Mar 11, 1845. Anniversary of the death of John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, believed to have been born at Leominster, Massachusetts, Sept 26, 1774. The planter of orchards and friend of wild animals was regarded by the Indians as a great medicine man. He died at Allen County, Indiana.
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On 11 March 1918, the first cases of the “Spanish” influenza were reported in the US when 107 soldiers became sick at Fort Riley, KS. By the end of 1920 nearly 25 percent of the US population had been infected. As many as 500,000 civilians died from the virus, exceeding the number of US troops killed abroad in WWI.
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Adelaide Cup in Australia – This public holiday in South Australia is celebrated with a horse race organized by the Jockey Club. Read more at https://www.officeholidays.com/countries/australia/south_australia/adelaide_cup_day.php.
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On 12 March 1938, as a test of its own war readiness and of the response of the other major powers, Germany occupied Austria. A year later Germany invaded Czechoslovakia and, in September 1939, Poland, beginning WWII.
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Canberra Day in Australia – This is a public holiday commemorating the naming of Canberra as the national capital. Read more at https://publicholidays.com.au/canberra-day/.
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Charles Cunningham Boycott
Charles Cunningham Boycott, born at Norfolk, England, on 12 March 1832, has been immortalized by having his name become part of the English language. In County Mayo, Ireland, the Tenants’ “Land League” in 1880 asked Boycott, an estate agent, to reduce rents (because of poor harvest and dire economic conditions). Boycott responded by serving eviction notices on the tenants, who retaliated by refusing to have any dealings with him.
Charles Stewart Parnell, then president of the National Land League and agrarian agitator, retaliated against Boycott by formulating and implementing the method of economic and social ostracism that came to be called a “boycott.” Boycott died at Suffolk, England, June 19, 1897.
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt held the first of a series of radio broadcasts dubbed “Fireside Chats” on 12 March 1933, shortly after being inaugurated.
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Founded by Juliette Gordon Low on March 12, 1912 in Savannah, Georgia. Read more at http://www.girlscouts.org/.
One of the most devastating blizzards to hit the northeastern US began in the early hours of Monday, 12 March 1888. A snowfall of 40– 50 inches, accompanied by gale-force winds, left drifts as high as 30– 40 feet. More than 400 persons died in the storm (200 at New York City alone). Some survivors of the storm, “The Blizzard Men of 1888,” held annual meetings at New York City as late as 1941 to recount personal recollections of the event.
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Napping Day – This day celebrates scientific findings that a nap can improve one’s productivity. Many successful people who napped include Einstein, Churchill, and Napoleon. http://fortune.com/2017/03/13/national-napping-day/.
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Mar 13. Replaces Empire Day observance recognized until 1958. Observed on second Monday in March. Also observed in the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar and Newfoundland, Canada.
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13 March – 15 April 2017. Observance of three of the most important anniversaries for deaf Americans: Mar 13, 1988, the victory of the Deaf President Now movement at Gallaudet University; Apr 8, 1864, charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln authorizing the Board of Directors of the Columbia Institution (now Gallaudet University) to grant college degrees to deaf students; Apr 15, 1817, establishment of the first permanent public school for the deaf in the Western Hemisphere, later known as the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut.
Ear Muffs were patented March 13, 1887 by Chester Greenwood.
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Mar 13, 1961. On this date, the popular Barbie doll, introduced by Mattel in 1959, got a boyfriend: Ken Carson.
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On 14 March 1950, the Federal Bureau of Investigation instituted the “10 Most Wanted Fugitives” list in an effort to publicize particularly dangerous criminals who were at large. From 1950 to 2013, 498 fugitives have appeared on the list; 469 have been located or apprehended. Generally, the only way to get off the list is to die or be captured. In the summer of 2011, the two top fugitives exited the list: terrorist Osama Bin Laden was killed in a raid in May and gangster James “Whitey” Bulger was arrested in June.
Mar 14, 1879. Theoretical physicist best known for his theory of relativity. Born at Ulm, Germany, he won the Nobel Prize in 1921. Died at Princeton, NJ, Apr 18, 1955.
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Mar 14. A day to celebrate pi— the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Since that mathematical constant is about 3.14, Mar 14 became the day to observe it.
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The first Cricket “Test” match, the longest form of cricket match, was played between Australia and England in Melbourne, on March 15, 1877. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Test_cricket_from_1877_to_1883
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In the Roman calendar the days of the month were not numbered sequentially. Instead, each month had three division days: kalends, nones and ides. Days were numbered from these divisions: e.g., IV Nones or III Ides. The ides occurred on the 15th of the month (or on the 13th in months that had fewer than 31 days). Julius Caesar was assassinated on this day in 44 BC. This system was used in Europe well into the Renaissance. When Shakespeare wrote “Beware the ides of March” in Julius Caesar, his audience knew what he meant.
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Mar 16, 1827. Anniversary of the founding of the first black newspaper in the US, Freedom’s Journal, on Varick Street at New York, NY.
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Mar 16. The American Library Association supports free and open access to government information created at taxpayer expense. On or near the birthday of James Madison (Mar 16), ALA urges libraries and librarians to join in celebrating the public’s “right to know” by sponsoring activities to educate their communities about the importance of promoting and protecting freedom of information. Sponsored by the Freedom Forum and the American Library Association.
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On 16 March 1802, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the US Military Academy to train officers for the army. The college is located at West Point, NY, on the site of the oldest continuously occupied military post in America. Women were admitted to West Point in 1976. The academy’s motto is “Duty, Honor, Country.”
A public holiday in Boston and Suffolk County, Massachusetts, celebrates the anniversary of the evacuation from Boston of British troops on 17 March 1776.
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On 17 March 1842, twenty Mormon women formally initiated this organization at Nauvoo, IL, which is now known as the Relief Society and has grown to more than five and a half million members.
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Commemorates the patron saint of Ireland, Bishop Patrick (AD 387– 493?), who, about AD 432, left his home in the Severn Valley, England, and introduced Christianity into Ireland. Feast day in the Roman Catholic Church. A national holiday in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
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