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March 20 is the 79th day of the year (80th in leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 286 days remaining until the end of the year.
March 20th is also the usual date of the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere , and the autumnal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere , therefore it is frequently the date of traditional Iranian holiday Norouz in many countries.
Events
1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping , Sweden .
1602 - The Dutch East India Company is established.
1616 - Sir Walter Raleigh is freed from the Tower of London after 13 years of imprisonment.
1739 - Nadir Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne .
1760 - The "Great Fire " of Boston, Massachusetts destroys 349 buildings.
1815 - After escaping from Elba , Napoleon enters Paris with a regular army of 140,000 and a volunteer force of around 200,000, beginning his "Hundred Days " rule.
1848 - Revolutions of 1848 in the German states : King Ludwig I of Bavaria abdicates.
1852 - Harriet Beecher Stowe 's Uncle Tom's Cabin is published.
1856 - Costa Rican troops rout Walker 's soldiers.
1861 - An earthquake completely destroys Mendoza, Argentina .
1883 - The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property is signed.
1913 - Sung Chiao-jen , a founder of the Chinese Nationalist Party , is wounded in an assassination attempt and dies 2 days later.
1914 - In New Haven, Connecticut , the first international figure skating championship takes place.
1916 - Albert Einstein publishes his general theory of relativity .
1922 - The USS Langley is commissioned as the first United States Navy aircraft carrier .
1933 - Giuseppe Zangara is executed in Florida 's electric chair for fatally shooting Anton Cermak in an assassination attempt against President Franklin D. Roosevelt .
1942 - World War II : In Zgierz , Poland , 100 Poles are taken from a labor camp and shot by the Germans .
1942 - Holocaust : in Rohatyn , western Ukraine , the German SS murder 3,000 Jews , including 600 children, annihilating 70% of Rohatyn 's Jewish ghetto .
1942 - World War II: General Douglas MacArthur , at Terowie , South Australia , makes his famous speech regarding the fall of the Philippines , in which he says: "I came out of Bataan and I shall return".
1948 - With a Musicians Union ban lifted, the first telecasts of classical music in the United States , under Eugene Ormandy and Arturo Toscanini , are given on CBS and NBC .
1951 - Fujiyoshida , a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture , Japan, in the center of the Japanese main island of Honshū is founded.
1952 - The United States Senate ratifies a peace treaty with Japan.
1956 - Tunisia gains independence from France .
1964 - The precursor of the European Space Agency , ESRO (European Space Research Organization ) is established per an agreement signed on June 14 , 1962 .
1969 - John Lennon and Yoko ono were married.
1974 - Ian Ball attempts, but fails, to kidnap Her Royal Highness Princess Anne and her husband Captain Mark Phillips in The Mall , outside Buckingham Palace , London .
1980 - The Radio Caroline ship, Mi Amigo founders in a gale off the English coast.
1985 - Libby Riddles becomes the first woman to win the 1,135-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race .
1987 - The Food and Drug Administration approves the anti-AIDS drug, AZT .
1988 - Eritrean War of Independence : Having defeated the Nadew Command, the Eritrean People's Liberation Front enters the town of Afabet , victoriously concluding the Battle of Afabet .
1990 - Ferdinand Marcos 's widow, Imelda Marcos , goes on trial for bribery , embezzlement , and racketeering .
1993 - An IRA bomb explodes in Warrington , northwest England, killing two children.
1995 -A sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway kills 12 and wounds 1,300 persons.
1999 - Legoland California , the first and only Legoland outside of Europe , opens in Carlsbad, California .
2000 - Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin , a former Black Panther once known as H. Rap Brown , is captured after a gun battle that leaves a Georgia sheriff's deputy dead.
2003 - 2003 invasion of Iraq : In the early hours of the morning, the United States and three other countries begin military operations in Iraq .
2004 - Stephen Harper wins the leadership of the newly created Conservative Party of Canada , becoming the party's first leader.
2005 - A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits Fukuoka , Japan, its first major quake in over 100 years. One person is killed, hundreds are injured and evacuated.
2006 - Cyclone Larry makes landfall in eastern Australia , destroying most of the country's banana crop.
2006 - Over 150 Chadian soldiers are killed in eastern Chad by members of the rebel UFDC . The rebel movement sought to overthrow Chadian president Idriss Deby .
Births
43 BC - Ovid , Roman poet (d. 17 )
1469 - Princess Cecily of York (d. 1507 )
1477 - Jerome Emser , German theologian (d. 1527 )
1502 - Pierino Belli , Italian soldier and jurist (d. 1575 )
1644 - Ivan Mazepa , Cossack Hetman of the Hetmanate (d. 1709 )
1725 - Abdul Hamid I , Ottoman Sultan (d. 1789 )
1735 - Torbern Bergman , Swedish chemist (d. 1784 )
1737 - Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke , King of Thailand (d. 1809 )
1741 - Jean Antoine Houdon , French sculptor (d. 1828 )
1770 - Friedrich Hölderlin , German writer (d. 1843 )
1799 - Karl August Nicander , Swedish poet (d. 1839 )
1811 - Napoleon II of France , (d. 1832 )
1823 - Ned Buntline , American publisher (d. 1886 )
1828 - Henrik Ibsen , Norwegian writer (d. 1906 )
1831 - Solomon L. Spink , U.S. Congressman (d. 1881 )
1834 - Charles W. Eliot , President of Harvard University (d. 1926 )
1836 - Ferris Jacobs, Jr. , American politician (d. 1886 )
1836 - Sir Edward Poynter , British painter (d. 1919 )
1840 - Illarion Pryanishnikov , Russian painter (d. 1894 )
1856 - Sir John Lavery , Irish artist (d. 1941 )
1856 - Frederick Winslow Taylor , American inventor (d. 1915 )
1870 - Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck , German general (d. 1964 )
1874 - Börries von Münchhausen , German poet (d. 1945 )
1876 - Payne Whitney , American businessman (d. 1927 )
1879 - Maud Menten , Canadian biochemist (d. 1960 )
1882 - René Coty , French President (d.1962 )
1890 - Beniamino Gigli , Italian tenor (d. 1957 )
1890 - Lauritz Melchior , Danish tenor (d. 1973 )
1895 - Fredric Wertham , German-born psychologist (d. 1981 )
1897 - Ruby Muhammad , American matriarch of Black Islam
1903 - Edgar Buchanan , American actor (d. 1979 )
1904 - B. F. Skinner , American psychologist (d. 1990 )
1905 - Jean Galia , French rugby footballer (d. 1949 )
1906 - Abraham Beame , American politician (d. 2001 )
1906 - Ozzie Nelson , American bandleader and actor (d. 1975 )
1908 - Michael Redgrave , English actor (d. 1985 )
1911 - Alfonso García Robles , Mexican diplomat and Nobel laureate (d. 1991 )
1914 - Wendell Corey , American actor (d. 1968 )
1915 - Rudolf Kirchschläger , President of Austria (d. 2000 )
1915 - Sviatoslav Richter , Soviet pianist (d. 1997 )
1916 - Pierre Messmer , French politician and Prime Minister (d. 2007 )
1917 - Vera Lynn , English actress and singer
1918 - Jack Barry , American TV host (d. 1984 )
1918 - Donald Featherstone , British writer and wargamer
1918 - Marian McPartland , British jazz pianist
1920 - Pamela Harriman , British-American diplomat (d. 1997 )
1921 - Sister Rosetta Tharpe , American singer (d. 1973 )
1922 - Larry Elgart , American saxophonist and bandleader
1922 - Ray Goulding , American comedian (d. 1990 )
1922 - Carl Reiner , American film director
1923 - Shaukat Siddiqui , Pakistani Author, Journalist and Political Activist (d. 2006 )
1924 - Jozef Kroner , Slovak actor (d. 1998 )
1925 - John Ehrlichman , American political figure (d. 1999 )
1927 - John Joubert , South African-born British composer
1928 - Fred Rogers , American TV host (d. 2003 )
1929 - Germán Robles , Spanish actor
1931 - Hal Linden , American actor
1933 - George Altman , American baseball player
1933 - Alexander Gorodnitsky , Russian geologist and poet
1934 - Willie Brown , American politician
1934 - David Malouf , Australian author
1935 - Ted Bessell , American actor (d. 1996 )
1936 - Lee "Scratch" Perry , Jamaican Reggae artist
1936 - Vaughn Meader , American comedian (d. 2004 )
1937 - Jerry Reed , American singer and actor
1938 - Sergei Petrovich Novikov , Russian Mathematician, Fields Medalist
1939 - Brian Mulroney , former Prime Minister of Canada
1941 - Pat Corrales , American baseball player
1943 - Gerard Malanga , American poet and photographer
1943 - Naima Neidre , Estonian graphic artist
1943 - Paul Junger Witt , American TV producer
1945 - Henry Bartholomay , American fighter pilot
1945 - Rick Berman , American TV and film producer
1945 - Jay Ingram , Canadian television host and author
1945 - Pat Riley , American basketball player and coach
1947 - John Boswell , American historian (d. 1994 )
1948 - John de Lancie , American actor
1948 - Bobby Orr , Canadian ice hockey player
1949 - Marcia Ball , American singer and pianist
1950 - William Hurt , American actor
1950 - Carl Palmer , English drummer (Emerson, Lake & Palmer )
1951 - Curt Smith , American author and media host
1951 - Jimmie Vaughan , American blues guitarist
1952 - Geoff Brabham , Australian racing driver
1954 - Mike Francesa , American sports talk show host
1954 - Liana Kanelli , Greek journalist and politician
1957 - Vanessa Bell Calloway , American actress
1957 - David Foster , Australian woodchopper
1957 - Spike Lee , American film director
1957 - Theresa Russell , American actress
1958 - Phil Anderson , Australian cyclist
1958 - Holly Hunter , American actress
1959 - Dave Beasant , English football goalkeeper
1959 - Steve McFadden , British actor
1959 - Sting , American professional wrestler
1961 - Jesper Olsen , Danish footballer
1961 - Slim Jim Phantom , American musician (Stray Cats )
1962 - Stephen Sommers , American film director
1963 - Paul Annacone , American tennis player
1963 - Yelena Romanova , Russian athlete (d. 2007 )
1963 - Manabu Suzuki , Japanese racing driver and broadcaster
1963 - David Thewlis , British actor
1964 - Natacha Atlas , Belgian singer
1966 - Alka Yagnik , Indian singer
1967 - Mookie Blaylock , American basketball player
1969 - Caroline Brunet , Quebec kayaker
1969 - Mannie Fresh , American producer
1970 - Michael Rapaport , American actor
1971 - Manny Alexander , Dominican baseball player
1971 - Touré , American writer
1972 - Alexander Kapranos , Greek-British musician (Franz Ferdinand )
1973 - Christopher Heinz , American businessman; son of Teresa Heinz
1973 - Jane March , English actress
1973 - Jung Woo-sung , South Korean actor
1973 - Cedric Yarbrough , American actor
1974 - Paula Garces , Colombian actress
1974 - Andrzej Pilipiuk , Polish writer
1976 - Chester Bennington , American musician (Linkin Park )
1979 - Silvia Abascal , Spanish actress
1979 - Freema Agyeman , British actress
1979 - Bianca Lawson , American actress
1979 - Keven Mealamu , New Zealand rugby player
1979 - Bernard O'Connor , Gaelic Footballer
1979 - Molly Jenson , American musician
1980 - Jamal Crawford , American basketball player
1980 - Ock Ju-Hyun , South Korean singer
1982 - Terrence Duffin , Zimbabwean cricketer
1982 - Tomasz Kuszczak , Polish footballer
1982 - Nick Wheeler , American guitarist (The All-American Rejects )
1982 - José Moreira , Portuguese footballer
1984 - Justine Ezarik , American Internet personality
1984 - Valtteri Filppula , Finnish professional ice-hockey player
1984 - Rami Malek , Egyptian-born actor
1984 - Markus Niemelä , Finnish racing driver
1984 - Christy Carlson Romano , American actress
1984 - Fernando Torres , Spanish footballer
1984 - Marcus Vick , American football player
1984 - Winta , Norwegian musician
1986 - Dean Geyer , Australian singer/actor
1987 - Daniel Maa Boumsong , Cameroonian football player
1987 - Patrick Boyle , Scottish footballer
1987 - Pedro Ken , Brazilian footballer
1987 - Sergei Kostitsyn , Belarusian hockey player
1987 - Jô , Brazilian footballer
1987 - Rollo Weeks , English actor
1989 - Tamim Iqbal , Bangladeshi cricketer
Deaths
687 - St. Cuthbert , patron saint of Northumbria (b. c. 634 ).
1239 - Hermann von Salza , Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (c. 1179 )
1413 - King Henry IV of England (b. 1367 )
1549 - Lord High Admiral Thomas Seymour , 4th. husband of Queen Catherine Parr (executed) (b. 1508 )
1568 - Duke Albert of Prussia (b. 1490 )
1586 - Richard Maitland , Scottish statesman and historian (b. 1496 )
1619 - Mathias, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1557 )
1673 - Augustyn Kordecki , Polish prior (b. 1603 )
1730 - Adrienne Lecouvreur , French actress (b. 1692 )
1732 - Johann Ernst Hanxleden , German philologist (b. 1681 )
1746 - Nicolas de Largillière , French painter (b. 1656 )
1780 - Sir Benjamin Truman - English brewer (b. 1699 /1700 )
1793 - William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield , Scottish judge and politician (b. 1705 )
1835 - Louis-Leopold Robert , French painter (b. 1794 )
1855 - Joseph Aspdin , English mason and inventor (b. 1788 )
1865 - Keisuke Yamanami , Japanese samurai (b. 1833 )
1874 - Hans Christian Lumbye , Danish composer (b. 1810 )
1878 - Julius Robert von Mayer , German physician and physicist (b. 1814 )
1890 - Alexander F. Mozhaiski , aviation pioneer (b. 1825 )
1897 - Apollon Maykov , Russian poet (b. 1821 )
1899 - Franz Ritter von Hauer , Austrian geologist (b. 1822 )
1916 - Ota Benga , Congolese pygmy (b. 1884 )
1918 - Lewis A. Grant , American Civil War General (b. 1828 )
1925 - George Nathaniel Curzon , British statesman (b. 1859 )
1929 - Ferdinand Foch , French commander of allied forces in World War I (b. 1851 )
1931 - Hermann Müller , Chancellor of Germany (b. 1876 )
1934 - Queen Emma of the Netherlands (b. 1858 )
1940 - Alfred Ploetz , German physician, biologist, and eugenicist (b. 1860 )
1947 - Sigurd Wallén , Swedish actor and filmdirector (b. 1884 )
1964 - Brendan Behan , Irish playwright and author (b. 1923 )
1969 - Henri Longchambon , French politician (b. 1896 )
1970 - Manolis Chiotis , Greek bouzouki virtuoso and song writer (b. 1920 )
1972 - Marilyn Maxwell , American actress (b. 1921 )
1974 - Chet Huntley , American television journalist (b. 1911 )
1982 - Randy Rhoads , American guitarist for Ozzy osbourne and Ex Quiet Riot guitarist (b. 1956 )
1983 - Ivan Matveyevich Vinogradov , Russian mathematician (b. 1891 )
1990 - Lev Yashin , Soviet footballer (b. 1929 )
1991 - Conor Clapton , son of Eric Clapton (b. 1986 )
1992 - Georges Delerue , French film composer (b. 1925 )
1993 - Polykarp Kusch , German-born American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1911 )
1994 - Lewis Grizzard , American humorist (b. 1946 )
1995 - Big John Studd , American professional wrestler (b. 1948 )
1997 - Tony Zale , American boxer (b. 1913 )
1998 - George Howard , American jazz saxophone musician
2000 - Gene Eugene , Canadian actor and singer (b. 1961 )
2001 - Luis Alvarado , Puerto Rican baseball player (b. 1949 )
2003 - Sailor Art Thomas , American professional wrestler (b. 1924 )
2004 - Queen Juliana of the Netherlands (b. 1909 )
2004 - Pierre Sévigny , Canadian military officer and politician (b. 1917 )
2005 - Armand Lohikoski , Finnish film director (b. 1912 )
2007 - Gilbert E. Patterson , presiding bishop of COGIC (b. 1939 )
2007 - Taha Yassin Ramadan , Iraqi politician (b. 1938 )
2007 - Hawa Yakubu , Ghanaian politician (b. 1948 )
2008 - Eric Ashton , English rugby league footballer (b. 1935 )
2008 - Shoban Babu , Indian actor (b. 1937 )
2008 - Brian Wilde , English actor (b. 1921 )
2008 - Klaus Dinger , German Musician (b. 1946 )
Holidays and observances
External links