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 76th day of the year 2023 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 289 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is March 4, 2023 – a Friday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 466,392 hours 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.
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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 330 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 3,738 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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March 17 Historical Events
- 180 –Marcus Aurelius dies leaving Commodus the sole emperor of the Roman Empire.
- 1842 –The Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is formed;
- 1861 –The Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946) is proclaimed.
- 1941 –In Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- 1942 –Holocaust: The first Jews from the Lvov Ghetto are gassed at the Belzec death camp in what is today eastern Poland.
- 1950 –Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name “Californium”.
- 1957 –A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines kills Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.
- 1985 –Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the “Night Stalker”, commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles, California murder spree.
- 1988 –Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People’s Liberation Front in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.
- 1992 –A referendum to end apartheid in South Africa is passed 68.7% to 31.2%.
Who were born on March 17?
- 1725 –Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-born American military and political leader (d. 1806)
- 1777 –Patrick Bronte, Anglo-Irish writer, curate, and father of the Bronte sisters
- 1894 –Paul Green, American writer (d. 1981)
- 1907 –Sonny Werblin, American football franchise owner (d. 1991)
- 1944 –Cito Gaston, American baseball player and manager
- 1951 –Craig Ramsay, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1963 –Nick Peros, Canadian composer
- 1973 –Vance Wilson, American baseball player
- 1976 –Stephen Gately, Irish singer, musician, and actor (Boyzone) (d. 2009)
- 1979 –Sharman Joshi, Indian actor
Who died on March 17?
- 180 –Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (b. 121)
- 1040 –Harold Harefoot, King of England
- 1649 –Gabriel Lallemant, French Jesuit missionary, one of the Canadian Martyrs (b. 1610)
- 1994 –Mai Zetterling, Swedish actress and director (b. 1925)
- 1995 –Ronald “Ronnie” Kray, British gangster (b. 1933)
- 2003 –Su Buqing, Chinese mathematician and educator (b. 1902)
- 2004 –J.J. Jackson, American television personality (b. 1941)
- 2006 –Bob Blue, American singer/songwriter (b. 1948)
- 2006 –Oleg Cassini, American fashion designer (b. 1913)
- 2009 –Clodovil Hernandes, Brazilian politician and TV host (b. 1937)
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