP 1968; 3 x MLB All-Star; World Series Champ, 1968 - Detroit Tigers, and 3 other teams), born in Markham, Illinois
- Mar 29 James Diggle, British classicist, born in Rochadale
- Mar 29 John Suchet, British TV journalist (Independent TV News), and classical music presenter (Classics FM), born in Paddington, London, England
- Mar 29 Nana Akufo-Addo [William Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo], Ghanaian politician, President of Ghana (2017-), born in Accra, Gold Coast
- Mar 29 Terry Jacks, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer ("Seasons In The Sun"), and environmentalist, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Mar 30 Gerrit Komrij, Dutch poet/essayist (Happy Schizo)
- Mar 31 Mick Ralphs, British rock guitarist (Mott the Hoople - "All The Young Dudes"; Bad Company - "Can't Get Enough"), born in Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire, England
- Mar 31 Rod Allen [Bainbridge] British pop-rock singer and bassist (Fortunes - "You've Got Your Troubles"; "Here It Comes Again"), born in Leicester, England (d. 2008)
- Mar 31 Tomohiro Nishikado, Japanese video gamer developer (Space Invaders), born in Osaka, Japan
Famous Weddings
Charlton Heston
Mar 17 American actor Charlton Heston (20) weds American actress and photographer Lydia Clarke (20)
Famous Deaths
- Mar 4 Emanuel Weiss, American hitman (b. 1906) (executed)
- Mar 4 Fannie Barrier Williams, American educator and political activist (b. 1855)
Louis Buchalter (1897-1944)
Mar 4 Jewish-American mobster (Murder, Inc.), executed at 47
- Mar 4 Louis Capone, New York organized crime figure (b. 1896) (executed)
- Mar 5 Max Jacob, French poet and writer, dies in nazi concentration camp at 67
- Mar 6 Ernst Cohen, Dutch chemist, killed in gas chamber of Auschwitz concentration camp at 74
- Mar 10 David Vogel, Ukrainian author, dies in Auschwitz at 52
- Mar 11 Hendrik W. van Loon, Dutch-American radio commentator and writer, dies at 62
- Mar 11 Irvin S. Cobb, American writer and humorist (Old Judge Priest), dies at 67
- Mar 12 Artur Gavazzi, Croatian geographer, dies at 82
- Mar 14 Pavel Chesnokov, Russian-Soviet composer, dies at 66
- Mar 15 Otto von Below, German commandant (WWI), dies at 86
- Mar 18 Benjamin Delmonte, theater director and actor (Black Haired Whore), dies at 79
- Mar 19 William Hale Thompson, American mayor of Chicago (b. 1869)
- Mar 20 Felix Woyrsch, German composer, dies at 83
- Mar 22 Pierre Pucheu, French Internal minister to Vichy government, executed by firing squad at 44
- Mar 23 O.C. Wingate, British General-Major (Burma), dies in air crash in India at 41
- Mar 28 Chayyim Most, Rabbi/Maggid of Kovono, killed by Nazis
- Mar 28 Stephen Leacock, Canadian economist and humorist (Literary Lapses), dies at 75
- Mar 31 Mineichi Koga, admiral of Japanese fleet, dies
