March 22

March 22 in recent years

2024 (Friday)

2023 (Wednesday)

2022 (Tuesday)

2021 (Monday)

2020 (Sunday)

2019 (Friday)

2018 (Thursday)

2017 (Wednesday)

2016 (Tuesday)

2015 (Sunday)

March 22 is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 284 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 238 – Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperors.
• 871 – Æthelred of Wessex is defeated by a Danish invasion army at the Battle of Marton.
• 1508 – Ferdinand II of Aragon commissions Amerigo Vespucci chief navigator of the Spanish Empire.
• 1621 – The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony sign a peace treaty with Massasoit of the Wampanoags.
• 1622 – Jamestown massacre: Algonquian Indians kill 347 English settlers around Jamestown, Virginia, a third of the colony's population, during the Second Anglo-Powhatan War.
• 1630 – The Massachusetts Bay Colony outlaws the possession of cards, dice, and gaming tables.
• 1638 – Anne Hutchinson is expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony for religious dissent.
• 1713 – The Tuscarora War comes to an end with the fall of Fort Neoheroka, effectively opening up the interior of North Carolina to European colonization.
• 1739 – Nader Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne.
• 1765 – The British Parliament passes the Stamp Act that introduces a tax to be levied directly on its American colonies.
• 1784 – The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current location in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.
• 1829 – In the London Protocol, the three protecting powers (United Kingdom, France and Russia) establish the borders of Greece.
• 1849 – The Austrians defeat the Piedmontese at the Battle of Novara.
• 1871 – In North Carolina, William Woods Holden becomes the first governor of a U.S. state to be removed from office by impeachment.
• 1872 – Illinois becomes the first state to require gender equality in employment.
• 1873 – A law is approved by the Spanish National Assembly in Puerto Rico to abolish slavery.
• 1894 – The first playoff game for the Stanley Cup starts.
• 1906 – The first England vs France rugby union match is played at Parc des Princes in Paris
• 1912– The State of Bihar, India was carved out of the State of Bengal.
• 1916 – The last Emperor of China, Yuan Shikai, abdicates the throne and the Republic of China is restored.
• 1920 – Azeri and Turkish army soldiers with participation of Kurdish gangs attacked the Armenian inhabitants of Shushi (Nagorno Karabakh).
• 1939 – World War II: Germany takes Memel from Lithuania.
• 1942 – World War II: In the Mediterranean Sea, the Royal Navy confronts Italy's Regia Marina in the Second Battle of Sirte.
• 1943 – World War II: the entire population of Khatyn (in what is the present-day Republic of Belarus) is burnt alive by German occupation forces.
• 1945 – The Arab League is founded when a charter is adopted in Cairo, Egypt.
• 1960 – Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes receive the first patent for a laser
• 1972 – The United States Congress sends the Equal Rights Amendment to the states for ratification.
• 1972 – In Eisenstadt v. Baird, the United States Supreme Court decides that unmarried persons have the right to possess contraceptives.
• 1975 – A fire at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Decatur, Alabama causes a dangerous reduction in cooling water levels.
• 1978 – Karl Wallenda of The Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• 1982 – NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center on its third mission, STS-3.
• 1992 – USAir Flight 405 crashes shortly after takeoff from New York City's LaGuardia Airport, leading to a number of studies into the effect that ice has on aircraft.
• 1992 – Fall of communism in Albania: The Democratic Party of Albania wins a decisive majority in the parliamentary election.
• 1993 – The Intel Corporation ships the first Pentium chips (80586), featuring a 60 MHz clock speed, 100+ MIPS, and a 64 bit data path.
• 1995 – Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov returns to earth after setting a record of 438 days in space.
• 1997 – Tara Lipinski, aged 14 years and 10 months, becomes the youngest women's World Figure Skating Champion.
• 1997 – The Comet Hale–Bopp has its closest approach to Earth.
• 2004 – Ahmed Yassin, co-founder and leader of the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas, two bodyguards, and nine civilian bystanders are killed in the Gaza Strip when hit by Israeli Air Force AH-64 Apache fired Hellfire missiles.
• 2006 – Three Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) hostages are freed by British forces in Baghdad after 118 days of captivity and the murder of their colleague from the U.S., Tom Fox.
• 2013 – At least 37 people are killed and 200 are injured after a fire destroys a camp containing Burmese refugees near Ban Mae, Thailand.
• 2016 – Three suicide bombers kill 32 people and injure 316 in the 2016 Brussels bombings at the airport and at the Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station.

Births

• 841 – Bernard Plantapilosa, French son of Bernard of Septimania (d. 885)
• 875 – William I, Duke of Aquitaine (d. 918)
• 1212 – Emperor Go-Horikawa of Japan (d. 1235)
• 1366 – Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, English politician, Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (d. 1399)
• 1394 – Ulugh Beg, Persian astronomer and mathematician (d. 1449)
• 1459 – Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1519)
• 1503 – Antonio Francesco Grazzini, Italian author and educator (d. 1583)
• 1599 – Anthony van Dyck, Flemish-English painter and etcher (d. 1641)
• 1609 – John II Casimir Vasa, Polish king (d. 1672)
• 1663 – August Hermann Francke, German clergyman, philanthropist, and scholar (d. 1727)
• 1684 – William Pulteney, 1st Earl of Bath, English politician, Secretary at War (d. 1764)
• 1712 – Edward Moore, English poet and playwright (d. 1757)
• 1720 – Nicolas-Henri Jardin, French architect, designed the Yellow Palace and Bernstorff Palace (d. 1799)
• 1723 – Charles Carroll, American lawyer and politician (d. 1783)
• 1728 – Anton Raphael Mengs, German painter and theorist (d. 1779)
• 1785 – Adam Sedgwick, English scientist (d. 1873)
• 1797 – William I, German Emperor (d. 1888)
• 1808 – David Swinson Maynard, American physician and lawyer (d. 1873)
• 1812 – Stephen Pearl Andrews, American author and activist (d. 1886)
• 1814 – Thomas Crawford, American sculptor, designed the Statue of Freedom (d. 1857)
• 1817 – Braxton Bragg, American general (d. 1876)
• 1818 – John Ainsworth Horrocks, English-Australian explorer, founded Penwortham (d. 1846)
• 1842 – Mykola Lysenko, Ukrainian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1912)
• 1846 – Randolph Caldecott, English illustrator and painter (d. 1886)
• 1846 – James Timberlake, American lieutenant, police officer, and farmer (d. 1891)
• 1852 – Otakar Ševčík, Czech violinist and educator (d. 1934)
• 1852 – Hector Sévin, French cardinal (d. 1916)
• 1857 – Paul Doumer, French mathematician, journalist, and politician, 14th President of France (d. 1932)
• 1866 – Jack Boyle, American baseball player and umpire (d. 1913)
• 1868 – Robert Andrews Millikan, American colonel and physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1953)
• 1869 – Tom McInnes, Scottish-English footballer (d. 1939)
• 1873 – Ernest Lawson, Canadian-American painter (d. 1939)
• 1878 – Michel Théato, Luxembourgian-French runner (d. 1919)
• 1880 – Ernest C. Quigley, Canadian-American football player and coach (d. 1960)
• 1884 – Arthur H. Vandenberg, American journalist and politician (d. 1951)
• 1884 – Lyda Borelli, Italian actress of cinema and theatre (d. 1959)
• 1885 – Aryeh Levin, Polish-Lithuanian rabbi and educator (d. 1969)
• 1886 – August Rei, Estonian lawyer and politician, Head of State of Estonia (d. 1963)
• 1887 – Chico Marx, American actor (d. 1961)
• 1890 – George Clark, American racing driver (d. 1978)
• 1892 – Johannes Semper, Estonian poet and scholar (d. 1970)
• 1896 – He Long, Chinese general and politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (d. 1969)
• 1896 – Joseph Schildkraut, Austrian-American actor (d. 1964)
• 1899 – Ruth Page, American ballerina and choreographer (d. 1991)
• 1901 – Greta Kempton, Austrian-American painter (d. 1991)
• 1902 – Johannes Brinkman, Dutch architect, designed the Van Nelle Factory (d. 1949)
• 1902 – Madeleine Milhaud, French actress and composer (d. 2008)
• 1903 – Bill Holman, American cartoonist (d. 1987)
• 1907 – James M. Gavin, American general and diplomat, United States Ambassador to France (d. 1990)
• 1908 – Jack Crawford, Australian tennis player (d. 1991)
• 1908 – Louis L'Amour, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1988)
• 1909 – Gabrielle Roy, Canadian author and educator (d. 1983)
• 1910 – Nicholas Monsarrat, English sailor and author (d. 1979)
• 1912 – Karl Malden, American actor (d. 2009)
• 1912 – Agnes Martin, Canadian-American painter and educator (d. 2004)
• 1912 – Leslie Johnson, English race car driver (d. 1959)
• 1913 – Tom McCall, American journalist and politician, 30th Governor of Oregon (d. 1983)
• 1913 – Lew Wasserman, American businessman and talent agent (d. 2002)
• 1914 – John Stanley, American author and illustrator (d. 1993)
• 1914 – Donald Stokes, Baron Stokes, English businessman (d. 2008)
• 1917 – Virginia Grey, American actress (d. 2004)
• 1917 – Irving Kaplansky, Canadian-American mathematician and academic (d. 2006)
• 1917 – Paul Rogers, English actor (d. 2013)
• 1918 – Cheddi Jagan, Guyanese politician, 4th President of Guyana (d. 1997)
• 1919 – Bernard Krigstein, American illustrator (d. 1990)
• 1920 – James Brown, American actor and singer (d. 1992)
• 1920 – Werner Klemperer, German-American actor (d. 2000)
• 1920 – Lloyd MacPhail, Canadian businessman and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (d. 1995)
• 1920 – Fanny Waterman, English pianist and educator, founded the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition
• 1921 – Nino Manfredi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
• 1922 – John J. Gilligan, American lieutenant and politician, 62nd Governor of Ohio (d. 2013)
• 1922 – Stewart Stern, American screenwriter (d. 2015)
• 1923 – Marcel Marceau, French mime and actor (d. 2007)
• 1924 – Al Neuharth, American journalist and author, founded USA Today (d. 2013)
• 1924 – Yevgeny Ostashev, Russian colonel, pilot, and engineer (d. 1960)
• 1924 – Bill Roost, English footballer (d. 2013)
• 1924 – Osman F. Seden, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1998)
• 1924 – Bill Wendell, American television announcer (d. 1999)
• 1927 – Marty Blake, American basketball player and manager (d. 2013)
• 1928 – Carrie Donovan, American journalist (d. 2001)
• 1928 – E. D. Hirsch, American author, critic, and academic
• 1928 – Ed Macauley, American basketball player, coach, and priest (d. 2011)
• 1929 – Mort Drucker, American illustrator
• 1929 – Yayoi Kusama, Japanese painter and sculptor
• 1930 – Derek Bok, American lawyer and academic
• 1930 – Pat Robertson, American minister and broadcaster, founded the Christian Broadcasting Network
• 1930 – Stephen Sondheim, American composer and songwriter
• 1931 – Burton Richter, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1931 – William Shatner, Canadian actor
• 1931 – Leslie Thomas, Welsh journalist and author (d. 2014)
• 1932 – Els Borst, Dutch physician and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 2014)
• 1932 – Larry Evans, American chess player and journalist (d. 2010)
• 1933 – Abolhassan Banisadr, Iranian economist and politician, 1st President of Iran
• 1934 – May Britt, Swedish actress
• 1934 – Sheila Cameron, English lawyer and judge
• 1934 – Orrin Hatch, American lawyer and politician
• 1935 – Frank Pulli, American baseball player and umpire (d. 2013)
• 1935 – M. Emmet Walsh, American actor
• 1936 – Ron Carey, American trade union leader (d. 2008)
• 1936 – Roger Whittaker, Kenyan-English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1936 – Erol Büyükburç, Turkish singer-songwriter, pop music composer, and actor (d. 2015)
• 1937 – Angelo Badalamenti, American pianist and composer
• 1937 – Armin Hary, German sprinter
• 1937 – Jon Hassell, American trumpet player and composer
• 1938 – Rein Etruk, Estonian chess player (d. 2012)
• 1940 – Dave Keon, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1940 – Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-American physician and author (d. 1996)
• 1941 – Billy Collins, American poet
• 1941 – Jeremy Clyde, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1941 – Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor
• 1941 – Cassam Uteem, Mauritian politician, 2nd President of Mauritius
• 1942 – Jorge Ben Jor, Brazilian singer-songwriter
• 1942 – Dick Pound, Canadian lawyer and academic
• 1943 – George Benson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1943 – Nazem Ganjapour, Iranian footballer and manager (d. 2013)
• 1943 – Keith Relf, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 1976)
• 1945 – Eric Roth, American screenwriter and producer
• 1945 – Peter Williams, English physicist and academic
• 1946 – Don Chaney, American basketball player and coach
• 1946 – Richard Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Worcester, English journalist and politician
• 1946 – Rivka Golani, Israeli viola player and composer
• 1946 – Rudy Rucker, American mathematician, computer scientist, and author
• 1946 – Harry Vanda, Dutch-Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1947 – George Ferguson, English architect and politician, 1st Mayor of Bristol
• 1947 – James Patterson, American author and producer
• 1947 – Maarten van Gent, Dutch basketball player and coach
• 1948 – Wolf Blitzer, American journalist
• 1948 – Andrew Lloyd Webber, English director and composer
• 1949 – Fanny Ardant, French actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1949 – Brian Hanrahan, English journalist (d. 2010)
• 1952 – Des Browne, Scottish lawyer and politician, Secretary of State for Scotland
• 1952 – Bob Costas, American talk show host and sportscaster
• 1955 – James House, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1955 – Lena Olin, Swedish actress
• 1955 – Pete Sessions, American politician
• 1955 – Valdis Zatlers, Latvian physician and politician, 7th President of Latvia
• 1957 – Jürgen Bucher, German footballer
• 1957 – Stephanie Mills, American actress and singer
• 1958 – Wayne Bloom, American wrestler
• 1958 – Laurie David, American blogger, activist, and producer
• 1958 – Pete Wylie, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1959 – Carlton Cuse, Mexican-American screenwriter and producer
• 1959 – Matthew Modine, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1960 – Tarmo Laht, Estonian architect
• 1960 – Lauri Vahtre, Estonian historian and politician
• 1962 – Villano V, Mexican wrestler
• 1963 – Deborah Bull, English ballerina
• 1964 – El Felino, Mexican wrestler
• 1964 – David Gillespie, Australian rugby league player
• 1966 – Pia Cayetano, Filipino lawyer and politician
• 1966 – Todd Ewen, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2015)
• 1966 – Paul Midgley, English scientist and academic
• 1966 – Artis Pabriks, Latvian academic and politician, 11th Minister for Defence of Latvia
• 1966 – António Pinto, Portuguese runner
• 1966 – Brian Shaw, American basketball player and coach
• 1967 – Mario Cipollini, Italian cyclist
• 1967 – Bernie Gallacher, Scottish-English footballer (d. 2011)
• 1968 – Euronymous, Norwegian guitarist and producer (d. 1993)
• 1968 – Arve Henriksen, Norwegian trumpet player and composer
• 1970 – Andreas Johnson, Swedish singer-songwriter
• 1970 – Leontien van Moorsel, Dutch cyclist
• 1970 – Hwang Young-cho, South Korean runner
• 1971 – Keegan-Michael Key, American actor, comedian, and writer
• 1972 – Shawn Bradley, German-American basketball player, coach, and actor
• 1972 – Cory Lidle, American baseball player (d. 2006)
• 1972 – Elvis Stojko, Canadian figure skater and sportscaster
• 1973 – Beverley Knight, English singer-songwriter and producer
• 1973 – Joe Nedney, American football player and coach
• 1973 – Christopher Wheeldon, English dancer and choreographer
• 1974 – Marcus Camby, American basketball player
• 1974 – Philippe Clement, Belgian footballer
• 1974 – Kidada Jones, American actress and fashion designer
• 1974 – Gert Peens, South African-Italian rugby player
• 1975 – Cole Hauser, American actor and producer
• 1975 – Jiří Novák, Czech-Monegasque tennis player
• 1976 – Teun de Nooijer, Dutch field hockey player
• 1976 – Kathryn Jean Lopez, American journalist
• 1976 – Asako Toki, Japanese singer-songwriter
• 1976 – Kellie Shanygne Williams, American actress
• 1976 – Reese Witherspoon, American actress and producer
• 1977 – John Otto, Canadian-American drummer
• 1977 – Joey Porter, American football player and coach
• 1977 – Tom Poti, American ice hockey player
• 1979 – Aaron North, American guitarist
• 1979 – Staņislavs Olijars, Latvian hurdler
• 1979 – Juan Uribe, Dominican baseball player
• 1981 – Arne Gabius, German runner
• 1982 – Piá, Brazilian footballer
• 1982 – Enrico Gasparotto, Italian cyclist
• 1982 – Michael Janyk, Canadian skier
• 1982 – Kyle Kingsbury, American mixed martial artist
• 1984 – Piotr Trochowski, German footballer
• 1985 – Mayola Biboko, Belgian footballer
• 1985 – Jakob Fuglsang, Danish cyclist
• 1985 – Mike Jenkins, American football player
• 1985 – Justin Masterson, American baseball player
• 1985 – Kelli Waite, Australian swimmer
• 1986 – David Choi, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1987 – Björn Barrefors, Swedish decathlete
• 1987 – Ike Davis, American baseball player
• 1987 – Jairo Mora Sandoval, Costa Rican environmentalist (d. 2013)
• 1987 – Liam Doran, British rally cross driver
• 1988 – Noriko Kijima, Japanese model and actress
• 1989 – Ben King, American cyclist
• 1989 – Eva Pereira, Cape Verdean runner
• 1989 – Ruben Popa, Romanian footballer
• 1989 – J. J. Watt, American football player
• 1994 – Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Belarusian tennis player
• 1994 – Atsushi Shiramata, Japanese actor
• 1996 – Gig Morton, Canadian actor
• 1996 – Jeroen van der Lely, Dutch professional football player
• 1997 – María Fernanda Herazo, Colombian tennis player

Deaths

• 1322 – Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, English politician, Lord High Steward of England (b. 1278)
• 1418 – Dietrich of Nieheim, German bishop and historian (b. 1345)
• 1421 – Thomas of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Clarence, English soldier and politician, Lord High Steward of England (b. 1388)
• 1471 – George of Poděbrady (b. 1420)
• 1544 – Johannes Magnus, Swedish archbishop and theologian (b. 1488)
• 1602 – Agostino Carracci, Italian painter and educator (b. 1557)
• 1685 – Emperor Go-Sai of Japan (b. 1638)
• 1687 – Jean-Baptiste Lully, Italian-French composer and conductor (b. 1632)
• 1758 – Jonathan Edwards, English minister, theologian, and philosopher (b. 1703)
• 1772 – John Canton, English physicist and academic (b. 1718)
• 1820 – Stephen Decatur, American commander (b. 1779)
• 1832 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German novelist, poet, playwright, and diplomat (b. 1749)
• 1840 – Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician and academic (b. 1798)
• 1881 – Samuel Courtauld, English businessman (b. 1793)
• 1896 – Thomas Hughes, English lawyer and politician (b. 1822)
• 1913 – Song Jiaoren, Chinese educator and politician (b. 1882)
• 1913 – Ruggero Oddi, Italian physiologist and anatomist (b.1864)
• 1924 – William Macewen, Scottish surgeon and neuroscientist (b. 1848)
• 1942 – Frederick Cuming, English cricketer (b. 1875)
• 1942 – William Donne, English captain and cricketer (b. 1875)
• 1945 – John Hessin Clarke, American lawyer and judge (b. 1857)
• 1952 – Uncle Dave Macon, American singer-songwriter and banjo player (b. 1870)
• 1955 – Ivan Šubašić, Croatian lawyer and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (b. 1892)
• 1958 – Mike Todd, American film producer (b. 1909)
• 1960 – José Antonio Aguirre, Spanish lawyer and politician, 1st President of the Basque Country (b. 1904)
• 1966 – John Harlin, American mountaineer and pilot (b. 1935)
• 1971 – Johannes Villemson, Estonian-American runner (b. 1893)
• 1974 – Peter Revson, American race car driver (b. 1939)
• 1974 – Orazio Satta Puliga, Italian automobile designer (b. 1910)
• 1976 – John Dwyer McLaughlin, American painter (b. 1898)
• 1977 – A. K. Gopalan, Indian educator and politician (b. 1904)
• 1978 – Karl Wallenda, German-American acrobat and tightrope walker, founded The Flying Wallendas (b. 1905)
• 1979 – Ben Lyon, American actor and studio executive (b. 1901)
• 1981 – James Elliott, American runner and coach (b. 1915)
• 1981 – Gil Puyat, Filipino businessman and politician, 13th President of the Senate of the Philippines (b. 1907)
• 1986 – Olive Deering, American actress (b. 1918)
• 1986 – Mark Dinning, American singer (b. 1933)
• 1987 – Odysseas Angelis, Greek general and politician (b. 1912)
• 1990 – Gerald Bull, Canadian engineer and academic (b. 1928)
• 1991 – Léon Balcer, Canadian lawyer and politician, 19th Solicitor General of Canada (b. 1917)
• 1991 – Paul Engle, American novelist, poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1908)
• 1991 – Dave Guard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1934)
• 1991 – Gloria Holden, English-American actress (b. 1908)
• 1993 – Samiha Ayverdi, Turkish mystic and author (b. 1905)
• 1993 – Steve Olin, American baseball player (b. 1965)
• 1994 – Dan Hartman, American singer-songwriter, and producer (b. 1950)
• 1994 – Walter Lantz, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1900)
• 1996 – Don Murray, American drummer (b. 1945)
• 1996 – Robert F. Overmyer, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1936)
• 1996 – Billy Williamson, American guitarist (b. 1925)
• 1999 – Max Beloff, Baron Beloff, English historian and academic (b. 1913)
• 1999 – David Strickland, American actor (b. 1969)
• 2000 – Carlo Parola, Italian footballer and manager (b. 1921)
• 2001 – Stepas Butautas, Lithuanian basketball player and coach (b. 1925)
• 2001 – Sabiha Gökçen, Turkish soldier and pilot (b. 1913)
• 2001 – William Hanna, American animator, director, producer, and voice actor, co-founded Hanna-Barbera (b. 1910)
• 2001 – Robert Fletcher Shaw, Canadian businessman, academic, and civil servant (b. 1910)
• 2002 – Rudolf Baumgartner, Swiss violinist and conductor (b. 1917)
• 2003 – Terry Lloyd, English journalist (b. 1952)
• 2004 – Janet Akyüz Mattei, Turkish-American astronomer and academic (b. 1943)
• 2004 – Ahmed Yassin, Palestinian spiritual leader, co-founded Hamas (b. 1937)
• 2005 – Rod Price, English guitarist and songwriter (b. 1947)
• 2005 – Kenzō Tange, Japanese architect, designed the Yoyogi National Gymnasium and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (b. 1913)
• 2006 – Pierre Clostermann, French soldier, pilot, and politician (b. 1921)
• 2006 – Pío Leyva, Cuban singer and author (b. 1917)
• 2006 – Kurt von Trojan, Austrian-Australian journalist and author (b. 1937)
• 2007 – U. G. Krishnamurti, Indian-Italian philosopher and educator (b. 1918)
• 2008 – Cachao López, Cuban-American bassist and composer (b. 1918)
• 2010 – James Black, Scottish biologist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1924)
• 2010 – Özhan Canaydın, Turkish basketball player and businessman (b. 1943)
• 2011 – Artur Agostinho, Portuguese journalist (b. 1920)
• 2011 – Victor Bouchard, Canadian pianist and composer (b. 1926)
• 2012 – Joe Blanchard, American football player and wrestler (b. 1928)
• 2012 – John Payton, American lawyer and activist (b. 1946)
• 2012 – Matthew White Ridley, 4th Viscount Ridley, English academic and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland (b. 1925)
• 2012 – Mickey Sullivan, American baseball player and coach (b. 1932)
• 2012 – David Waltz, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1943)
• 2012 – Neil L. Whitehead, English anthropologist and author (b. 1956)
• 2013 – Vladimír Čech, Czech actor and politician (b. 1951)
• 2013 – Fred Jones, Welsh footballer (b. 1938)
• 2013 – James Nabrit, American lawyer and academic (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Bebo Valdés, Cuban-Swedish pianist and composer (b. 1918)
• 2013 – Derek Watkins, English trumpet player and composer (b. 1945)
• 2013 – Ray Williams, American basketball player and coach (b. 1954)
• 2014 – Yashwant Vithoba Chittal, Indian author (b. 1928)
• 2014 – Mickey Duff, Polish-English boxer and manager (b. 1929)
• 2014 – Thor Listau, Norwegian soldier and politician (b. 1938)
• 2014 – Tasos Mitsopoulos, Cypriot politician, Cypriot Minister of Defence (b. 1965)
• 2014 – Patrice Wymore, American actress (b. 1926)
• 2015 – Arkady Arkanov, Ukrainian-Russian actor and playwright (b. 1933)
• 2015 – Horst Buhtz, German footballer and manager (b. 1923)
• 2015 – George Neel, Jr., American businessman (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Norman Scribner, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1936)
• 2016 – Phife Dawg, American rapper (b. 1970)
• 2016 – Rob Ford, Canadian businessman and politician, 64th Mayor of Toronto (b. 1969)
• 2016 – Rita Gam, American actress (b. 1927)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Basil of Ancyra
  • Blessed Clemens August Graf von Galen
  • Darerca of Ireland
  • Epaphroditus
  • Jonathan Edwards (Lutheranism)
  • Lea of Rome
  • Nicholas Owen
  • Paul of Narbonne
  • March 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Earliest day on which Easter Sunday can fall (last in 1818, will not happen again until 2285), while April 25 is the latest. (Christianity)
• Emancipation Day or Día de la Abolición de la Esclavitud (Puerto Rico)
• World Water Day (International)

External links

• Today in Canadian History
• The New York Times: On This Day
• BBC: On This Day