March 15

March 15 in recent years

2024 (Friday)

2023 (Wednesday)

2022 (Tuesday)

2021 (Monday)

2020 (Sunday)

2019 (Friday)

2018 (Thursday)

2017 (Wednesday)

2016 (Tuesday)

2015 (Sunday)

March 15 is the 74th day of the year (75th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 291 days remain until the end of the year.

In the Roman calendar, March 15 was known as the Ides of March.

Events

• 44 BC – Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Decimus Junius Brutus and several other Roman senators on the Ides of March.
• 221 – Liu Bei, a Chinese warlord and member of the Han royal house, declares himself emperor of Shu-Han and claims his legitimate succession to the Han Dynasty.
• 280 – Sun Hao of Eastern Wu surrenders to Sima Yan which began the Jin Dynasty.
• 351 – Constantius II elevates his cousin Gallus to Caesar, and puts him in charge of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire.
• 933 – After a ten-year truce, German King Henry I defeats a Hungarian army at the Battle of Riade near the Unstrut river.
• 1311 – Battle of Halmyros: The Catalan Company defeats Walter V of Brienne to take control of the Duchy of Athens, a Crusader state in Greece.
• 1493 – Christopher Columbus returns to Spain after his first trip to the Americas.
• 1545 – First meeting of the Council of Trent.
• 1564 – Mughal Emperor Akbar abolishes "jizya" (per capita tax).
• 1672 – Charles II of England issues the Royal Declaration of Indulgence.
• 1781 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Guilford Courthouse – Near present-day Greensboro, North Carolina, 1,900 British troops under General Charles Cornwallis defeat an American force numbering 4,400.
• 1783 – In an emotional speech in Newburgh, New York, George Washington asks his officers not to support the Newburgh Conspiracy. The plea is successful and the threatened coup d'état never takes place.
• 1820 – Maine becomes the 23rd U.S. state.
• 1848 – A revolution breaks out in Hungary. The Habsburg rulers are compelled to meet the demands of the Reform party.
• 1864 – American Civil War: The Red River Campaign : U.S. Navy fleet arrives at Alexandria, Louisiana.
• 1874 – France and Viet Nam sign the Second Treaty of Saigon, further recognizing the full sovereignty of France over Cochinchina.
• 1875 – Archbishop of New York John McCloskey is named the first cardinal in the United States.
• 1877 – First ever official cricket test match is played: Australia vs England at the MCG Stadium, in Melbourne, Australia.
• 1888 – Start of the Anglo-Tibetan War of 1888.
• 1892 – Liverpool F.C. is founded.
• 1906 – Rolls-Royce Limited is incorporated.
• 1916 – President Woodrow Wilson sends 4,800 United States troops over the U.S.-Mexico border to pursue Pancho Villa.
• 1917 – Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates the Russian throne and his brother the Grand Duke becomes Tsar.
• 1922 – After Egypt gains nominal independence from the United Kingdom, Fuad I becomes King of Egypt.
• 1926 – The dictator Theodoros Pangalos is elected President of Greece without opposition.
• 1931 – SS Viking explodes off Newfoundland, killing 27 of the 147 on board.
• 1933 – Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss keeps members of the National Council from convening, starting the austrofascist dictatorship.
• 1935 – Percy Shaw founded his company Reflecting Roadstuds Limited to make cat's eyes.
• 1939 – World War II: German troops occupy the remaining part of Bohemia and Moravia; Czechoslovakia ceases to exist.
• 1939 – Carpatho-Ukraine declares itself an independent republic, but is annexed by Hungary the next day.
• 1941 – Philippine Airlines, the flag carrier of the Philippines takes its first flight between Manila (from Nielson Field) to Baguio City with a Beechcraft Model 18 making the airline the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia operating under its original name.
• 1943 – World War II: Third Battle of Kharkov – the Germans retake the city of Kharkov from the Soviet armies in bitter street fighting.
• 1945 – World War II: Soviet forces begin an offensive to push Germans from Upper Silesia.
• 1952 – In Cilaos, Réunion, 1870 mm (73 inches) of rain falls in a 24-hour period, setting a new world record (March 15 through March 16).
• 1956 – My Fair Lady receives its premiere performance on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre.
• 1961 – South Africa withdraws from the Commonwealth of Nations.
• 1965 – President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to the Selma crisis, tells U.S. Congress "We shall overcome" while advocating the Voting Rights Act.
• 1978 – Somalia and Ethiopia signed a truce to end the Ethiopian-Somali War.
• 1985 – The first Internet domain name is registered (symbolics.com).
• 1985 – Brazilian military dictatorship ends.
• 1986 – Hotel New World Disaster: Thirty-three people die when the Hotel New World in Singapore collapses.
• 1990 – Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first President of the Soviet Union.
• 1991 – The Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany comes into effect, granting full sovereignty to the Federal Republic of Germany.
• 2011 – Beginning of the Syrian civil war.

Births

• 270 – Saint Nicholas, Greek bishop (d. 343)
• 1275 – Margaret of England, Duchess of Brabant (d. 1333)
• 1455 – Pietro Accolti, Italian cardinal (d. 1532)
• 1493 – Anne de Montmorency, French captain and diplomat (d. 1567)
• 1591 – Alexandre de Rhodes, French missionary and lexicographer (d. 1660)
• 1638 – Shunzhi Emperor of China (d. 1661)
• 1666 – George Bähr, German architect, designed the Dresden Frauenkirche (d. 1738)
• 1684 – Francesco Durante, Italian composer (d. 1755)
• 1737 – Amarindra, Thai wife of Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (d. 1826)
• 1754 – Archibald Menzies, Scottish surgeon and botanist (d. 1842)
• 1767 – Andrew Jackson, American general, judge, and politician, 7th President of the United States (d. 1845)
• 1771 – Robert Hett Chapman, American minister and academic (d. 1833)
• 1772 – József Ficzkó, Slovene-Croatian priest and author (d. 1843)
• 1779 – William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1848)
• 1790 – Ludwig Immanuel Magnus, German mathematician (d. 1861)
• 1791 – Charles Knight, English author and publisher (d. 1873)
• 1809 – Joseph Jenkins Roberts, American-Liberian politician, 1st President of Liberia (d. 1876)
• 1809 – Karl Josef von Hefele, German bishop and theologian (d. 1893)
• 1813 – John Snow, English physician (d. 1858)
• 1818 – Mariano Álvarez, Filipino general (d. 1924)
• 1821 – Johann Josef Loschmidt, Austrian physicist and chemist (d. 1895)
• 1821 – William Milligan, Scottish theologian, author, and educator (d. 1892)
• 1824 – Jules Chevalier, French priest, founded the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (d. 1907)
• 1830 – Paul Heyse, German author, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1914)
• 1830 – Élisée Reclus, French geographer (d. 1905)
• 1831 – Daniel Comboni, Italian missionary and saint (d. 1881)
• 1835 – John Henry Kagi, American lawyer and activist (d. 1859)
• 1835 – Eduard Strauss, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1916)
• 1838 – Karl Davydov, Russian cellist, composer, and conductor (d. 1889)
• 1851 – John Sebastian Little, American politician, 21st Governor of Arkansas (d. 1916)
• 1851 – William Mitchell Ramsay, Scottish archaeologist and scholar (d. 1939)
• 1852 – Augusta, Lady Gregory, Irish playwright (d. 1932)
• 1854 – Emil Adolf von Behring, German physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1917)
• 1857 – Christian Michelsen, Norwegian businessman and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Norway (d. 1925)
• 1858 – Liberty Hyde Bailey, American botanist, co-founded the American Society for Horticultural Science (d. 1954)
• 1858 – Franz Böckli, Swiss target shooter (d. 1937)
• 1860 – Waldemar Haffkine, Russian bacteriologist (d. 1930)
• 1864 – Johan Halvorsen, Norwegian violinist, composer, and conductor (Oslo Philharmonic) (d. 1935)
• 1865 – Manuk Abeghian, Armenian author and scholar (d. 1944)
• 1866 – Matthew Charlton, Australian politician (d. 1948)
• 1866 – Johan Vaaler, Norwegian inventor, invented the Paper clip (d. 1910)
• 1867 – Lionel Johnson, English poet and critic (d. 1902)
• 1868 – Grace Chisholm Young, English mathematician (d. 1944)
• 1869 – Stanisław Wojciechowski, Polish politician, 2nd President of the Republic of Poland (d. 1953)
• 1874 – Eugène Fiset, Canadian physician, general, and politician, 18th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (d. 1951)
• 1874 – Harold L. Ickes, American politician (d. 1952)
• 1878 – Rezā Shāh, Iranian king (d. 1944)
• 1882 – James Lightbody, American runner (d. 1953)
• 1886 – John Olin, American wrestler (d. 1920)
• 1887 – Marjorie Merriweather Post, American businesswoman, founded General Foods (d. 1973)
• 1890 – Boris Delaunay, Russian mathematician and mountaineer (d. 1980)
• 1892 – James Basevi Ord, American lieutenant (d. 1938)
• 1897 – Jackson Scholz, American runner (d. 1986)
• 1899 – George Brent, Irish-American actor (d. 1979)
• 1902 – Yu Gwan-sun, South Korean activist (d. 1920)
• 1902 – Henri Saint Cyr, Swedish horse rider (d. 1979)
• 1904 – J. Pat O'Malley, English actor (d. 1985)
• 1905 – Berthold Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, German lawyer and judge (d. 1944)
• 1907 – Zarah Leander, Swedish actress and singer (d. 1981)
• 1910 – Nick Stewart, American actor (d. 2000)
• 1912 – Louis Paul Boon, Flemish journalist and author (d. 1979)
• 1912 – Lightnin' Hopkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1982)
• 1913 – Macdonald Carey, American actor (d. 1994)
• 1913 – Jack Fairman, English race car driver (d. 2002)
• 1914 – Aniello Dellacroce, American gangster (d. 1985)
• 1914 – Joe E. Ross, American actor (d. 1982)
• 1915 – Caterina Boratto, Italian actress (d. 2010)
• 1916 – Frank Coghlan, Jr., American actor and pilot (d. 2009)
• 1916 – Fadil Hoxha, Kosovar politician, 2nd President of Kosovo (d. 2001)
• 1916 – Harry James, American trumpet player, bandleader, and actor (d. 1983)
• 1917 – Jürgen Ohlsen, German actor (d. 1994)
• 1918 – Richard Ellmann, American author and critic (d. 1987)
• 1918 – Punch Imlach, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 1987)
• 1918 – William McIntyre, Canadian judge (d. 2009)
• 1919 – Lawrence Tierney, American actor (d. 2002)
• 1920 – Lawrence Sanders, American author (d. 1998)
• 1920 – E. Donnall Thomas, American physician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
• 1921 – Madelyn Pugh, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2011)
• 1921 – Stafford Smythe, Canadian businessman (d. 1971)
• 1922 – Nino Bibbia, Italian bobsledder (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Joseph Madec, French bishop (d. 2013)
• 1923 – Charles Wheeler, German-English journalist (d. 2008)
• 1924 – Walter Gotell, German-English actor (d. 1997)
• 1926 – Ben Johnston, American composer
• 1926 – Norm Van Brocklin, American football player and coach (d. 1983)
• 1927 – Christian Marquand, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2000)
• 1927 – Carl Smith, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010)
• 1928 – Bob Wilber, American clarinet player and saxophonist
• 1930 – Zhores Alferov, Belarusian-Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1930 – Martin Karplus, Austrian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1930 – Kostas Nestoridis, Greek footballer and manager
• 1931 – James Ellis, Irish-English actor (d. 2014)
• 1931 – D. J. Fontana, American drummer (The Blue Moon Boys)
• 1931 – David Hayes, American sculptor (d. 2013)
• 1931 – Richard Wirthlin, American religious leader (d. 2011)
• 1932 – Alan Bean, American captain, pilot, and astronaut
• 1933 – Ruth Bader Ginsburg, American lawyer and judge
• 1933 – Philippe de Broca, French actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
• 1934 – Aldo Giorgini, Italian graphic designer (d. 1994)
• 1934 – Richard Layard, Baron Layard, English economist and academic
• 1934 – Kanshi Ram, Indian politician (d. 2006)
• 1935 – Judd Hirsch, American actor
• 1935 – Jimmy Swaggart, American pastor, singer, and television host
• 1935 – Leonid Yengibarov, Russian-Armenian clown and boxer (d. 1972)
• 1936 – David Andrews, Irish politician, 21st Minister of Foreign Affairs for Ireland
• 1936 – Howard Greenfield, American songwriter (d. 1986)
• 1937 – Dan Adkins, American illustrator (d. 2013)
• 1937 – Roger Tomkys, English academic and diplomat
• 1939 – David Eisenberg, American biologist
• 1939 – Ted Kaufman, American politician
• 1939 – Robert Nye, English author, poet, and playwright
• 1939 – Julie Tullis, English mountaineer (d. 1986)
• 1940 – Margo Howard, American journalist
• 1940 – Frank Dobson, English politician, Secretary of State for Health
• 1940 – Phil Lesh, American bass player (Grateful Dead, The Other Ones, The Dead, and Furthur)
• 1940 – Mel Phillips, American radio host and programmer
• 1941 – Jean-Louis Lafosse, French race car driver (d. 1981)
• 1941 – Mike Love, American singer-songwriter (The Beach Boys)
• 1943 – David Cronenberg, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1943 – Lynda La Plante, English actress, screenwriter, and author
• 1943 – Michael Scott-Joynt, English bishop
• 1943 – The Iron Sheik, Iranian-American wrestler
• 1943 – Sly Stone, American singer-songwriter and producer (Sly and the Family Stone)
• 1944 – Chi Cheng, Taiwanese runner and politician
• 1944 – Jacques Doillon, French director and screenwriter
• 1944 – Francis Mankiewicz, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1993)
• 1945 – Robert Carnwath, Lord Carnwath of Notting Hill, English judge
• 1945 – A. K. Faezul Huq, Bangladeshi lawyer and politician (d. 2007)
• 1945 – Mark J. Green, American lawyer and politician
• 1946 – Bobby Bonds, American baseball player (d. 2003)
• 1946 – Stephen Hill, English academic
• 1946 – Howard E. Scott, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (War and Lowrider Band)
• 1946 – David Wall, English ballet dancer (d. 2013)
• 1947 – Ry Cooder, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1947 – Gino Ferrin, German footballer and manager
• 1947 – Juraj Kukura, Slovak-German actor
• 1947 – Tony Osoba, Scottish actor
• 1948 – Kate Bornstein, American author and activist
• 1948 – Gavin Stamp, English historian and author
• 1948 – Sérgio Vieira de Mello, Brazilian diplomat (d. 2003)
• 1949 – John Duttine, English actor
• 1949 – Deirdre Hutton, Scottish civil servant
• 1950 – Jørgen Olsen, Danish singer-songwriter (Olsen Brothers)
• 1950 – Kurt Koch, Swiss cardinal
• 1951 – David Alton, Baron Alton of Liverpool, English politician
• 1952 – Howard Devoto, English singer-songwriter (Buzzcocks, Magazine, and Luxuria)
• 1952 – Philip Green, English businessman
• 1952 – Howard Koh, American politician
• 1953 – Kostas Bigalis, Greek singer-songwriter
• 1953 – Richard Bruton, Irish politician
• 1953 – Colin Croft, Guyanan cricketer and sportscaster
• 1953 – Heather Graham Pozzessere, American author
• 1953 – Kumba Ialá, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (d. 2014)
• 1954 – Massimo Bubola, Italian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1954 – Isobel Buchanan, Scottish soprano
• 1954 – Bob Budiansky, American author and illustrator
• 1954 – Craig Wasson, American actor
• 1955 – Dee Snider, American singer-songwriter and actor (Twisted Sister and Desperado)
• 1956 – Clay Matthews, Jr., American football player
• 1957 – Joaquim de Almeida, Portuguese-American actor
• 1957 – Víctor Muñoz, Spanish footballer and manager
• 1957 – Park Overall, American actress
• 1957 – David Silverman, American animator, director, and screenwriter
• 1959 – Harold Baines, American baseball player and coach
• 1959 – Renny Harlin, Finnish-American director and producer
• 1959 – Lisa Holton, American journalist and author
• 1959 – Fabio Lanzoni, Italian-American model and actor
• 1959 – Ben Okri, Nigerian poet and author
• 1960 – Mike Pagliarulo, American baseball player
• 1961 – Terry Cummings, American basketball player
• 1961 – Craig Ludwig, American ice hockey player and coach
• 1962 – Jimmy Baio, American actor
• 1962 – Terence Trent D'Arby, American singer-songwriter
• 1963 – Bret Michaels, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (Poison)
• 1964 – Rockwell, American singer-songwriter
• 1964 – Davide Pinato, Italian footballer
• 1965 – Sunetra Gupta, Indian epidemiologist, academic, and author
• 1965 – Svetlana Medvedeva, Russian wife of Dmitry Medvedev, First Lady of Russia
• 1967 – Naoko Takeuchi, Japanese illustrator
• 1968 – Kahimi Karie, Japanese singer
• 1968 – Mark McGrath, American singer-songwriter and television host (Sugar Ray and The Wondergirls)
• 1968 – Terje Riis-Johansen, Norwegian politician
• 1968 – Sabrina Salerno, Italian singer, actress, and producer
• 1968 – Jon Schaffer, American guitarist (Iced Earth and Demons and Wizards)
• 1969 – Rona Ambrose, Canadian politician
• 1969 – Gianluca Festa, Italian footballer and coach
• 1969 – Timo Kotipelto, Finnish singer-songwriter (Stratovarius, Kotipelto, and Cain's Offering)
• 1969 – Elvir Laković Laka, Bosnian singer-songwriter
• 1969 – Apollo Papathanasio, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist (Firewind, Spiritual Beggars, Evil Masquerade, and Gardenian)
• 1969 – Kim Raver, American actress
• 1969 – Yutaka Take, Japanese jockey
• 1970 – Derek Parra, American speed skater
• 1971 – Penny Lancaster, English model and photographer
• 1971 – Joanne Wise, English long jumper
• 1972 – Mark Hoppus, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (Blink-182 and +44)
• 1972 – Ben Hunt-Davis, English rower
• 1972 – Holger Stromberg, German chef
• 1972 – Mike Tomlin, American football player and coach
• 1973 – Robin Hunicke, American video game designer
• 1973 – Lee Jung-jae, South Korean actor
• 1973 – Masayuki Naruse, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
• 1974 – Robert Fick, American baseball player
• 1975 – will.i.am, American rapper, producer, and actor (The Black Eyed Peas)
• 1975 – Eva Longoria, American actress and producer
• 1975 – Veselin Topalov, Bulgarian chess player
• 1975 – Darcy Tucker, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1976 – Katherine Brooks, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1976 – Cara Pifko, Canadian actress
• 1977 – Adrian Burnside, Australian baseball player
• 1977 – Joe Hahn, American DJ, producer, and director (Linkin Park)
• 1977 – Brian Tee, Japanese-American actor
• 1977 – Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Indian soldier (d. 2008)
• 1978 – Flavio Furtado, Cape Verdean boxer
• 1978 – Noé Hernández, Mexican race walker (d. 2013)
• 1978 – Takeru Kobayashi, Japanese competitive eater
• 1979 – Vincent Simone, Italian-English dancer
• 1979 – Kevin Youkilis, American baseball player
• 1980 – Freddie Bynum, American baseball player
• 1980 – Claudiney Ramos, Brazilian footballer (d. 2013)
• 1981 – Young Buck, American rapper, producer, and actor (G-Unit and UTP)
• 1981 – Mikael Forssell, German-Finnish footballer
• 1981 – Veronica Maggio, Swedish singer-songwriter
• 1981 – Jens Salumäe, Estonian skier
• 1982 – Jordan Hastings, Canadian drummer (Alexisonfire, Jersey, The Black Lungs, and Cunter)
• 1982 – Rafael Pérez, Dominican baseball player
• 1982 – Emily Tyndall, American actress and dancer
• 1983 – Sean Biggerstaff, Scottish actor
• 1983 – Ben Hilfenhaus, Australian cricketer
• 1983 – Kostas Kaimakoglou, Greek basketball player
• 1983 – Golda Marcus, Salvadoran Swimmer
• 1983 – Daryl Murphy, Irish footballer
• 1983 – Heiko Niidas, Estonian basketball player
• 1983 – Ricky Sekhon, English actor
• 1984 – Badradine Belloumou, French-Algerian footballer
• 1984 – Olivier Jean, Canadian speed skater
• 1984 – Yo Yo Honey Singh, Indian rapper, producer, and actor
• 1984 – Kostas Vasileiadis, Greek basketball player
• 1984 – Wilson Aparecido Xavier Júnior, Brazilian footballer
• 1985 – Eva Amurri, American actress
• 1985 – Antti Autti, Finnish snowboarder
• 1985 – Tom Chilton, English race car driver
• 1985 – Curtis Davies, English footballer
• 1985 – Javier Garrido, Spanish footballer
• 1985 – Jon Jay, American baseball player
• 1985 – Kellan Lutz, American actor
• 1985 – James Maclurcan, Australian actor
• 1986 – Jai Courtney, Australian actor
• 1987 – Taiwan Brown, American television host
• 1987 – Adrianne León, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1988 – Ever Guzmán, Mexican footballer
• 1988 – Maria Minerva, Estonian singer-songwriter and producer
• 1988 – James Reimer, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1989 – Sam Baldock, English footballer
• 1989 – Bryce Gibbs, Australian footballer
• 1989 – Sandro Raniere, Brazilian footballer
• 1989 – Caitlin Wachs, American actress
• 1990 – Siobhan Magnus, American singer-songwriter
• 1991 – Kie Kitano, Japanese actress and singer
• 1991 – Kevin Müller, German footballer
• 1991 – Mitchell Todd, Scottish rugby player (d. 2012)
• 1992 – Anna Shaffer, English actress
• 1993 – Alia Bhatt, Indian actress
• 1993 – Paul Pogba, French footballer
• 1993 – Alyssa Reid, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1994 – Nijel Amos, Botswana runner
• 2003 – Molly Siegenthaler, a star was born

Deaths

• 44 BC– Julius Caesar, Roman general and emperor (b. 100 BC)
• 220 – Cao Cao, Chinese warlord (b. 155)
• 963 – Romanos II, Byzantine emperor (b. 938)
• 1311 – Walter V, Count of Brienne (b. 1275)
• 1327 – Albert of Schwarzburg
• 1575 – Annibale Padovano, Italian organist and composer (b. 1527)
• 1644 – Countess Louise Juliana of Nassau (b. 1576)
• 1657 – David Pardo, Dutch rabbi (b. unknown)
• 1670 – John Davenport, English-American clergyman, co-founded the New Haven Colony (b. 1597)
• 1673 – Salvator Rosa, Italian painter and poet (b. 1615)
• 1711 – Eusebio Kino, Italian priest and missionary (b. 1645)
• 1820 – Clemens Maria Hofbauer, Austrian priest and saint (b. 1751)
• 1832 – Otto Wilhelm Masing, Baltic German linguist and clergyman (b. 1763)
• 1842 – Luigi Cherubini, Italian composer (b. 1760)
• 1849 – Giuseppe Caspar Mezzofanti, Italian cardinal and linguist (b. 1774)
• 1891 – Joseph Bazalgette, English engineer (b. 1819)
• 1891 – Théodore de Banville, French poet (b. 1823)
• 1898 – Henry Bessemer, English engineer (b. 1813)
• 1937 – H. P. Lovecraft, American author (b. 1890)
• 1938 – Nikolai Bukharin, Russian politician (b. 1888)
• 1941 – Alexej von Jawlensky, Russian painter (b. 1864)
• 1951 – John S. Paraskevopoulos, Greek-South African astronomer (b. 1889)
• 1957 – Ernst Nobs, Swiss politician (b. 1886)
• 1959 – Lester Young, American saxophonist (b. 1909)
• 1962 – Charles Bartliff, American soccer player (b. 1886)
• 1962 – Arthur Compton, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1892)
• 1966 – Abe Saperstein, American basketball player and coach (b. 1902)
• 1969 – Miles Malleson, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1888)
• 1969 – Musashiyama Takeshi, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 33rd Yokozuna (b. 1909)
• 1970 – Tarjei Vesaas, Norwegian author and poet (b. 1897)
• 1971 – Jean-Pierre Monseré, Belgian cyclist (b. 1948)
• 1972 – Aleksandr Ivanovich Laktionov, Russian painter (b. 1910)
• 1975 – Aristotle Onassis, Greek businessman (b. 1900)
• 1977 – Hubert Aquin, Canadian author and activist (b. 1929)
• 1977 – Antonino Rocca, Italian-American wrestler (b. 1921)
• 1980 – Daisy Earles, German-American actress (b. 1907)
• 1981 – René Clair, French director and screenwriter (b. 1898)
• 1983 – Coloman Braun-Bogdan, Romanian footballer and manager (b. 1905)
• 1983 – Rebecca West, English author and critic (b. 1892)
• 1985 – Radha Krishna Choudhary, Indian historian and author (b. 1921)
• 1986 – Alexandru Giugaru, Romanian actor (b. 1897)
• 1987 – Douglas Abbott, Canadian politician (b. 1899)
• 1988 – Dmitri Polyakov, Ukrainian general and spy (b. 1926)
• 1989 – Muhammad Jameel Didi, Maldivian poet (b. 1915)
• 1990 – Farzad Bazoft, Iranian-English journalist (b. 1958)
• 1990 – Tom Harmon, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1919)
• 1991 – Bud Freeman, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (b. 1906)
• 1997 – Gail Davis, American actress (b. 1925)
• 1997 – Victor Vasarely, Hungarian painter (b. 1906)
• 1998 – Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician and author (b. 1903)
• 1998 – Tim Maia, Brazilian singer-songwriter (b. 1942)
• 1999 – Guy D'Artois, Canadian soldier (b. 1917)
• 2001 – Gaetano Cozzi, Italian historian (b. 1922)
• 2001 – Ann Sothern, American actress and singer (b. 1909)
• 2003 – Thora Hird, English actress (b. 1911)
• 2003 – Paul Stojanovich, American television producer, created World's Wildest Police Videos (b. 1956)
• 2004 – Philippe Lemaire, French actor (b. 1927)
• 2004 – William Hayward Pickering, New Zealand-American scientist and engineer (b. 1910)
• 2004 – John Pople, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1925)
• 2005 – Bob Bellear, Australian judge (b. 1944)
• 2005 – Otar Korkia, Georgian basketball player and coach (b. 1923)
• 2005 – Shoji Nishio, Japanese martial artist (b. 1927)
• 2006 – Georgios Rallis, Greek politician, 173rd Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1918)
• 2006 – Red Storey, Canadian football player and referee (b. 1918)
• 2007 – Charles Harrelson, American murderer (b. 1938)
• 2007 – Bowie Kuhn, American lawyer (b. 1926)
• 2007 – Stuart Rosenberg, American director and producer (b. 1927)
• 2008 – Mikey Dread, Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1954)
• 2008 – Vytautas Kernagis, Lithuanian singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1951)
• 2008 – Ken Reardon, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1921)
• 2009 – Ron Silver, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1946)
• 2011 – Smiley Culture, English singer (b. 1963)
• 2011 – Nate Dogg, American rapper and actor (213) (b. 1969)
• 2012 – Mervyn Davies, Welsh rugby player (b. 1946)
• 2012 – Eb Gaines, American businessman and diplomat (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Luis Gonzales, Filipino actor (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Bernardino González Ruíz, Panamanian physician and politician, President of Panama (b. 1911)
• 2012 – Fran Matera, American illustrator (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Dave Philley, American baseball player and manager (b. 1920)
• 2013 – James Bonk, American chemist and academic (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Booth Gardner, American politician, 19th Governor of Washington (b. 1936)
• 2013 – Hardrock Gunter, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Shannon Larratt, Canadian publisher, founded BMEzine (b. 1973)
• 2013 – Terry Lightfoot, English clarinet player (b. 1935)
• 2013 – Leverne McDonnell, Australian actress (b. 1963)
• 2013 – Masamichi Noro, Japanese-French martial artist, founded Kinomichi (b. 1935)
• 2013 – Kallam Anji Reddy, Indian engineer and businessman, founded Dr. Reddy's Laboratories (b. 1940)
• 2014 – Scott Asheton, American drummer (The Stooges and Sonic's Rendezvous Band) (b. 1949)
• 2014 – David Brenner, American comedian, actor, and author (b. 1936)
• 2014 – Howard Callaway, American soldier and politician, 11th United States Secretary of the Army (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Paddy Cronin, Irish fiddler (b. 1925)
• 2014 – Clarissa Dickson Wright, English chef, author, and academic (b. 1947)
• 2014 – Everett L. Fullam, American priest and scholar (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Jesper Langballe, Danish priest and politician (b. 1939)
• 2014 – Cees Veerman, Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Cats) (b. 1943)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Clemens Maria Hofbauer
  • Leocritia
  • Longinus
  • Louise de Marillac
  • Raymond of Fitero
  • March 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Constitution Day (Belarus)
• Earliest day on which Palm Sunday can fall, while April 18 is the latest; celebrated on the sixth Sunday of Lent (Christianity)
• Hōnen Matsuri (Japan)
• International Day Against Police Brutality (International)
• J.J. Roberts' Birthday (Liberia)
• National holiday, celebrating the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 (Hungary)
• World Consumer Rights Day (International)
• World Day of Muslim Culture, Peace, Dialogue and Film (International)
• Youth Day (Palau)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada