Events

Pre-1600

• AD 37 Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.

• 193 After assassinatingating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Didius Julianus.

• 364 Roman Emperor Valentinian I appoints his brother Flavius Valens co-emperor.

• 1065 The Great German Pilgrimage, which had been under attack by Bedouin bandits for three days, is rescued by the Fatimid governor of Ramla.

• 1566 The foundation stone of Valletta, Malta's capital city, is laid by Jean Parisot de Valette, Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

1601–1900

• 1745 War of the Austrian Succession: In the Battle of Vilshofen, Austrian forces defeat French forces.

• 1776 Juan Bautista de Anza finds the site for the Presidio of San Francisco.

• 1795 Partitions of Poland: The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, a northern fief of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, ceases to exist and becomes part of Imperial Russia.

• 1801 Treaty of Florence is signed, ending the war between the French Republic and the Kingdom of Naples.

• 1802 Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers discovers 2 Pallas, the second asteroid ever to be discovered.

• 1809 Peninsular War: France defeats Spain in the Battle of Medellín.

• 1814 War of 1812: In the Battle of Valparaíso, two American naval vessels are captured by two Royal Navy vessels.

• 1842 First concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Otto Nicolai.

• 1854 Crimean War: France and Britain declare war on Russia.

• 1860 First Taranaki War: The Battle of Waireka begins.

• 1862 American Civil War: In the Battle of Glorieta Pass, Union forces stop the Confederate invasion of the New Mexico Territory. The battle began on March 26.

1901–present

• 1910 Henri Fabre becomes the first person to fly a seaplane, the Fabre Hydravion, after taking off from water runway Étang le Barre, near Marseille.

• 1918 General John J. Pershing, during World War I, cancels 42nd 'Rainbow' Division's orders to Rolampont for further training and diverted it to the occupy the Baccarat sector. Rainbow Division becomes "the first American division to take over an entire sector on its own, which it held longer than any other American division-occupied sector alone for a period of three months".

• 1918 Finnish Civil War: On the so-called "Bloody Maundy Thursday of Tampere", the Whites force the Reds to attack the city center, where the city's fiercest battles being fought in Kalevankangas with large casualties on both sides. During the same day, an explosion at the Red headquarters of Tampere kills several commanders.

• 1920 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1920 affects the Great Lakes region and Deep South states.

• 1933 The Imperial Airways biplane City of Liverpool is believed to be the first airliner lost to sabotage when a passenger sets a fire on board.

• 1939 Spanish Civil War: Generalissimo Francisco Franco conquers Madrid after a three-year siege.

• 1941 World War II: First day of the Battle of Cape Matapan in Greece between the navies of the United Kingdom and Australia, and the Royal Italian navy.

• 1942 World War II: A British combined force permanently disables the Louis Joubert Lock in Saint-Nazaire in order to keep the German battleship Tirpitz away from the mid-ocean convoy lanes.

• 1946 Cold War: The United States Department of State releases the Acheson–Lilienthal Report, outlining a plan for the international control of nuclear power.

• 1959 The State Council of the People's Republic of China dissolves the government of Tibet.

• 1961 ČSA Flight 511 crashes in Igensdorf, Germany, killing 52.

• 1963 Civil rights movement: Over one hundred high school students conduct a sit-in protest in Rome, Georgia.

• 1965 An 7.4 earthquake in Chile sets off a series of tailings dam failures, burying the town of El Cobre and killing at least 500 people.

• 1968 Brazilian high school student Edson Luís de Lima Souto is killed by military police at a student protest.

• 1969 Greek poet and Nobel Prize laureate Giorgos Seferis makes a famous statement on the BBC World Service opposing the junta in Greece.

• 1970 An earthquake strikes western Turkey at about 23:05 local time, killing 1,086 and injuring at least 1,200.

• 1978 The US Supreme Court hands down 5–3 decision in Stump v. Sparkman, a controversial case involving involuntary sterilization and judicial immunity.

• 1979 A coolant leak at the Three Mile Island's Unit 2 nuclear reactor outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania leads to the core overheating and a partial meltdown.

• 1979 The British House of Commons passes a vote of no confidence against James Callaghan's government by one vote, precipitating a general election.

• 1990 United States President George H. W. Bush posthumously awards Jesse Owens the Congressional Gold Medal.

• 1994 In South Africa, African National Congress security guards kill dozens of Inkatha Freedom Party protesters.

• 1999 Kosovo War: Serb paramilitary and military forces kill at least 130 Kosovo Albanians in Izbica.

• 2001 Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos begins operation.

• 2003 In a friendly fire incident, two American A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft attack British tanks participating in the 2003 invasion of Iraq, killing one soldier.

• 2005 An earthquake shakes northern Sumatra with a magnitude of 8.6 and killing over 1000 people.

• 2006 At least one million union members, students and unemployed take to the streets in France in protest at the government's proposed First Employment Contract law.

• 2020 The region of Uusimaa (with the capital city Helsinki) is temporarily isolated from the rest of Finland due to increased COVID-19 infections.

• 2025 An earthquake strikes close to Mandalay, Myanmar with a magnitude of 7.7, killing over 5400 people.

Births

Pre-1600

• 1472 Fra Bartolomeo, Italian painter (died 1517)

• 1515 Teresa of Ávila, Spanish nun and saint (died 1582)

• 1522 Albert Alcibiades, German prince (died 1557)

• 1592 John Amos Comenius, Czech bishop and educator (died 1670)

1601–1900

• 1613 Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang of China (died 1688)

• 1638 Frederik Ruysch, Dutch botanist and anatomist (died 1731)

• 1652 Samuel Sewall, English judge (died 1730)

• 1725 Andrew Kippis, English minister and author (died 1795)

• 1727 Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria, (died 1777)

• 1750 Francisco de Miranda, Venezuelan general and politician (died 1816)

• 1760 Thomas Clarkson, English activist (died 1846)

• 1793 Henry Schoolcraft, American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist (died 1864)

• 1795 Georg Heinrich Pertz, German historian and author (died 1876)

• 1806 Thomas Hare, English lawyer and political scientist (died 1891)

• 1811 John Neumann, Czech-American bishop and saint (died 1860)

• 1815 Arsène Houssaye, French author and poet (died 1896)

• 1818 Wade Hampton III, American general and politician, 77th Governor of South Carolina (died 1902)

• 1819 Joseph Bazalgette, English architect and engineer (died 1891)

• 1832 Henry D. Washburn, American politician and general (died 1871)

• 1836 Emmanuel Benner, French artist (died 1896)

• 1836 Jean Benner, French artist (died 1906)

• 1836 Frederick Pabst, German-American brewer, founded the Pabst Brewing Company (died 1904)

• 1840 Emin Pasha, German-Jewish Egyptian physician and politician (died 1892)

• 1847 Gyula Farkas, Hungarian mathematician and physicist (died 1930)

• 1849 James Darmesteter, French historian and author (died 1894)

• 1850 Kyrle Bellew, English theatre actor (died 1911)

• 1851 Bernardino Machado, Portuguese academic and politician, 3rd President of Portugal (died 1944)

• 1862 Aristide Briand, French politician, Prime Minister of France, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1932)

• 1868 Maxim Gorky, Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright (died 1936)

• 1873 John Geiger, American rower (died 1956)

• 1879 Terence MacSwiney, Irish republican, politician, Lord Mayor of Cork, died on hunger strike (died 1920)

• 1881 Martin Sheridan, Irish-American discus thrower and jumper (died 1918)

• 1884 Angelos Sikelianos, Greek poet and playwright (died 1951)

• 1887 Beulah Dark Cloud, American actress (died 1945)

• 1890 Paul Whiteman, American violinist, composer, and bandleader (died 1967)

• 1892 Corneille Heymans, Belgian physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1968)

• 1892 Tom Maguire, Irish republican General (died 1993)

• 1893 Spyros Skouras, Greek-American businessman (died 1971)

• 1894 Ernst Lindemann, German captain (died 1941)

• 1895 Christian Herter, American politician, United States Secretary of State (died 1966)

• 1895 Donald Grey Barnhouse, American pastor and theologian (died 1960)

• 1895 Spencer W. Kimball, American religious leader, 12th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (died 1985)

• 1897 Sepp Herberger, German footballer and manager (died 1977)

• 1899 Gussie Busch, American businessman (died 1989)

• 1899 Buck Shaw, American football player and coach (died 1977)

• 1900 Edward Wagenknecht, American critic and educator (died 2004)

1901–present

• 1902 Flora Robson, English actress (died 1984)

• 1903 Rudolf Serkin, Czech-American pianist and educator (died 1991)

• 1904 Margaret Tucker, Australian author and activist (died 1996)

• 1905 Pandro S. Berman, American production manager and producer (died 1996)

• 1905 Marlin Perkins, American zoologist and television host (died 1986)

• 1906 Murray Adaskin, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (died 2002)

• 1906 Robert Allen, American actor (died 1998)

• 1906 Dorothy Knowles, South African-English author, fencer and academic (died 2010)

• 1907 Irving Paul Lazar, American lawyer and talent agent (died 1993)

• 1909 Nelson Algren, American novelist and short story writer (died 1981)

• 1910 Jimmie Dodd, American actor and singer-songwriter (died 1964)

• 1910 Ingrid of Sweden, Queen of Denmark (died 2000)

• 1911 Consalvo Sanesi, Italian race car driver (died 1998)

• 1912 A. Bertram Chandler, English-Australian author (died 1984)

• 1912 Marina Raskova, Russian pilot and navigator (died 1943)

• 1913 Toko Shinoda, Japanese artist (died 2021)

• 1914 Edward Anhalt, American screenwriter and producer (died 2000)

• 1914 Bohumil Hrabal, Czech author (died 1997)

• 1914 Edmund Muskie, American politician, 64th Governor of Maine, 58th United States Secretary of State (died 1996)

• 1914 Everett Ruess, American explorer, poet, and painter (died 1934)

• 1915 Jay Livingston, American singer-songwriter (died 2001)

• 1919 Tom Brooks, Australian cricket umpire (died 2007)

• 1919 Eileen Crofton, British physician and author (died 2010)

• 1919 Vic Raschi, American baseball player and coach (died 1988)

• 1921 Harold Agnew, American physicist and academic (died 2013)

• 1921 Dirk Bogarde, English actor and author (died 1999)

• 1922 Neville Bonner, Australian politician (died 1999)

• 1922 Grace Hartigan, American painter and educator (died 2008)

• 1922 Joey Maxim, American boxer and actor (died 2001)

• 1923 Paul C. Donnelly, American scientist and engineer (died 2014)

• 1923 Thad Jones, American trumpet player and composer (died 1986)

• 1924 Freddie Bartholomew, American actor (died 1992)

• 1925 Innokenty Smoktunovsky, Russian actor (died 1994)

• 1925 Dorothy DeBorba, American child actress (died 2010)

• 1926 Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, 18th Duchess of Alba (died 2014)

• 1926 Polly Umrigar, Indian cricketer (died 2006)

• 1928 Zbigniew Brzezinski, Polish-American political activist and analyst; United States National Security Advisor (died 2017)

• 1928 Alexander Grothendieck, German-French mathematician and theorist (died 2014)

• 1930 Robert Ashley, American composer (died 2014)

• 1930 Jerome Isaac Friedman, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

• 1933 Frank Murkowski, American soldier, banker, and politician, 8th Governor of Alaska

• 1934 Laurie Taitt, Guyanese-English hurdler (died 2006)

• 1935 Michael Parkinson, English journalist and author (died 2023)

• 1935 Józef Szmidt, Polish triple jumper (died 2024)

• 1936 Mario Vargas Llosa, Peruvian writer and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2025)

• 1940 Tony Barber, English-Australian television host

• 1940 Luis Cubilla, Uruguayan footballer and coach (died 2013)

• 1940 Michael Plumb, American equestrian

• 1942 Daniel Dennett, American philosopher and academic (died 2024)

• 1942 Neil Kinnock, Welsh politician, Vice-President of the European Commission

• 1942 Mike Newell, English director and producer

• 1942 Samuel Ramey, American opera singer

• 1942 Jerry Sloan, American basketball player and coach (died 2020)

• 1943 Richard Eyre, English director, producer, and screenwriter

• 1943 Conchata Ferrell, American actress (died 2020)

• 1944 Rick Barry, American basketball player

• 1944 Ken Howard, American actor (died 2016)

• 1945 Rodrigo Duterte, Filipino politician, 16th President of the Philippines

• 1946 Wubbo Ockels, Dutch physicist and astronaut (died 2014)

• 1946 Henry Paulson, American banker and politician, 74th United States Secretary of the Treasury

• 1946 Alejandro Toledo, Peruvian economist and politician, President of Peru

• 1947 David McKinley, American politician (died 2026)

• 1948 Janice Lynde, American actress

• 1948 Dianne Wiest, American actress

• 1948 Milan Williams, American keyboard player (died 2006)

• 1949 Ronnie Ray Smith, American sprinter (died 2013)

• 1953 Melchior Ndadaye, Burundian banker and politician, 4th President of Burundi (died 1993)

• 1954 Donald Brown, American pianist and educator

• 1955 Reba McEntire, American singer-songwriter and actress

• 1957 Harvey Glance, American sprinter (died 2023)

• 1958 Edesio Alejandro, Cuban composer (died 2025)

• 1958 Curt Hennig, American wrestler (died 2003)

• 1959 Laura Chinchilla, Costa Rican politician, 46th President of Costa Rica

• 1960 José Maria Neves, Cape Verdeian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Cape Verde

• 1961 Byron Scott, American basketball player and coach

• 1962 Jure Franko, Slovenian skier

• 1962 Simon Bazalgette, English businessman

• 1964 Karen Lumley, English politician (died 2023)

• 1968 Iris Chang, Chinese-American journalist and author (died 2004)

• 1968 Nasser Hussain, Indian-English cricketer and sportscaster

• 1969 Brett Ratner, American director and producer

• 1970 Vince Vaughn, American actor

• 1970 Jennifer Weiner, American journalist and author

• 1972 Keith Tkachuk, American ice hockey player

• 1973 Björn Kuipers, Dutch footballer and referee

• 1973 Umaga, American Samoan wrestler (died 2009)

• 1975 Kate Gosselin, American television personality

• 1975 Iván Helguera, Spanish footballer

• 1978 Nathan Cayless, Australian-New Zealand rugby league player and coach

• 1979 Shakib Khan, Bangladeshi film actor, producer, singer and media personality

• 1980 Stiliani Pilatou, Greek long jumper

• 1980 Luke Walton, American basketball player

• 1981 Aleksandra Leo, Polish politician and lawyer

• 1981 Edwar Ramírez, American baseball player

• 1981 Julia Stiles, American actress

• 1983 Ladji Doucouré, French sprinter and hurdler

• 1984 Christopher Samba, Congolese footballer

• 1985 Stefano Ferrario, Italian footballer

• 1985 Steve Mandanda, French footballer

• 1985 Stanislas Wawrinka, Swiss tennis player

• 1985 Josh Bray, American politician

• 1986 Mustafa Ali, American wrestler

• 1986 Bowe Bergdahl, American sergeant

• 1986 Lady Gaga, American singer-songwriter and actress

• 1986 J-Kwon, American rapper

• 1986 Barbora Strýcová, Czech tennis player

• 1987 Yohan Benalouane, French-Tunisian footballer

• 1987 Simeon Jackson, Canadian soccer player

• 1987 Jonathan Van Ness, American hairdresser and television personality

• 1988 Geno Atkins, American football player

• 1988 Ryan Kalish, American baseball player

• 1989 Logan Couture, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1989 Lukas Jutkiewicz, English footballer

• 1989 Mira Leung, Canadian figure skater

• 1990 Delroy Edwards, American musician

• 1990 Laura Harrier, American actress and model

• 1991 Derek Carr, American football player

• 1991 Jordan McRae, American basketball player

• 1991 Lisa-Maria Moser, Austrian tennis player

• 1991 Marie-Philip Poulin, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1991 Ondřej Palát, Czech ice hockey player

• 1991 Christian Walker, American baseball player

• 1991 Hoya, South Korean singer and dancer

• 1992 Sergi Gómez, Spanish footballer

• 1994 Jackson Wang, Hong Kong rapper

• 1995 Jonathan Drouin, Canadian ice hockey player

• 1995 Will Smith, American baseball player

• 1996 Matt Renshaw, English-Australian cricketer

• 1996 Max Strus, American basketball player

• 1998 Lance Morris, Australian cricketer

• 2001 Wang Xiyu, Chinese tennis player

• 2004 Anna Shcherbakova, Russian figure skater

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 193 Pertinax, Roman emperor (born 126)

• 592 Guntram, French king (born 532)

• 966 Flodoard, Frankish canon and chronicler

• 1072 Ordulf, Duke of Saxony

• 1134 Stephen Harding, founder of the Cistercian order

• 1239 Emperor Go-Toba of Japan (born 1180)

• 1241 Valdemar II of Denmark (born 1170)

• 1285 Pope Martin IV

• 1346 Venturino of Bergamo, Dominican preacher (born 1304)

• 1563 Heinrich Glarean, Swiss poet and theorist (born 1488)

• 1566 Sigismund von Herberstein, Austrian historian and diplomat (born 1486)

• 1584 Ivan the Terrible, Russian king (born 1530)

1601–1900

• 1687 Constantijn Huygens, Dutch poet and composer (born 1596)

• 1690 Emmanuel Tzanes, Greek Renaissance painter (born 1610)

• 1718 Thomas Micklethwaite, Lord Commissioner of the Treasury (born 1678)

• 1818 Antonio Capuzzi, Italian violinist and composer (born 1755)

• 1822 Angelis Govios, leader of the Greek War of Independence (born 1780)

• 1868 James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, English lieutenant and politician (born 1797)

• 1870 George Henry Thomas, American general (born 1816)

• 1874 Peter Andreas Hansen, Danish-German astronomer and mathematician (born 1795)

• 1881 Modest Mussorgsky, Russian pianist and composer (born 1839)

• 1884 Georgios Zariphis, Greek banker and financier (born 1810)

• 1893 Edmund Kirby Smith, American general (born 1824)

• 1900 Piet Joubert, South African soldier and politician (born c. 1831)

1901–present

• 1903 Magdalene Thoresen, Danish writer (born 1819)

• 1910 Édouard Colonne, French violinist and conductor (born 1838)

• 1916 James Strachan-Davidson, English classical scholar, academic administrator, translator, and author (born 1843)

• 1917 Albert Pinkham Ryder, American painter (born 1847)

• 1923 Charles Hubbard, American archer (born 1849)

• 1929 Katharine Lee Bates, American poet and songwriter (born 1859)

• 1929 Lomer Gouin, Canadian lawyer and politician, Premier of Quebec (born 1861)

• 1934 Mahmoud Mokhtar, Egyptian sculptor and educator (born 1891)

• 1941 Marcus Hurley, American basketball player and cyclist (born 1883)

• 1941 Virginia Woolf, English writer (born 1882)

• 1942 Miguel Hernández, Spanish poet and playwright (born 1910)

• 1943 Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1873)

• 1944 Stephen Leacock, English-Canadian political scientist and author (born 1869)

• 1947 Karol Świerczewski, Polish general (born 1897)

• 1953 Jim Thorpe, American football player and Olympic gold medalist (born 1887)

• 1957 Stylianos Lenas, Greek-Cypriot member of the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA) against the British rule (born 1931)

• 1958 W. C. Handy, American trumpet player and composer (born 1873)

• 1962 Hugo Wast, Argentinian author (born 1883)

• 1963 Antonius Bouwens, Dutch target shooter (born 1876)

• 1965 Clemence Dane, English author and playwright (born 1888)

• 1969 Dwight D. Eisenhower, American general and politician, 34th President of the United States (born 1890)

• 1972 Donie Bush, American baseball player, manager, and team owner (born 1887)

• 1974 Arthur Crudup, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1905)

• 1974 Dorothy Fields, American songwriter (born 1905)

• 1974 Françoise Rosay, French actress (born 1891)

• 1976 Richard Arlen, American actor (born 1899)

• 1977 Eric Shipton, English mountaineer and explorer (born 1907)

• 1979 Emmett Kelly, American clown and actor (born 1898)

• 1980 Dick Haymes, Argentinian-American actor and singer (born 1918)

• 1982 William Giauque, Canadian chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1895)

• 1985 Marc Chagall, Russian-French painter (born 1887)

• 1986 Virginia Gilmore. American actress (born 1919)

• 1987 Maria von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (born 1905)

• 1992 Nikolaos Platon, Greek archaeologist (born 1909)

• 1994 Eugène Ionesco, Romanian-French playwright and critic (born 1909)

• 1996 Shin Kanemaru, Japanese politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Japan (born 1914)

• 2000 Anthony Powell, English soldier and author (born 1905)

• 2004 Peter Ustinov, English-Swiss actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1921)

• 2005 Moura Lympany, English-Monacan pianist (born 1916)

• 2005 Robin Spry, Canadian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1939)

• 2006 Pro Hart, Australian painter (born 1928)

• 2006 Charles Schepens, Belgian-American ophthalmologist and author (born 1912)

• 2006 Caspar Weinberger, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 15th United States Secretary of Defense (born 1917)

• 2009 Maurice Jarre, French-American composer and conductor (born 1924)

• 2009 Janet Jagan, 6th President of Guyana (born 1920)

• 2010 June Havoc, American actress, dancer, and director (born 1912)

• 2012 John Arden, English author and playwright (born 1930)

• 2012 Ioannis Banias, Greek politician (born 1939)

• 2012 Harry Crews, American novelist (born 1935)

• 2012 Addie L. Wyatt, African American labor leader (born 1924)

• 2013 George E. P. Box, English-American statistician and educator (born 1919)

• 2013 Richard Griffiths, English actor (born 1947)

• 2013 Hugh McCracken, American guitarist, harmonica player, and producer (born 1942)

• 2013 Bob Teague, American college football star and television news-reporter (born 1929)

• 2013 Gus Triandos, American baseball player and scout (born 1930)

• 2014 Jeremiah Denton, American admiral and politician (born 1924)

• 2014 Lorenzo Semple, Jr., American screenwriter and producer (born 1923)

• 2015 Chuck Brayton, American baseball player and coach (born 1925)

• 2015 Joseph Cassidy, Canadian-English priest and academic (born 1954)

• 2015 Miroslav Ondříček, Czech cinematographer (born 1934)

• 2015 Gene Saks, American actor and director (born 1921)

• 2016 James Noble, American actor (born 1922)

• 2021 Didier Ratsiraka, Malagasy politician and naval officer (born 1936)

• 2021 Joseph Edward Duncan, American serial killer (born 1963)

• 2023 Paul O'Grady, English comedian, actor and drag queen (born 1955)

• 2023 Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese composer, record producer, and actor (born 1952)

• 2024 Larry Lloyd, English professional football player and coach (born 1948)

• 2024 Mark Spiro, American songwriter, record producer and recording artist (born 1957)

• 2026 Marinella, Greek singer (born 1938)

• 2026 Mary Beth Hurt, American actress (born 1946)

• 2026 Liamine Zéroual, Algerian politician, 6th President of Algeria (born 1941)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

• Christopher Wharton

• Jeanne-Marie de Maille

• Józef Sebastian Pelczar

• Priscus

• Pope Sixtus III

• Stephen Harding

• March 28 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Serfs Emancipation Day (Tibet)

• Teachers' Day (Czech Republic and Slovakia)

References

External links

• BBC: On This Day

• Historical Events on March 28