Historical Events
- Mar 1 Euro zone unemployment reaches historical high of 10.7%
- Mar 2 Major League Baseball confirms the postseason will be expanded from 8 to 10 teams, with an extra wild card team in each league
- Mar 2 New fiscal compact to prevent excessive debt is signed by 25 out of 27 European Union members
- Mar 2 NFL establishes existence of a bounty program at the New Orleans Saints 2009-11; players given incentives to injure opposition; coach Sean Payton is suspended for 2012 season
- Mar 2 The Red Cross is denied access to provide relief to the Baba Amr district in Homs by the Syrian army
- Mar 2 Tornadoes kill at least 27 people in the American states of Indiana and Kentucky
- Mar 3 Lorry crash in east Guinea kills 50 and injures 27
- Mar 3 Two trains crash in Szczekociny, Poland, with 16 people dead and up to 50 injured
- Mar 4 Munitions dump explosions kill at least 250 people in the Republic of Congo
- Mar 4 Over 10,000 illegal Peruvian gold miners clash with police to gain control of Puerto Maldonado
Election of Interest
Mar 4 Vladimir Putin wins Russian presidential election amid allegations of voter fraud
Wrecking Ball
Mar 6 Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen's 17th studio album "Wrecking Ball"
- Mar 8 Greece secures debt-restructuring deal with private lenders
- Mar 8 Toyota recalls 700,000 vehicles over safety concerns
Cricket History
Mar 9 Indian batsman Rahul Dravid announces his retirement from Test and domestic cricket
- Mar 9 Senior members of hacking group Lulz Sec are arrested, including one member of the FBI, in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland
- Mar 10 33rd Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: Louisville beats Cincinnati, 50-44
- Mar 10 At least 130 rockets are fired into Israel from Gaza
- Mar 11 53rd SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Vanderbilt beats Kentucky, 71-64
- Mar 11 59th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #17 Florida State beats #4 North Carolina, 85-82
- Mar 11 US soldier kills 16 civilians in Afghanistan
The Hunger Games
Mar 12 "The Hunger Games" directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Jennifer Lawrence premieres in Los Angeles
- Mar 12 100 people are killed in ethnic clashes and cattle raids in South Sudan
- Mar 12 45 people, including children, are massacred by the Syrian Army in Homs
- Mar 12 China records its highest trade deficit in over a decade
- Mar 13 110 people are killed and 63 are missing after a ferry collides with an oil tanker near Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Mar 13 19 people are shot dead in a bus attack in Ethiopia
- Mar 13 28 people, including 22 children, are killed in a motorway bus crash near Sierre, Switzerland
- Mar 13 Encyclopaedia Britannica announces that it will no longer publish printed versions of its encyclopaedia
Film & TV History
Mar 16 George Clooney and other several prominent participants, including Martin Luther King III, are arrested outside the Sundanese Embassy for civil disobedience
Cricket History
Mar 16 Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar becomes first cricketer to score 100 international centuries
- Mar 16 Turkish NATO helicopter crashes into a house killing ten people in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan
- Mar 17 Bolton Wanderer footballer Fabrice Muamba collapses and is rushed to hospital during a live football match against Tottenham Hotspur
- Mar 17 MESSENGER spacecraft begins its extended mission
- Mar 17 Wales beats France, 16-9 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff to wrap up the Grand Slam and win the Six Nations Rugby Championship; Welsh fullback Leigh Halfpenny kicks 3 penalties and a conversion
- Mar 18 Joachim Gauck elected President of the Federal republic of Germany by the Federal Assembly
- Mar 18 Superleague Greece football match between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos is abandoned after fans set fire to Athens' Olympic Stadium
- Mar 19 Wendy's overtakes Burger King to become the second best-selling hamburger chain
- Mar 20 50 people are killed and 240 injured in a wave of terror attacks across 10 cities in Iraq
- Mar 20 Disney movie John Carter records one of the largest losses in cinema history with a $200 million dollar write down
- Mar 21 Five former Guatemalan paramilitaries are sentenced to 7,710 years in jail for their role in the Plan de Sanchez massacre in 1982
- Mar 21 Greek Parliament votes in favour of an international bailout deal
- Mar 21 Sergio Agüero & Samir Nasri score to give Manchester City 2-1 win over Chelsea at City of Manchester Stadium; EPL record 20th consecutive home win; streak ends with 3-3 draw v Sunderland 31/3
- Mar 22 Australia's most wanted man, Malcolm Naden, is captured after seven years on the run in Gloucester, New South Wales
- Mar 22 Ireland returns to recession as GDP falls by 0.2% in the fourth quarter of 2011 following a fall of 1.1% in the third quarter
- Mar 22 Largest protest in Quebec's history occurs in Montreal with over 200,000 people marching against government tuition hikes and for free access to post-secondary education
- Mar 22 Massive fire devours thousands of hectares of ancient forests and threatens wildlife on Mount Kenya
- Mar 23 African Union suspends Mali's membership following a coup
- Mar 24 African Union deploys 5,000 strong force with the aim of catching or killing warlord Joseph Kony
Film & TV History
Mar 25 Peter Cruddas, treasurer of Britain's Conservative Party, resigns after being caught on film selling access to British Prime Minister David Cameron
Film & TV History
Mar 26 Canadian filmmaker James Cameron becomes the first person to visit Challenger Deep, the deepest point on Earth in over 50 years
- Mar 26 Macky Sall elected as President of Senegal
Betrayal
Mar 27 Danielle Steel’s novel “Betrayal” is published
- Mar 27 On This Day launches a sister site in Spanish, Hoy en la Historia
Event of Interest
Mar 29 George Galloway is elected as MP for Bradford West in a by-election
- Mar 30 American Mega Millions lottery hits a world record lottery amount of 640 million dollars
- Mar 30 Mastercard and Visa announce a massive breach in security with over ten million compromised credit card numbers
- Mar 30 Spanish Government cuts 27 billion Euros from its budget in a tough austerity measure
- Mar 31 Fiji Floods kill 2 people and force thousands to be evacuated
Famous Weddings
- Mar 8 Former "Raising Sextuplets" star Jenny Masche weds longtime beau Levi McClendon in San Diego
Jerry Lee Lewis
Mar 9 Rock 'n' roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis (76) weds his cousin's ex-wife, Judith Brown (62) in Natchez, Mississippi
- Mar 10 "Curly Sue" actress Alisan Porter (30) weds former "Days of Our Lives" actor Brian Autenrieth (33) at Diablo Dormido in the Santa Monica
Famous Divorces
Jennie Garth
Mar 18 "Twilight" actor Peter Facinelli (38) divorces "Beverly Hills 90210" actress Jennie Garth (39) due to irreconcilable differences after 11 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Mar 1 Andrew Breitbart, American conservative blogger & publisher, dies at 43
- Mar 1 Jerome Courtland, American actor (Tonka, Tharus), dies at 85
- Mar 1 Phillip R. Allen, American stage and screen actor (Hardy Boys Mysteries - "Harry"; Star Trek III - "Captain Esteban"), dies at 72
- Mar 2 James Wilson, American criminologist, dies at 80
- Mar 2 Lawrence Anthony, South African conservationist and author, dies from heart attack at 61
- Mar 2 Norman St John-Stevas, Baron St John of Fawsley, British MP (1964-1987), dies at 82
- Mar 2 Nydia Ecury, celebrated Afro-Dutch writer, translator and actress (Kantika pa Mama Tera), dies at 86
- Mar 2 Van Barfoot, American army colonel and Medal of Honour recipient, dies at 92
- Mar 3 Alex Webster, American football coach (NY Giants), dies at 80
- Mar 3 Dave Charnley, British lightweight boxer (Dartford Destroyer), dies at 72
- Mar 3 Frank Marocco, American jazz, pop, classical, and session accordionist, arranger and composer, dies at 81
- Mar 3 Leonardo Cimino, Italian-American actor (The Monster Squad, V, Dune, Waterworld, Hudson Hawk), dies from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 94
- Mar 3 Ralph McQuarrie, American conceptual designer (Star Wars, E.T.), dies at 82
- Mar 3 Ronnie Montrose, American rock guitarist (Montrose, Gamma), dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 64
- Mar 4 Runako Morton, West Indian cricket batsman (15 Tests, 4 x 50, HS 70no; Leeward Islands, Trinidad & Tobago), dies in a traffic collision at 33
- Mar 5 Philip Madoc, Welsh actor (The Life and Times of David Lloyd George), dies of cancer at 77
- Mar 5 William Heirens, American serial killer, dies at 83
- Mar 6 Donald Payne, American Congressman, dies from colon cancer at 77
- Mar 6 Francisco Xavier do Amaral, East Timorese President, dies at 75
- Mar 6 Gene “Joe” Byrd, American jazz bassist (Charlie Byrd Trio), dies in a car crash at 78
- Mar 6 Jaap Boersma, Dutch politician (Minister for Social Affairs (ARP)), dies at 82
- Mar 6 Lucia Mannucci, Italian jazz singer (Quartetto Cetra, 1947-88), dies at 91
- Mar 6 Robert Sherman, American songwriter, dies at 86
- Mar 7 Jimmy Ellis, American soul singer, dies from complications from Alzheimer's disease at 74
- Mar 7 Włodzimierz Smolarek, Polish soccer wing/midfield (60 caps; RTS Widzew Łódź, FC Utrecht, Eintracht Frankfurt, Feyenoord), dies at 54
- Mar 8 Leslie Cochran, American peace activist and police critic, dies from head trauma at 60
- Mar 9 Bill Wedderburn, Baron Wedderburn of Charlton, British politician and academic, dies at 84
- Mar 9 Peter Bergman, American Comedian, dies from leukemia at 72
- Mar 9 Selma Rubin, American environmental activist, dies at 96
- Mar 10 Erico Menczer, Italian cinematographer (Chosen, Miranda), dies at 85
- Mar 10 F. Sherwood Rowland, American Nobel laureate in chemistry 1995, dies from Parkinson's disease at 84
- Mar 10 Heinz Wunderlich, German organist and composer, dies at 92
- Mar 10 Jean Giraud, French comic artist (Alien, Tron), dies at 73
- Mar 10 Julio Gonzalez, Mexican light heavyweight boxer (WBO Champion 2003-2004), dies from a hit and run at 35
- Mar 10 Mykola Plaviuk, Ukrainian president (1978-81), dies at 86
- Mar 10 Richard White, New Zealand rugby union lock (23 Tests; Poverty Bay RFU), dies at 86
- Mar 11 Hans G. Helms, German writer and composer, dies at 79
- Mar 11 Sid Couchey, American comic book artist, dies at 92
- Mar 12 Michael Hossack, American rock drummer (The Doobie Brothers), dies of cancer at 65
- Mar 13 Jock Hobbs, New Zealand rugby union flanker and captain (21 Tests; Canterbury RU; Chairman NZRFU 2002-10), dies from leukemia at 52
- Mar 14 Censu Tabone, President of Malta (1989-94), dies at 98
- Mar 14 Pierre Schoendoerffer, French Academy Award-winning director and screenwriter (The Anderson Platoon), dies from surgical complications at 83
- Mar 15 Dave Philley, American MLB baseball switch-hitting outfielder, 1941, 1946-62 (Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies (MLB record 9 straight pinch hits), and 8 other teams), dies at 91
- Mar 16 Estanislao Basora, Spanish footballer (The Monster of Colombes, 22 caps for Spain, 301 matches for Barcelona), dies at 85
- Mar 16 Takaaki Yoshimoto, Japanese poet, critic, and philosopher (the New Left), dies at 87
- Mar 17 Chaleo Yoovidhya, Thai co-creator of Red Bull energy drink, dies from natural causes at 88
- Mar 17 John Demjanjuk, convicted Nazi war criminal, dies from natural causes at 91
- Mar 17 Pope Shenouda III, Egyptian Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, dies from prostate cancer at 88
- Mar 18 George Tupou V, King of Tonga, dies at 63
- Mar 18 Jalal Zolfonun, Iranian composer (Gol-e Sadbarg), setar (Persian lute) player, and teacher, dies of a heart attack at 74
- Mar 19 Israel "Ulu" Grosbard, Belgian-born American actor and director (Straight Time, Georgia, Falling in Love), dies at 83
- Mar 19 William Charette, American navy Hospital Corpsman and Medal of Honour recipient, dies at 79
- Mar 20 Jim Stynes, Irish Australian rules footballer, dies from cancer at 45
- Mar 20 Mel Parnell, American MLB pitcher (Boston Red Sox, 1947-56), coach, and broadcaster, dies from cancer at 89
- Mar 22 Haydn Tudor Evans, British high court judge, dies at 91
- Mar 23 Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, President of Somalia, dies from liver failure at 77
- Mar 24 Jocky Wilson, Scottish darts player (BDO World Champion 1982, 89), dies of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 62
- Mar 24 Marion Marlowe, American singer ("The Man in the Raincoat"; Arthur Godfrey & His Friends), and actress, dies at 83
- Mar 25 Bert Sugar, American sports writer (editor / publisher The Ring magazine; Sting like a Bee; The Ageless Warrior), dies from a cardiac arrest at 74
- Mar 25 Larry Stevenson [Richard], American skateboard innovator, dies from pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease at 81
- Mar 25 Priscilla Buckley, American editor and columnist (National Review), dies at 90
- Mar 27 Adrienne Rich, American feminist poet and essayist (Diving into the Wreck), dies from complications of rheumatoid arthritis at 82
- Mar 27 Hilton Kramer, American art critic, dies from heart failure at 84
- Mar 27 Millôr Fernandes, Brazilian writer and playwright, dies at 88
- Mar 27 Warren Stevens, American actor (Richard Boone Show), dies from lung disease at 92
- Mar 28 Alexander Arutiunian [Harut'unyan], Soviet Armenian classical pianist and composer (Trumpet Concerto), dies at 91
- Mar 28 Earl Scruggs, American bluegrass banjo player (Flatt & Scruggs - "Foggy Mountain Breakdown"; "Ballad of Jed Clampett"), dies from natural causes at 88
- Mar 28 Hans van den Doel, Dutch politician and economist (PvdA), dies at 74
- Mar 28 Harry Crews, American writer and actor (Indian Runner), dies from neuropathy at 76
- Mar 28 John Arden, English novelist and playwright (Left Handed Liberty), dies at 81
- Mar 29 Bill Jenkins, American engine builder and drag racer (Motorsports Hall of Fame of America), dies of heart failure at 81
- Mar 30 Ron Gaunt, Australian cricket fast bowler (3 Tests, 7 wickets, BB 3/53; WA, Victoria), dies at 78
- Mar 30 Viktor Kosichkin, Russian speed skater (Olympic gold 5,000m, silver 10,000m 1960), dies at 74
