From the birth of famous scientists and artists to the legalisation of same-sex marriage in England and Wales, March has seen a range of significant historic events.
Without further ado, here are 22 historic events that happened in March.
22 historic events that happened in March
3rd March, 1985
During Margaret Thatcher’s government, miners’ leaders voted to end the longest running industrial dispute in Britain and return to work after their unsuccessful year-long strike.
The final vote by the National Union of Mineworkers was close: 98 to 91 for a return to work.
The strike had politicised many mining families and encouraged them to explore other avenues. So while many former miners faced unemployment after the strike, others went back to college and requalified for new professions.
5th March, 1770
A deadly riot known as The Boston Massacre broke out in Boston between American colonists and British soldiers, resulting in the death of five colonists.
The conflict was the result of mounting tensions in Boston in early 1770, as 2,000 British soldiers occupied the city of 16,000 colonists and tried to impose Britain’s tax laws.
The conflict boosted anti-British sentiment and paved the way for the beginning of the American Revolution.
5th March, 1936
The British fighter plane, the Spitfire, made its first test flight from Eastleigh in Southampton, which lasted eight minutes.
The aircraft was powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and entered the Royal Air Force service within the next two years.
6th March, 1475
Michelangelo was born in Caprese, Italy. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and visionary who’s best known for his work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the Pieta (1498).
Michelangelo worked up until his death in 1564, aged 88. Today, he’s regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time; as renowned in the visual arts as Beethoven is in music, or William Shakespeare in literature.
7th March, 1876
Twenty-nine-year-old Scottish-born inventor Alexander Graham Bell patented his revolutionary new invention: the telephone.
A few days later, on 10th March 1876, Bell made his first telephone call.
8th March, 1702
Anne Stuart became Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland at age 37 after William III died in a riding accident where he was thrown from his horse.
Queen Anne was the last of the Stuart monarchs and was succeeded by her second cousin George I, of the House of Hanover.
Though Anne fell pregnant at least 18 times, tragically, 13 of these pregnancies resulted in miscarriage or stillbirth. And, of her remaining five children, four died before reaching the age of two – and her only son to survive infancy, William, Duke of Gloucester, died at the age of 11.
8th March, 1911
International Women’s Day took place for the first time – marking a global celebration of women’s economic, social, and political achievements. It also marked a call to action for increased gender equality in all areas.
The global day was born from the unrest and debate occurring amongst women in the early 1900s – encouraging them to be more vocal and campaign for change.
Purple and green are the colours for International Women’s Day. Purple signifies justice and dignity and green symbolises hope. Originally, white was also included to represent purity, however today this is somewhat controversial.
12th March, 1999
Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic became full members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) less than 10 years after moving from communist rule to democracy and ending their Cold War military alliances with Soviet Russia.
NATO was originally formed with 12 founding members in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1949. Its purpose was to secure peace in Europe and guard members’ freedom.
Today, after eight rounds of expansion, 30 countries are members of NATO.
13th March, 1943
German army officers’ plot to kill Adolf Hitler failed after the bomb aboard his plane didn’t explode due to a defective detonator.
This was the second attempt to assassinate Hitler in just one week.
13th March, 2014
Legalisation to allow same-sex marriage in England and Wales took effect. The initial bill had been passed in UK Parliament in July 2013.
The first same-sex marriages took place on 29 March 2014.
14th March, 1879
Albert Einstein – acknowledged as one of the greatest physicists of all time – was born in Ulm, Germany.
Best known for developing the theory of relativity, Einstein’s work led to new ways of thinking about space, time, and energy. He also made important contributions to developing the theory of quantum mechanics.
After becoming a world-renowned public figure, Einstein also became increasingly political and took up the Zionist cause. This made him highly unpopular in his native Germany. After Nazi leader Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933, Einstein gave up his German citizenship and moved to America.
15th March, 44 BC
Julius Caesar, a dictator of the Roman Republic, was stabbed to death by a group of Roman senators at a senate meeting.
Immensely popular with the people of Rome, Caesar was a successful military leader who significantly expanded the Republic. But, after being handed the status of dictator for life in 44 BC, Roman senators became resentful of his popularity and power, and murdered him.
Caesar’s death ultimately had the opposite effect the senators had hoped for. It led to a long series of civil wars that brought about the end of the Roman Republic and the birth of the Roman Empire.
21st March, 1556
England’s first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer was burnt at the stake as a heretic under Catholic Queen Mary I – also known as ‘Bloody Mary’.
In an effort to save himself, Cranmer recanted – fully accepting Catholic theology – which should’ve been the end to his imprisonment. Tragically, his recantations were for nothing as Queen Mary still sent him to execution.
21st March, 1965
Following the attack of hundreds of civil rights activists protesting the denial of African American voting rights on 7th March 1965, Martin Luther King led a five-day, 54-mile march for the same cause. Demonstrators travelled from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital Montgomery.
The march began with 3,300 participants, growing to 25,000 by the time it reached the Alabama capital four days later.
After the protest, President Lydon Johnson proposed the Voting Rights Act to Congress, which would guarantee African Americans the right to vote throughout southern states. The act was finally signed into law in August.
22nd March, 1824
The British Parliament voted to purchase a collection of paintings for £57,000 to establish a national collection of art. This marked the founding of the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, London.
Today, the National Gallery houses a collection of over 2,300 works by around 750 artists dating from the mid-13th to the early-20th centuries.
22nd March, 1972
The Equal Rights Amendment to the US Constitution was passed by the US senate and sent to the states for ratification.
The amendment was originally proposed in 1923 by the National Women’s Party (NWP) to provide legal equality for men and women and ban any discrimination on the basis of sex.
More than four decades later in the 1960s, the revival of feminism led to the amendment’s introduction into Congress.
24th March, 1603
The crowns of England and Scotland were united when King James VI of Scotland succeeded the English throne, following the death of Queen Elizabeth I.
Wanting union between the two kingdoms, in 1606, James gave orders for a British flag to be created which had the combined crosses of St George and St Andrew.
The result was the Union Jack – Jack being a shortened version of Jacobus, the Latin version of James.
25th March, 1807
William Wilberforce’s bill to end Britain’s role in slave trading was given Royal Assent, after many years of campaigning.
A month earlier on 23rd February, the bill had been passed in the British Parliament to a standing ovation. The debate lasted 10 hours, with the House finally voting in favour of the bill by 283 votes to 16.
These events led to the final publication of the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833, which gave all slaves in the British Empire their freedom. William Wilberforce is remembered as the leader of the British abolition campaign.
27th March, 1871
The first international rugby match was held at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh as Scotland took on England in front of a crowd of 4,000.
The match sparked the interest of the entire country at a time when sports were gaining popularity in Victorian society.
Becoming a regular fixture, the international match returned at Kennington Oval in London the following year. These events directly led to the creation of the Rugby Football Union (rugby’s first governing body) in October 1871.
30th March, 1853
On this day, Vincent Van Gogh was born in Groot Zundert, Holland. At the age of 27, Van Gogh decided to become an artist.
Moving to Paris in 1886, under the influence of Impressionism, Van Gogh’s style changed significantly – with his work becoming much lighter and brighter, and lending way to his trademark style. Van Gogh’s most famous works include his series ‘Sunflowers’ and his painting ‘The Starry Night’.
Believed to be suffering from depression, the artist tragically committed suicide in 1890.
30th March, 1856
The Crimean war between Russia and Europe was brought to an end by the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
The war, which had begun in 1853, lasted 18 months and had caused a huge loss of life.
31st March, 1855
Charlotte Brontë, one of the most famous Victorian authors and a talented poet, died.
Brontë was best known for her novel Jane Eyre (1847), which continues to be her most popular.
Final thoughts…
For more history-related articles, head over to the art and culture section of our website. Here, you’ll find everything from cultural pit stops, to unmissable history films and book recommendations.
We also have a range of upcoming history talks and events over on Rest Less Events. This includes a series on music through the ages and a journey through London’s Georgian, Regency, Victorian, and Edwardian eras.
What’s your favourite period of history, and why? Which historic events and figures fascinate you the most? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.