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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Mar 18, 1931. The first electric razor was marketed by Schick, Inc.
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On 19 March 2003, at 9:30 PM, EST, two hours past a deadline for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to step down from power, US and British forces began air strikes against his regime. A ground campaign (adding Australian forces) followed quickly, and by Apr 9, Baghdad was under the control of allied forces. Hussein was captured by US forces on Dec 13, 2003. On June 28, 2004, Iraq regained its sovereignty. On Dec 15, 2005, 70 percent of Iraq’s registered voters turned out for parliamentary elections— one of the freest elections on record in the Arab world. Sectarian and terrorist violence prevented the withdrawal of US and other national combat troops until Aug 18, 2010.
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The Feast of Saint Joseph celebrates the patron saint of fathers and carpenters.
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Each year on the Feast of Saint Joseph, these black birds return to Mission San Juan Capistrano in California.
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20 March – 16 April. Various sites in Washington, DC. Celebrating the decades of cherry blossoms in our nation’s capital. In the midst of thousands of beautiful cherry blossom trees— a gift from Tokyo in 1912— festivities include cultural performances by local and international artists, tours, sporting events, art exhibits and other events celebrating spring. Highlights include Family Days and the Opening Ceremony, a spectacular Fireworks Festival and the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade and Sakura Matsuri— Japanese Street Festival.
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In the Northern Hemisphere, spring begins today with the vernal equinox, at 6:29 AM, EDT. Note that in the Southern Hemisphere today is the beginning of autumn. Sun rises due east and sets due west everywhere on Earth (except near poles), and the daylight length (interval between sunrise and sunset) is virtually the same everywhere today: 12 hours, 8 minutes.
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Mar 21, 1965. More than 3,000 civil rights demonstrators led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, began a four-day march from Selma, AL, to Montgomery, AL, to demand federal protection of voting rights. There were violent attempts by local police, using fire hoses and dogs, to suppress the march. A march two weeks before on Mar 7, 1965, was called “Bloody Sunday” because of the use of nightsticks, chains and electric cattle prods against the marchers by the police.
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Single Parent Day – This relatively new day recognizes the difficulty and sacrifices of being a single parent. Read more at https://www.workingmother.com/5-things-everyone-can-do-to-support-single-parents-on-national-single-parent-day.
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Mar 21, 2006. Jack Dorsey sent the first “tweet”—“ just setting up my twttr”— in the now immensely popular microblogging and social networking platform. Twitter enables users to post 140-character public messages. Dorsey, Evan Williams and Biz Stone of Odeo launched Twitter to the public on July 15, 2006.
A global awareness day (officially observed by the United Nations since 2012) raising awareness of what Down syndrome is, what it means to have Down syndrome and how people with Down syndrome play a vital role in our lives and communities. Join the cause to create a single global voice for advocating for the rights, inclusion and well-being of people with Down syndrome.
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