March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). There are 288 days remaining.

Events

up to 19th century

• 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius' will and proclaims Caligula emperor.
• 1229 - Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor declares himself King of Jerusalem during the Sixth Crusade.
• 1438 - Albert II of Habsburg becomes King of Germany.
• 1673 - John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton sells his part of New Jersey to the Quakers.
• 1766 - American Revolution: The British Parliament repeals the Stamp Act, which was very unpopular in the British colonies.
• 1850 - American Express is founded by Henry Wells & William Fargo.
• 1865 - American Civil War: The Congress of the Confederate States of America adjourns for the last time.
• 1874 - Hawaii signs a treaty with the United States granting exclusive trading rights.

20th century

1900s-1940s

• 1909 - Einar Dessau uses a short-wave radio transmitter becoming the first to broadcast as a ham radio operator.
• 1913 - George I of Greece is assassinated.
• 1915 - World War I: Three battleships sunk during failed French naval attack on the Dardanelles.
• 1921 - The second Peace of Riga between Poland and Soviet Union. Despite the recent Polish successes, Soviets annex Ukraine and Belarus. Government of Ukraine emigrates to France. Famine kills millions of Russians.
• 1922 - In India, Mohandas Gandhi is sentenced to six years in prison for civil disobedience. He would serve only 2 years.
• 1925 - The Tri-State Tornado occurred and hit in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana and killed 695 people.
• 1937 - A natural gas explosion at a school in New London, Texas kills 298 (most are children).
• 1937 - Spanish Civil War: Italian forces a grave defeat at the Battle of Guadalajara.
• 1938 - Mexico nationalizes all foreign-owned oil properties within its borders.
• 1940 - World War II: Axis powers - Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini meet at Brenner Pass in the Alps and agree to form an alliance against France and the United Kingdom.
• 1945 - World War II: 1,250 American bombers attack Berlin.

1950s-1990s

• 1953 - An earthquake hits western Turkey killing 250.
• 1959 - American President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs bill allowing for Hawaiian statehood, which would become official on August 21.
• 1961 - In Cannes, France, Jean-Claude Pascal wins the sixth Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg singing "Nous les amoureux" (We the lovers).
• 1962 - France and Algeria sign an agreement ending the Algerian War.
• 1962 - In Luxembourg, France singing "Un premier amour" (A first love).
• 1965 - Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov, leaving his spacecraft Voskhod 2 for 12 minutes, becomes the first person to walk in space.
• 1968 - Gold standard: The U.S. Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve to back US currency.
• 1970 - Lon Nol ousts Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia.
• 1971 - A landslide at Chungar, Peru crashes into Lake Yanahuani killing 200.
• 1974 - Oil embargo crisis: Most OPEC nations end a five-month oil embargo against the United States, Japan.
• 1980 - In Russia, a Vostok rocket explodes on its launch pad during a fueling operation killing 50.
• 1989 - In Egypt, a 4,400-year-old mummy is found in the Pyramid of Cheops.
• 1990 - 12 paintings, collectively worth $100 million, are stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. This is the largest art theft in US history.
• 1992 - Microsoft ships Windows 3.1.
• 1996 - In Oslo, Norway, Eimear Quinn wins the forty-first Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland singing "The Voice".
• 1997 - The tail of a Russian An-24 charter plane breaks off while en-route to Turkey causing the plane to crash killing all 50 on board and later the grounding of all An-24s.

21st century

• 2000 - 2000 Taiwanese presidential election: Chen Shui-bian is elected President of the Republic of China.

Births

up to 19th century

• 1782 - John Calhoun, Vice President of the United States (d. 1850)
• 1837 - Grover Cleveland, President of the United States (d. 1908)
• 1840 - William Cosmo Monkhouse, poet, critic (d. 1901)
• 1844 - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, composer (d. 1908)
• 1858 - Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the compression ignition engine (d. 1913)
• 1869 - Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1940)
• 1872 - Anna Held, actress & singer, (d. 1918)
• 1877 - Edgar Cayce, psychic (d. 1945)
• 1882 - Gian Francesco Malipiero, composer
• 1886 - Edward Everett Horton, actor (d. 1970)
• 1899 - Jean Goldkette, jazz musician (d. 1962)

20th century

• 1903 - O. E. Plauen, illustrator and cartoonist (d. 1944)
• 1904 - Srečko Kosovel, Slovenian poet (d. 1926)
• 1905 - Thomas Townsend Brown, scientist (d. 1985)
• 1905 - Robert Donat, actor (d. 1958)
• 1910 - Chiang Ching-kuo, President of the Republic of China (d. 1988)
• 1918 - Al Benton, Major League Baseball player (d. 1968)
• 1922 - Egon Bahr, politician
• 1926 - Peter Graves, actor
• 1927 - George Plimpton, writer (d. 2003)
• 1932 - John Updike, author
• 1936 - South African politician
• 1938 - Charley Pride, country musician
• 1941 - Wilson Pickett, singer
• 1949 - Alex Higgins, North Irish snooker player
• 1950 - Brad Dourif, actor
• 1959 - Luc Besson, producer, writer, director
• 1960 - Richard Biggs, actor (Days of Our Lives, Babylon 5) (d. 2004)
• 1963 - Vanessa Williams, actress, singer, Miss America
• 1964 - Bonnie Blair, Olympic gold medalist in speed skating
• 1964 - Irene Cara, actress, singer
• 1970 - Queen Latifah, singer, actress
• 1973 - Max Barry, author
• 1980 - Alexei Yagudin, figure skater

Deaths

• 978 - King Edward the Martyr of England, (b. c. 962)
• 1227 - Pope Honorius III
• 1584 - Ivan IV of Russia
• 1745 - Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister of Britain, (b. 1676)
• 1835 - Christian Gunther von Bernstorff, Danish and Prussian statesman and diplomat, (b. 1769)
• 1947 - William C. Durant, automobile pioneer, founder of General Motors
• 1964 - Sigfrid Edström, Swedish sports official, (b. 1870)
• 1965 - King Farouk I of Egypt, (b. 1920)
• 1977 - Marien Ngouabi, President of the Republic of the Congo, (b. 1938)
• 1978 - Leigh Brackett, science fiction author, (b. 1915)
• 2001 - John Phillips, musician (The Mamas and the Papas), (b. 1935)
• 2002 - R.A. Lafferty , science fiction writer (b. 1914)
• 2003 - Adam Osborne, computer pioneer, (b. 1939)
• 2003 - Karl Kling, car racing driver
• 2003 - Alan Keith, BBC radio show host
• 2004 - Harrison McCain, Canadian Businessman

Holidays and observances

• Ancient Latvia - Bindus Diena

Recorded this date

• 1891 - "Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay" (w.m. Henry J. Sayers)
  - Holding's Parlour Orchestra
• 1912 - "I'm Afraid, Pretty Maid, I'm Afraid" (w.m. Irving Berlin)
  - Ada Jones & Walter Van Brunt
• 1913 - "Snookey Ookums" (w.m. Irving Berlin)
  - Collins & Harlan
• 1914 - "He's A Devil In His Own Home Town" (w. Grant Clarke & Irving Berlin m. Irving Berlin)
  - Eddie Morton
• 1915 - "By Heck" (w. L. Wolfe Gilbert m. S. R. Henry)
  - Will Robbins & Byron G. Harlan
• 1916 - "They Didn't Believe Me" (w. Herbert Reynolds m. Jerome Kern)
  - Grace Kerns & Reed Miller
• 1918 - "At The Jazz Band Ball" (w.m. Edwin B. Edwards, Nick LaRocca, Tony Spargo & Larry Shields)
  - Original Dixieland Jazz Band
• 1918 - "Ostrich Walk" (m. Edwin B. Edwards, Nick LaRocca, Tony Spargo & Larry Shields)
  - Original Dixieland Jazz Band
• 1920 - "Tower Warders Under Orders" (w. William S. Gilbert m. Arthur Sullivan)
  - Peter Dawson & chorus
• 1924 - "What'll I Do?" (w.m. Irving Berlin)
  - Paul Whiteman & his Orchestra
• 1924 - "Lazy" (w.m. Irving Berlin)
  - Paul Whiteman & his Orchestra
• 1925 - "No, No, Nanette" (w. Otto Harbach m. Vincent Youmans)
  - Binnie Hale with Palace Theatre Orchestra
• 1925 - "Tea For Two" (w. Irving Caesar m. Vincent Youmans)
  - Binnie Hale & Seymour Beard with Palace Theatre Orchestra
• 1925 - "I Want To Be Happy" (w. Irving Caesar m. Vincent Youmans)
  - Binnie Hale & Joseph Coyne with Palace Theatre Orchestra
• 1926 - "Valencia" (w. Lucien Jean Boyer & Jacques Charles (Fr) Clifford Grey (Eng) m. Jose Padilla)
  - Henri Leoni
• 1927 - "The Same Old Moon" (w. Bert Kalmar & Otto Harbach m. Harry Ruby)
  - Frank Munn with Carl Fenton
• 1929 - "I Kiss Your Hand, Madame" (w. (Eng) Sam M. Lewis & Joe Young (Ger) Fritz Rotter m. Ralph Erwin)
  - Ran Weeks with Leo Reisman & his Orchestra
• 1930 - "My Love Parade" (w. Clifford Grey m. Victor Schertzinger)
  - Harry Jacobson with Alfredo & his band
• 1932 - "Smoke Rings" (w. Ned Washington m. Gene Gifford)
  - Casa Loma Orchestra
• 1934 - "Alexander's Ragtime Band" (w.m. Irving Berlin)
  - Harry Roy & Bill Currie with Harry Roy & his Orchestra
• 1934 - "Build A Little Home" (w. Al Dubin m. Harry Warren)
  - Ivor Moreton with Harry Roy & his Orchestra
• 1937 - "Never In A Million Years" (w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel)
  - Alice Faye with O/Cy Feuer
• 1937 - "There's A Lull In My Life" (w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel)
  - Alice Faye with O/Cy Feuer
• 1937 - "Wake Up And Live" (w. Mack Gordon m. Harry Revel)
  - Alice Faye
• 1937 - "They All Laughed" (w. Ira Gershwin m. George Gershwi[[n)
  - Fred Astaire]] with O/Johnny Green
• 1940 - "I'm Looking For A Guy Who Plays Alto And Baritone And Doubles On A Clarinet And Wears A Size 37 Suit" (w.m. Ozzie Nelson)
  - Ozzie Nelson & Rose Ann Stevens with Ozzie Nelson & his Orchestra
• 1941 - "Aurora" (w. (Eng) Harold Adamson m. Mario Lago & Roberto Roberti)
  - Andrews Sisters
• 1942 - "There Are Rivers To Cross" (w. Stanley Adams m. Ray Henderson)
  - Kenny Baker
• 1946 - "Avocado" (w.m. Doris Fisher & Allan Roberts)
  - Andrews Sisters
• 1946 - "All That Glitters Is Not Gold" (w. Lee Kuhn m. Alice Cornett & Eddie Asherman)
  - Dinah Shore with O/Meredith Willson
• 1946 - "Come Rain Or Come Shine" (w. Johnny Mercer m. Harold Arlen)
  - Dinah Shore with O/Sonny Burke
• 1946 - "I Cover The Waterfront" (w. Edward Heyman m. John Green)
  - Ink Spots
• 1946 - "I Never Had A Dream Come True" (w.m. Doris Fisher & Allan Roberts)
  - Ink Spots
• 1946 - "Prisoner Of Love" (w. Leo Robin m. Russ Columbo & Clarence Gaskill)
  - Ink Spots
• 1949 - "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (w.m. Frank Loesser)
  - Margaret Whiting & Johnny Mercer with O/Paul Weston
• 1949 - "Everywhere You Go" (w.m. Larry Shay, Joe Goodwin & Mark Fisher)
  - Bing Crosby & Evelyn Knight w. Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires with O/Vic Schoen
• 1956 - "Walk Hand In Hand" (w.m. Johnny Cowell)
  - Tony Martin with O/Hugo Winterhalter
• 1960 - "Cathy's Clown" (w.m. Don Everly & Phil Everly)
  - Everly Brothers
• 1961 - "Black Is The Colour" (trad arr. Paul Weston)
  - Jo Stafford
• 1966 - "Pretty Flamingo" (w.m. Mark Barkan)
  - Manfred Mann
• 1969 - "Love Me Tonight" (w. (Eng) Barry Mason m. M. Panzeri)
  - Tom Jones with O/Johnnie Spence
• 1973 - "Liaisons" (w.m. Stephen Sondheim)
  - Hermione Gingold

• According to Donald Rumsfeld, the American war with Iraq began at 01:00 UTC March 20, 2003, not today.

March 17 - March 19 - February 18 - April 18 -- listing of all days