140 Fun Facts About March

How many days are there in March?

March is one of seven months with 31 days; it was also the first month of the year in the earliest Roman calendar.

March is named after the Roman god of what?

Mars gave his name to the month, and to the planet; his festival month opened the season for military campaigns.

In the earliest Roman calendar, which month was the first of the year?

That is why September, October, November and December have names meaning seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth.

March is the first month of which season in the Northern Hemisphere?

South of the equator, in places like Australia and Brazil, March is the first month of autumn instead.

What is the birth flower of March?

The daffodil is also the national flower of Wales, whose patron saint's day falls on 1 March.

Which pale blue gemstone is one of March's two birthstones?

The name comes from Latin for 'sea water'; the other March stone is bloodstone.

Finish the old weather saying: 'March comes in like a lion and goes out like a...'

The idea is that March starts with wintry storms and ends with gentle spring weather.

On what date is Saint Patrick's Day?

It is the traditional date of Saint Patrick's death and is a public holiday in Ireland.

Saint Patrick is the patron saint of which country?

Legend says he used a three-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity, which is why people wear shamrocks on his day.

What colour do people traditionally wear on Saint Patrick's Day?

Since 2010 more than 300 landmarks in fifty countries, from the Sydney Opera House up, have been lit green for the day.

Which American city dyes its river green every year for Saint Patrick's Day?

The tradition started by accident in 1961 when plumbers used dye to trace pollution and noticed how green the water turned.

Which small three-leaved plant is a symbol of the Irish and Saint Patrick's Day?

The word comes from the Irish for 'young clover'.

According to Irish folklore, a leprechaun hides a pot of gold where?

Leprechauns are usually described as tiny solitary shoemakers who love practical jokes.

Where was Saint Patrick born, before pirates carried him off as a teenage slave?

He was captured at 16 and spent six years as a slave before escaping, later returning to Ireland as a missionary.

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 because 3, 1 and 4 are the first digits of which number?

It was started in 1988 at the Exploratorium science museum in San Francisco, and people mark it by eating pie.

Which famous scientist was born on Pi Day, March 14, 1879?

He was born in Ulm, in what was then the German Empire.

The day in this month when day and night are about equal usually falls on which date?

It can drift to the 19th or 21st; the next March 19 equinox comes in 2044.

Nowruz, the Persian New Year celebrated for over 3,000 years, is timed to which event?

It usually falls between March 19 and 22 and is marked with fire and water rituals, gifts and poetry.

Holi, the Hindu festival that usually falls in March, is famous for people throwing what at each other?

It celebrates spring, love and the victory of good over evil, and lasts a night and a day.

In the United States, clocks go forward for daylight saving time on which day of March?

Arizona and Hawaii skip the change entirely; the clocks go back on the first Sunday in November.

Which president first proclaimed a National Women's History Week, in 1980?

It grew from a 1978 school-district celebration in Sonoma County, California, and became a full month in 1987.

International Women's Day is celebrated on which date?

The idea was proposed by Clara Zetkin at a 1910 socialist women's conference in Copenhagen; the UN adopted it in 1977.

Read Across America Day, on March 2, marks the birthday of which children's author?

Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1904 and wrote more than 60 books.

'The Ides of March' is famous as the date in 44 BC when which Roman leader was assassinated?

The Ides fell on the 15th in March; senators led by Brutus and Cassius stabbed him at a Senate meeting.

March Madness is the nickname of the national championship tournament in which college sport?

The men's tournament began in 1939, when Oregon won; tens of millions of Americans now fill out brackets every year.

The world's first national park was created on March 1, 1872. Which park?

President Ulysses S. Grant signed the law; the park is famous for its geysers, including Old Faithful.

Which planet did William Herschel discover on March 13, 1781, the first found with a telescope?

He spotted it from his garden in Bath, England, and at first reported it as a comet.

Alexander Graham Bell received the first U.S. patent for which invention on March 7, 1876?

Bell later refused to keep a telephone in his study, calling it an intrusion on his real scientific work.

The Barbie doll made its debut at the New York Toy Fair on March 9 of which year?

March 9 is still celebrated as Barbie's official birthday; the first doll wore a black-and-white striped swimsuit.

The first Oreo cookie was sold on March 6, 1912, to a grocer in which state?

Oreo was actually a copy of an earlier cookie called Hydrox, but it became so popular that people now assume Hydrox copied Oreo.

In which city did Juliette Gordon Low hold the first Girl Scout troop meeting on March 12, 1912?

Low had met Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, the year before.

Which volunteer programme did President Kennedy create by executive order in March 1961?

Congress made it permanent that September with the Peace Corps Act.

The Battle of the Alamo ended on March 6, 1836, during which fight for independence?

After a 13-day siege, Santa Anna's army overwhelmed roughly 200 defenders including James Bowie and William Travis.

The Boston Massacre, in which British soldiers killed five colonists, happened on March 5 of which year?

Samuel Adams and Paul Revere spread the word of the 'massacre', helping push the colonies toward revolution.

Earth Hour is usually held on the last Saturday of which month?

It began as a lights-off event in Sydney in 2007 and runs from 8:30 to 9:30 pm local time.

World Water Day, a United Nations observance about fresh water, falls on which date this month?

The UN releases its World Water Development Report around the same day each year.

Which painter, famous for 'The Starry Night' and sunflowers, was born on March 30, 1853?

He was born in Zundert in the Netherlands and named after a brother who had been stillborn exactly a year earlier.

Which famous escape artist was born Erik Weisz in Budapest on March 24, 1874?

He was also a keen aviator and became the first person to fly a powered aircraft in Australia.

People born in late March, from about the 21st onward, have which zodiac sign?

Aries begins at the spring equinox and is the first sign of the zodiac; earlier March birthdays are Pisces.

People born in the first weeks of March fall under which zodiac sign, symbolised by two fish?

It is the twelfth and final sign, running from about February 19 to March 20.

The Eiffel Tower opened in Paris on March 31 of which year, as the centrepiece of a World's Fair?

It was the world's tallest human-made structure for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building topped it in 1930.

An old Saxon name for March was 'Lentmonat', which gave its name to what Christian season?

The name refers to the lengthening days around the equinox.

Which dark green stone flecked with red is March's second birthstone?

It sits alongside the better-known aquamarine.

On the Roman calendar, the Ides of March fell on which date?

The Ides of each month were sacred to Jupiter, not Mars.

Mothering Sunday in the UK falls on which Sunday of Lent?

It coincides with Laetare Sunday, a day of respite from fasting.

Saint David's Day on 1 March honours the patron saint of which nation?

Revellers wear leeks and daffodils, both symbols of the saint.

Saint Joseph's Day, Father's Day in several Catholic countries, falls on which date this month?

Portugal and Croatia mark it as Father's Day too.

Hinamatsuri, celebrated in Japan on 3 March, is also known as what?

Families display ornamental dolls of the Heian-period imperial court.

On White Day, 14 March, who gives gifts in Japan?

It reciprocates the gifts women gave on Valentine's Day a month earlier.

In which year did White Day begin in Japan?

It has since spread to China, Taiwan and South Korea.

The Jewish festival of Purim celebrates the foiling of whose plot?

Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai saved the Jews of Persia.

Commonwealth Day is held on which day in March?

It grew out of Empire Day and took its current date in 1977.

How many people were killed in the Sharpeville massacre of 21 March 1960?

South Africa now marks the date as Human Rights Day.

Gandhi's Salt March, which began on 12 March 1930, ended at which coastal village?

The 24-day walk covered about 240 miles from Sabarmati Ashram.

How many days did the Salt March last?

It ran from 12 March to 6 April 1930.

The 1965 Selma marches covered how many miles to Montgomery?

They helped secure passage of the Voting Rights Act that year.

Nazi Germany annexed which country on 12 March 1938 in the Anschluss?

The 1919 peace treaties had expressly forbidden such a union.

Which Soviet leader died on 5 March 1953 after a stroke?

He died at his Kuntsevo dacha at the age of 74.

The Exxon Valdez ran aground on 24 March 1989 in which body of water?

It struck Bligh Reef and spilled about 10.8 million gallons of oil.

The Three Mile Island nuclear accident of 28 March 1979 happened in which US state?

Unit 2 suffered a partial meltdown near Harrisburg.

The 27 March 1964 Alaska quake, North America's strongest, is also known by what name?

At magnitude 9.2, it remains North America's most powerful recorded quake.

The 11 March 2011 Japanese tsunami triggered a disaster at which nuclear plant?

Three of its reactors melted down after the tsunami.

How many people died in the 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings?

The attacks came three days before Spain's general election.

Who made the first spacewalk on 18 March 1965?

He left Voskhod 2 through an inflatable airlock for 12 minutes.

Which social platform was created in March 2006 under the working name 'twttr'?

Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone and Evan Williams built it.

Which Pink Floyd album was released in the US on 1 March 1973?

Engineer Alan Parsons recruited singer Clare Torry for 'The Great Gig in the Sky'.

The Beatles' debut album, released on 22 March 1963, was called what?

They recorded it in a single day at EMI Studios.

Renaissance master Michelangelo was born on 6 March 1475 in which Tuscan town?

He sculpted both the Pietà and David before turning 30.

Which Polish composer, born 1 March 1810, settled in Paris at 21?

He wrote primarily for solo piano and died in Paris aged 39.

Antonio Vivaldi, born in Venice on 4 March 1678, is best known for which set of concertos?

He wrote much of his music for an all-female ensemble at the Ospedale della Pietà.

Which singer, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947, grew up in Pinner?

He left grammar school at 17 to pursue music.

The Iditarod sled dog race, held each March, runs from Anchorage to which town?

The race began in 1973 as a test of the best mushers and teams.

Which university won the first NCAA men's basketball tournament in 1939?

The event, now branded March Madness, expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

Which nation joined rugby's Five Nations in 2000 to make it the Six Nations?

Only Italy and Scotland have failed to win the title since.

Which race is the highlight of March's Cheltenham Festival?

It was established in 1924, originally as a supporting race for the County Hurdle.

Where was the Texas Declaration of Independence adopted on 2 March 1836?

It declared Texas independent from Mexico during the Texas Revolution.

Maine became the 23rd state on 15 March 1820 under which agreement?

It had formally seceded from Massachusetts.

Florida became the 27th state on 3 March 1845, one day before which president left office?

Florida was admitted as a slave state and no longer a sanctuary for runaway slaves.

Nebraska became the 37th state on 1 March 1867 and moved its capital to which city?

Lancaster was renamed after the recently assassinated president.

Vermont joined the Union in 1791 as which numbered state?

New York had to consent first because it claimed Vermont as its own.

Greece celebrates its Independence Day on 25 March, the feast of what?

The 1821 uprising against the Ottomans was planned for that date.

Which UN body declared 21 March World Poetry Day in 1999?

The aim was to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression.

Why is World Down Syndrome Day held on 21 March?

People mark it by wearing colourful mismatched socks, which are shaped a little like chromosomes.

World Wildlife Day, 3 March, commemorates the 1973 signing of which convention?

The UN General Assembly declared the day in December 2013.

World Theatre Day is celebrated on which March date?

The International Theatre Institute initiated it in the early 1960s.

The March Hare appears at a tea party in which 1865 book?

The phrase 'mad as a March hare' appears in a proverb collection from 1546.

What is the March Hare called in Through the Looking-Glass?

The name is a play on the pronunciation of 'hare'.

In Roman myth, Mars fathered which twin founders of Rome?

Their mother was Rhea Silvia.

Which Greek god was Mars identified with under Greek influence?

Unlike Ares, Mars was seen as securing peace through military power.

The Chinese Red Army's Long March of 1934-35 ended in which province?

About 100,000 troops set out from the Jiangxi Soviet for the new base at Yan'an.

Which entertainer coined the name 'March of Dimes' as a pun on a newsreel series?

The charity was founded by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938 to fight polio.

The March sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy appear in which novel?

Louisa May Alcott followed it with Little Men and Jo's Boys.

Which composer is known as 'The March King'?

He directed the United States Marine Band for 12 years from 1880.

Which Sousa piece has been the official National March of the United States since 1987?

It was first performed at the Philadelphia Academy of Music in 1897.

Which Sousa march is the official march of the US Marine Corps?

Sousa's father had enlisted him in the Marine Band as an apprentice in 1868.

The 2005 documentary March of the Penguins follows which species in Antarctica?

Luc Jacquet's film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Sherman's March to the Sea ended with the capture of which port on 21 December 1864?

The campaign began in Atlanta on 15 November.

The 1936 Jarrow March protested the closure of which industry in the town?

Around 200 'Crusaders' walked from Jarrow to London with a petition.

Actor Fredric March won his first Oscar for which 1931 film?

His second came for The Best Years of Our Lives in 1946.

MLB spring training is split between Florida and which other state?

Every team owns or leases a spring ballpark separate from its regular stadium.

How many teams filled the men's March Madness bracket each year from 2011 to 2025?

The field grew from 64 to 65 in 2001 and to 68 in 2011; the women's tournament has also selected 68 since 2022.

Which revolutionary group planned the March 1881 assassination of Tsar Alexander II?

A second bomb, thrown by Ignacy Hryniewiecki, proved fatal.

Which Canadian pop star was born on 1 March 1994?

He was born in London, Ontario.

Stefani Germanotta, born 28 March 1986 in Manhattan, performs under what name?

She was born at Lenox Hill Hospital.

Bruce Willis, born 19 March 1955, was born in which country?

His father was an American soldier stationed in Idar-Oberstein.

What is the birth name of actor Michael Caine, born 14 March 1933?

He is known for his distinctive Cockney accent.

Lawman Wyatt Earp was born on 19 March 1848 in which town?

He was the fourth child of Nicholas Porter Earp and Virginia Ann Cooksey.

How many Grammy Awards did producer Quincy Jones, born 14 March 1933, win?

He was also nominated for seven Academy Awards.

Composer Maurice Ravel, born 7 March 1875, is best known for which repetitive 1928 work?

He was born in the Basque town of Ciboure near Biarritz.

Reese Witherspoon, born 22 March 1976, won her Oscar for playing whom?

The role was in the 2005 musical biopic Walk the Line.

Steve McQueen, born 24 March 1930, raced under what alias?

He was nicknamed the 'King of Cool'.

Bangladesh celebrates its independence from which country on 26 March?

Independence was declared in the early hours of 26 March 1971.

Which was the first sub-Saharan African country to win independence, on 6 March 1957?

Kwame Nkrumah declared the country 'free forever'.

The 2003 invasion of Iraq began on 20 March with an airstrike on what?

Baghdad fell to coalition forces on 9 April.

What traditional name did Jonathan Carver record for the first full moon after the March equinox?

The names ran Worm, Plants, Flowers, Hot, Buck, Sturgeon and so on.

Which New Zealand entomologist made the first realistic proposal for daylight saving in 1895?

He suggested shifting clocks by two hours every spring.

Which two US states do not observe daylight saving time?

The Navajo Nation is the exception inside the second of those states.

Which 8th-century writer is the source for the Anglo-Saxon goddess Ēostre?

She is mentioned in his work The Reckoning of Time.

The Persian new year Nowruz has its roots in which religion?

It remains a holy day for Zoroastrians, Baháʼís and Ismaili Shia Muslims.

What is the Saxon origin of the old name for March, 'Lentmonat'?

The Saxons also called the month Hreth-monath after a goddess.

The blizzard of 11-14 March 1888, the deadliest in US history, was nicknamed what?

Snowdrifts topped 50 feet in parts of the northeastern US.

How many garment workers died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 25 March 1911?

Locked stairwell doors trapped many workers on the upper floors.

Until 1752, England began its new year on which March date, known as Lady Day?

It was one of the traditional English quarter days.

Saint Piran's Day, 5 March, is the national day of which region?

Saint Piran is also the patron saint of tin miners.

Casimir Pulaski Day, on the first Monday of March, is an official holiday in which state?

It honours a Polish-born cavalry officer of the American Revolution.

The International Day of Happiness falls on which March date?

The UN General Assembly established it in June 2012.

The 23 March observance for weather science marks the 1950 founding of which UN body?

The first World Meteorological Day was held in 1961.

World Tuberculosis Day, 24 March, marks whose 1882 announcement of the TB bacillus?

He revealed the discovery to scientists at the University of Berlin.

Earth Hour began in 2007 as a lights-off event in which city?

The WWF organises it, usually on the last Saturday of March.

The Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race, often held in late March, runs between which two points on the Thames?

The 4.2-mile course is over three times the length of an Olympic race.

What is the spot where the Sun crosses the celestial equator northward at the March equinox called?

In the Southern Hemisphere the March equinox is the autumnal equinox.

The Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament is held on a weekend in which part of the year?

It is considered the premier tournament of the World Rugby Sevens Series.

Which Julie Andrews musical, released in March 1965, is set in Salzburg?

It retells Maria von Trapp's story, ending with the family's escape during the Anschluss.

Uncle Tom's Cabin, published in 1852, was the century's best-selling US book after which title?

Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel is said to have helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War.

Which Spanish city's Fallas festival, with five main days from 15 to 19 March, ends in the burning of giant monuments?

A daily firecracker spectacle called the Mascletà runs from 1 March, and the festival joined UNESCO's intangible heritage list in 2016.

At the Fallas, what is the ninot indultat?

Since 1934 each falla has entered one figure in a popular-vote competition; the winner goes to the Museo Fallero instead of the flames.

Pakistan Day on 23 March commemorates the 1940 Lahore Resolution and the 1956 adoption of what?

The 1956 constitution turned the country from a dominion into a republic; the day is marked with a military parade.

On Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence that usually falls in March, what happens to Bali's only airport?

Even tourists must stay off beaches and streets, and only the pecalang, traditional security men, patrol outdoors.

Canberra Day, the second Monday of March, marks the city's naming on 12 March 1913 by whom?

She was the wife of the then governor-general Lord Denman; the holiday moved from the third to the second Monday in 2007.

Tibetan Uprising Day on 10 March commemorates the uprising of which year?

The 14th Dalai Lama escaped disguised as a soldier on 19 March that year and went into exile in India.