As the third month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, March has an interesting history. The name ‘March’ derives from Martius, which was the first month of the original Roman calendar. Martius was so named because it was in honor of the Roman god of war, Mars, and it was believed that Martius was the beginning of the season for warfare. March remained the first month of the year up until 153 BC because January and February followed December as the 11th and 12th months.
Because the season of spring begins on 1 March and the vernal equinox falls on 20 March, this month is symbolic of renewal and rebirth – in history, many cultures in the northern hemisphere, including North America, Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa regarded the month of March as the beginning of a New Year. Conversely, 1 March marks the beginning of autumn for regions in the southern hemisphere, including South America, parts of Africa, and Oceania, with the autumnal equinox falling on 20 March.
If you were to look up at the night sky in the month of March, you’d see the constellations of Pisces and Aries. In the first half of March, people living in the southern hemisphere can enjoy the Theta Centaurids meteor shower, while Eta Virginids and Pi Virginids meteor showers also reach their peak.
There are a number of religious observances that take place in March. For Christians, many of the observances in March are related to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. These include Transfiguration Sunday, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. For followers of Judaism, Purim is observed in March, but as it follows the lunar calendar, this changes from year to year. For Wiccans and Pagans, Ostara and Mabon are celebrated to mark the spring and autumnal equinoxes, respectively. 09 March, Ramadan, an Islamic religious annual observance of the holy month of fasting. Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to Christian history, Jesus was crucified on a Friday and rose three days later on Sunday. Easter is held on the first Sunday after the full moon in March.
In history, one of the most famous events from ancient times was the assassination of Emperor Julius Caesar by Brutus and other conspiring senators. It is now known as the Ides of March. Events that helped shape America also took place in March. Starting in the 18th century. The beginning of the American Revolution occurred due to a number of events between the US and Britain. One of these was the passing of The Stamp Act in 1765. On 5 March 1770, the Boston Massacre occurred in which five protesting Americans were shot and killed by British soldiers. This heightened tensions that would ultimately lead to the Revolutionary War (1775-1783). Early on in the Revolutionary War, in March 1776, the Patriots were successful in laying siege to Boston, forcing British troops to evacuate the region. The event is still commemorated today as Evacuation Day.
Come 1781, the US ratified the Articles of Confederation which declared that Congress was the only governing body of the new American government that presided over the original 13 colonies. It would remain in effect throughout the Revolutionary War and until the US Constitution was adopted. In 1789, once America had gained its independence and the Constitution was in effect, the first meeting of the new Congress took place in New York City.
Fast-forward into the 20th century, America continued to experience history-making events: In the early 1900s, women’s suffrage in America was gaining momentum and, in 1913, a 5,000-strong suffrage march took place in Washington D.C. in 1913 just days before Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration. Soldiers were deployed to bring order to the angry demonstrators and it was Wilson who would eventually grant the vote to women.
In March 1974, Nixon was implicated in the Watergate Scandal, which would ultimately lead to his resignation.
Moving further afield to world affairs, in March 1941, America and Britain entered into a Lend-Lease programme, which allowed Britain to receive American weapons, machines, raw materials, training, and repair services. Ships, planes, guns, and shells, along with food, clothing, and metals went to the stricken nation, which helped bolster the fight against the Nazis and Axis Powers. An initial sum of aid was proposed at $7 billion, but the final figure reached an astronomical $50 billion distributed to the Allies. 1917 The Russian Revolution War started.
Notable days in March include: International Women’s Day (8 March), St. Patrick’s Day (17 March), Palm Sunday (24 March)
Notable figures born in March include: Alexander Graham Bell (1847), Michelangelo (1475), Amerigo Vespucci (1451), Yuri Gagarin (1934), Albert Einstein (1879), Andrew Jackson (1767), James Madison (1751), William Bradford (1589), Johann Sebastian Bach (1685), Harry Houdini (1874), Vincent Van Gogh (1853), Gabriela Silang (1731), Elijah Harper (1949), Jane Fawcett (1921), Luther Burbank (1849), Nicéphore Niépce (1765), William Buckland (1784), Wally Schirra (1923), Abigail Fillmore (1798), Emily Murphy (1868), Matthew Flinders (1774), Gottlieb Daimler (1834), Grover Cleveland (1837), Agnes Macphail (1890), John Tyler (1790)
Notable deaths in the month of March include: William R. Pogue (2014), Susan B. Anthony (1906), Julius Caesar (44 B.C.), Dwight D. Eisenhower (1969)