Historical Events
Event of Interest
Mar 5 Terence Rattigan's stage drama "Deep Blue Sea" premieres in London
Cuban Coup d'état
Mar 10 Military coup led by General Fulgencio Batista in Cuba
Golf Tournament
Mar 16 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Babe Didrikson Zaharias wins her 3rd Titleholders title by 7 strokes from Betsy Rawls
- Mar 18 1st plastic lens for cataract patients fitted (Philadelphia)
Academy Awards
Mar 20 24th Academy Awards: "An American in Paris", Humphrey Bogart and Vivien Leigh win
- Mar 20 Final ratification of peace treaty restoring sovereignty to Japan by US Senate
- Mar 21 "3 Wishes for Jamie" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 94 performances
- Mar 21 -22] Tornadoes in Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama and Kentucky cause 343 deaths
Music Concert
Mar 21 20,000 attempt to attend the 1st rock & roll concert ever when Alan Freed presents "The Moondog Coronation Ball" at old 12,000 seat Cleveland Arena; performers include: Paul Williams and the Hucklebuckers; Tiny Grimes and the Rocking Highlanders; The Dominoes; and Varetta Dillard
- Mar 22 Dutch DC-6 crashes near Frankfurt, killing 44
- Mar 22 Wales wins Five Nations Rugby Championship, Grand Slam & Triple Crown with a 9-5 win over France at St. Helen's Ground, Swansea
- Mar 23 NY Rangers blow 6-2 lead, lose 7-6 to Chicago Black Hawks; Bill Mosienko scores fastest hat trick in NHL history, 21 seconds
- Mar 24 Great demonstrations against apartheid in South Africa
- Mar 26 14th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kansas beats St. Johns, 80-63; first tournament to have a true "Final Four" format
- Mar 26 Friedrich Durrenmatt's "Die Ehe des Herrn Mississippi" premieres in Munich
Singin' in the Rain
Mar 27 "Singin' in the Rain", musical comedy film directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in NYC
Assassination Attempt
Mar 27 Failed assassination attempt of West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer
- Mar 27 Sun Records of Memphis begins releasing records
Sports History
Mar 28 US Ladies' Figure Skating championship won by Tenley Albright
- Mar 28 US Men's Figure Skating championship won by Richard Button
- Mar 30 6th Tony Awards: "The Fourposter" (play) and "The King & I" (musical) win
Famous Birthdays
- Mar 1 Brian Winters, American basketball guard (NBA All-Star 1976, 78; Milwaukee Bucks) and coach (Vancouver Grizzlies; Golden State Warriors), born in Rockaway, New York
- Mar 1 Dave Barr, Canadian golfer (US Open 1985 runner-up), born in Kelowna, British Columbia
- Mar 1 Leigh Matthews, Australian Football Hall of Fame rover (Hawthorne FC), coach (Collingwood 1990 premiers; Brisbane 2001-03 premiers) and broadcaster (7 Network; 3AW), born in Melbourne, Australia
- Mar 1 Martin O'Neill, Northern Irish soccer midfielder (64 caps; Nottingham Forest) and manager (Rep of Ireland; Leicester City, Celtic, Aston Villa, Sunderland), born in Kilrea, Northern Ireland
- Mar 1 Steven Barnes, American writer
- Mar 2 Laraine Newman, comedienne/actress (Saturday Night Live, 1975-80), born in Los Angeles, California
- Mar 2 Mark Evanier, American writer
- Mar 3 Randy Gradishar, American Pro Football HOF linebacker (Ohio State Uni; NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1978; First-team All-Pro 1977, 78; 7 x Pro Bowl, Denver Broncos), born in Warren, Ohio
- Mar 3 Robyn Hitchcock, British rock and folk singer-songwriter (The Soft Boys - "Balloon Man"; solo - Moss Elixir), born in Paddington, London, England
- Mar 4 Ronn Moss, actor (Ridge-Bold & Beautiful, Santa Barbara), born in Los Angeles, California
- Mar 4 Umberto Tozzi, Italian pop and rock singer, born in Turin, Italy
- Mar 5 Alan Clark, British keyboardist (Dire Straits, 1980-95 - "Money for Nothing"; Tina Turner; Eric Clapton), producer, and composer, born in County Durham, England
- Mar 6 Lyn Perrin, executive administrator (WIC)
- Mar 7 Ernie Isley, American vocalist and guitarist (The Isley Brothers,1969-84 & 1991-present - "It's Your Thing"; "Heat is On"), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Mar 7 Lynn Swann, American College/Pro Football HOF wide receiver (USC; Super Bowl 1974, 75 [MVP], 78, 79; First-team All-Pro 1978; 3 × Pro Bowl; Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Alcoa, Tennessee
Viv Richards (72 years old)
Mar 7 Antiguan cricket batsman (121 Tests West Indies, 24 x 100, HS 291, BA 50.23; Leeward Islands, Somerset CCC, Queensland, Glamorgan CCC), born in St. Johns, British Leeward Islands
- Mar 8 George Felix Allen, American politician
- Mar 8 Vladimir Vladimirovich Vasyutin, USSR, cosmonaut (Soyuz T-14)
- Mar 9 Ekkehard Fasser, Swiss bobsledder (Olympic gold, four-man 1988; World C'ship gold 1983; World Cup champion 1985-86), born in Glarus, Switzerland (d. 2021)
- Mar 9 Uljana Semjonova, Soviet-Latvian basketball player (Olympic gold 1976), born in Zarasai, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
- Mar 9 William Kirby Cullen, American actor (How the West Was Won), born in Santa Ana, California
- Mar 10 Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe politician
- Mar 10 Oupa J. Gqozo, South African warden/army commandant (Ciskei)
Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
Mar 11 English author (Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy), born in Cambridge, England
- Mar 11 Susan Richardson, Coatesville Pa, actress (Susan-8 is Enough)
- Mar 12 Eliézer Niyitegeka, Rwandan journalist, politician and genocidaire
- Mar 12 Frank LeMaster, American football linebacker (Pro Bowl 1981 Philadelphia Eagles; SF 49ers), born in Lexington, Kentucky (d. 2023)
- Mar 12 Larry Nickel, Canadian composer (Requiem for Peace), conductor, and music publisher, born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Mar 12 Naomi Shihab Nye, Arab-American poet (Yellow Glove; Red Suitcase), novelist (Habibi), and songwriter, born in St. Louis, Missouri
- Mar 13 Wolfgang Rihm, German composer, born in Karlsruhe, Germany
- Mar 14 J. Fred Muggs, chimpanzee (Today show), born in French Cameroon
Martin Dempsey (72 years old)
Mar 14 American General, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2011-), born in Jersey City, New Jersey
- Mar 15 Howard Devoto [Trafford], British singer-songwriter (Buzzcocks; Magazine; Luxuria), born in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England
- Mar 16 Graham Cole [Graham Coleman-Smith], English actor (The Bill), born in London, England
- Mar 16 Philippe Kahn, French-American entrepreneur
- Mar 17 Nikos Xydakis, Greek composer, pianist, and singer, born in Cairo, Egypt
- Mar 18 Mike Webster, American football player (d. 2002)
- Mar 18 Pat Eddery, Irish jockey (11 x British flat racing Champion Jockey; 3 x Epsom Derby), born in Newbridge, Republic of Ireland (d. 2015)
- Mar 19 Gerard Huerta, American graphic designer and album cover artist (CBS Records - AC/DC, Boston, Blue Oyster Cult, Rupert Holmes), born in Los Angeles, California
Harvey Weinstein (72 years old)
Mar 19 American film producer (Miramax) and convicted sex offender whose actions helped spark the #MeToo movement, born in New York City
- Mar 19 Warren Lees, NZ cricket wicket-keeper (late 70's)
- Mar 20 Anand Armitraj, India, tennis player (Brother of ViJay)
- Mar 20 Geoff Brabham, Australian auto racer (Can-Am 1981; 24 Hours of Le Mans 1993; IMSA GT C'ship 1988-91; Bathurst 1000 1997), born in Sydney, Australia
- Mar 22 Bob Costas, American sportscaster and talk show host (Later), born in Queens, New York
- Mar 22 Jay Dee Daugherty, American drummer, worked with Patti Smith, born in New York City
- Mar 23 Kim Stanley Robinson, American sci-fi author (Mars Trilogy), born in Waukegan, Illinois
Rex Tillerson (72 years old)
Mar 23 American businessman (ExxonMobil) and US Secretary of State (2017-18), born in Wichita Falls, Texas
- Mar 24 Dolora Zajick, American mezzo-soprano (Verdi), and educator (Institute for Young Dramatic Voices), born in Salem, Oregon
- Mar 24 Nicholas Campbell, actor (Nick-Insiders), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Mar 24 Reinhard Genzel, German astrophysicist (2020 Nobel Prize for Physics for work on black holes), born in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, West Germany
- Mar 25 Antanas Mockus, Colombian mathematician
- Mar 25 Jack Lee, American rock singer and songwriter (Blondie - "Hanging on the Telephone"; Paul Young - "Come Back and Stay"), born in Alaska (d. 2023)
- Mar 26 David Amess, British politician (C), born in London
- Mar 26 Didier Pironi, French auto racer who won 24 Hours of Le Mans 1978; winner 3 x Formula 1 GP, born in Villecresnes, France (d. 1987)
- Mar 26 John Batdorf. American singer-songwriter (Silver - "Wham Bam"), born in Springfield, Ohio
- Mar 26 Monte Yoho, American Southern rock drummer (The Outlaws, 1969-79, 2005–2021), born in Lakeland, Florida
- Mar 27 Chick Vennera, American actor (Thank God It's Friday; High Risk; Milagro Beanfield War; Animaniacs), born in Herkimer, New York (d. 2021)
- Mar 27 Jim Bolla Jr., American college basketball coach (UNLV Women 1982-96; Uni of Hawaii 2004-09), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2022)
- Mar 27 Maria Schneider, French actress (Last Tango in Paris, Crime of Honor), born in Paris, France (d. 2011)
- Mar 27 Rocky Maffit, American world music drummer and percussionist (Champaign), and composer, born in Illinois
- Mar 28 Tony Brise, English racing driver, born in Erith, Kent (d. 1975)
- Mar 29 Bola Tinubu, Nigerian politician (Governor of Lagos, President of Nigeria 2023-), born in Lagos, British Nigeria
- Mar 29 Teofilo Stevenson, Cuban boxer (Olympic gold heavyweight 1972, 76, 80), born in Puerto Padre, Cuba (d. 2012)
- Mar 30 Peter Knights, Australian footballer and coach
- Mar 30 Sam Clayton, American percussionist, congueros, and vocalist (Little Feat, Little Richard, Jimmy Buffett), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Mar 31 Dermot Morgan, Irish actor and comedian (Father Ted Crilly-Father Ted), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 1998)
- Mar 31 Mike Rafter, England Rugby Union flanker (England 17 caps), born in Bristol, England
Famous Weddings
Ronald & Nancy Reagan
Mar 8 Future US President Ronald Reagan (41) marries Nancy Davis (30) at the Little Brown Church in San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles
- Mar 24 Author of 'James Bond' novels, journalist and secret intelligence agent Ian Fleming marries Anne Geraldine Charteris
Famous Deaths
- Mar 1 Mariano Azuela, Mexican novelist (The Flies, The Bosses), dies at 79
- Mar 4 Charles Scott Sherrington, British physiologist (Nobel 1932-functions of neurons), dies at 94
- Mar 5 Vladimir Shcherbachov, Soviet-Russian composer (Blokovskaya; The Thunderstorm), and professor (Leningrad Conservatory; Tbilisi Conservatory), dies at 63
- Mar 7 Paramahansa Yogananda, Indian guru (Autobiography of a Yogi), dies at 59
- Mar 11 Pierre Renoir, French stage and film actor and director (b. 1885)
- Mar 22 "Uncle" Dave Macon, American vaudeville and Grand Ole Opry banjo player, singer-songwriter and comedian, dies at 81
D. S. Senanayake (1884-1952)
Mar 22 Ceylonese politician and leader of Sri Lankan independence movement (1st Prime Minister of Ceylon, 1947-52), dies after falling from a horse, possibly from a stroke, at 67
- Mar 23 Klaas Schilder, Dutch vicar and theologist (Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (liberated)), dies at 61
- Mar 27 Kiichirō Toyoda, Japanese businessman and automobile maker (Toyota Motor Corporation). dies from a cerebral hemorrhage at 57
- Mar 31 Wallace H. White, Jr., American politician (Senate Majority Leader), dies at 74
