What are the important events that happened on March 17? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

March 17: Facts & Myths About This Day

March 17 is the 76^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 289 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is March 4, 2025 – a Monday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,742,169,600 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘heptacontahexagon’ day.

Pisces is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Aquamarine is the modern birthstone for this month. Jade is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 337 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,469 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

March 17 Historical Events

• 45 BC –
  In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
• 624 –
  Led by Muhammad, the Muslims of Medina defeat the Quraysh of Mecca in the Battle of Badr.
• 1860 –
  The First Taranaki War begins in Taranaki, New Zealand, a major phase of the New Zealand land wars.
• 1891 –
  SS Utopia collides with HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar and sinks, killing 562 of the 880 passengers on board.
• 1941 –
  In Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• 1947 –
  First flight of the B-45 Tornado strategic bomber.
• 1950 –
  Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name “Californium”.
• 1988 –
  A Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, Avianca Flight 410, crashes into a mountainside near the Venezuelan border killing 143.
• 1992 –
  A referendum to end apartheid in South Africa is passed 68.7% to 31.2%.
• 2003 –
  Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Robin Cook, resigns from the British Cabinet in disagreement with government plans for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Who were born on March 17?

• 1473 –
  King James IV of Scotland (d. 1513)
• 1820 –
  Jean Ingelow, English poet (d. 1897)
• 1907 –
  Sonny Werblin, American football franchise owner (d. 1991)
• 1912 –
  Bayard Rustin, American civil rights activist (d. 1987)
• 1916 –
  Ray Ellington, British singer (d. 1985)
• 1919 –
  Nat King Cole, American singer (d. 1965)
• 1945 –
  Michael Hayden, American Air Force General, CIA director
• 1976 –
  Álvaro Recoba, Uruguayan footballer
• 1978 –
  Adam Jennings, British actor, producer and director
• 1990 –
  Saina Nehwal, Indian badminton player

Who died on March 17?

• 1640 –
  Philip Massinger, English dramatist (b. 1583)
• 1704 –
  Menno van Coehoorn, Dutch military engineer (b. 1641)
• 1715 –
  Gilbert Burnet, Scottish Bishop of Salisbury (b. 1643)
• 1956 –
  Irene Joliot-Curie, French physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1897)
• 1961 –
  Susanna M. Salter, American politician (b. 1860)
• 1983 –
  Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1903)
• 1988 –
  Nikolas Asimos, Greek counter-culture composer and singer (b. 1949)
• 1993 –
  Helen Hayes, American actress (b. 1900)
• 2007 –
  Jim Cronin, British animal welfare activist (b. 1951)
• 2009 –
  Clodovil Hernandes, Brazilian politician and TV host (b. 1937)