Events on Mar 15
- 0493Theodorik the Great beats Odoaker of Italy
- 0933Battle at Riade: German King Henry I beats Magyaren
- 1360France invasion army lands on English south coast, conquers Winchel
- 1382Conservative "Popolo Grasso" regain power in Florence Italy
- 1391Jew hating Monk in Seville Spain stirs up people to attack Jews
- 1493Christopher Columbus returns to Spain after 1st new world voyage
- 1560Failed assault on royal palace in Amboise France
- 1562General Francois de Guise enters Paris
- 1580Spanish King Philip II puts 25,000 gold coins on head of Prince Willem of Orange
- 1672King Charles II enacts Declaration of Indulgence
- 1729Sister St. Stanislas Hachard, 1st US nun, takes her vows, N Orleans
- 1744French King Louis XV declares war on England
- 1778Nootka Sound, Vancouver Is discovered by Captain Cook
- 1781Battle of Guilford Court House, SC (British suffer heavy losses)
- 18121st Russian settlement in California, Russian River
- 1820Maine admitted as 23rd state
- 1827University of Toronto is chartered
- 1855Louisiana establishes 1st health board to regulate quarantine
- 1862Gen John Hunt Morgan begins 4 days of raids near Gallatin, Tennessee
- 1864Red River Campaign-Union forces reach Alexandria, Louisiana
- 1867Michigan becomes 1st state to tax property to support a university
- 1869Cincinnati Red Stockings beat Antioch 41-7
- 1869Cincinnati Red Stockings become the 1st pro baseball team
- 18751st US Cardinal (John McCloskey) invested
- 18871st salaried fish and game warden (William Alden Smith in Michigan)
- 18896 US and German warships perish in harbor of Apia Samoa, 200 die
- 18921st escalator patented by inventor Jesse W Reno (NYC)
- 1892New York State unveils automatic ballot booth (voting machine)
- 18971st indoor fly casting tournament opens, at Madison Square Garden
- 1901Horse racing is banned in San Francisco, last race March 16th
Born on Mar 15
- 1493Anne Pierre Adrien Duke of Montmorency: Marshal of France
- 1666Georg Baehr: German master builder (Frauenkirche, Dresden)
- 1678Dominique Marie Valet: French RC / old-catholic Bishop
- 1713Nicolas Louis de Lacaille: Astronomer who mapped the So Hemisphere
- 1733Johann Zoffany: German painter, baptized
- 1750Caroline Herschel: Astronomer / discoverer
- 1754Silvestro Palma: Composer
- 1767Andrew Jackson: Carolinas, United States -- General / (D) 7th President (1829-37)
- 1779William Lamb: (Whig) Viscount Melbourne, British Prime Minister (1834, 1835-41)
- 1790Nicola Vaccai: Composer
- 1801Coenraad J van Houten: Dutch cocoa manufacturer
- 1808Gaetano Gaspari: Composer
- 1809Joseph Jenkins Roberts: 1st President of Liberia
- 1810Aernout Drost: Dutch literary (Hermingard van de Eikenterpen)
- 1811Robert Allen: Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1886
- 1824Branko Radicevic: Serbian poet (1st Serbian Uprising)
- 1830Paul von Heyse: Germany -- Writer (Nobel 1910)
- 1831Edward Aylesworth Perry: Brigadier General (Confederate Army)
- 1835Eduard Strauss: Austria -- Composer (318 Dance)
- 1836Henrique Alves de Mesquita: Composer
- 1838Alice Cunningham Fletcher: Ethnologist (Stranger in Her Native Land)
- 1851Jozef Surzynski: Composer
- 1852Augusta Gregory: Ireland -- Playwright / poet / Yates mistress
- 1858Liberty Hyde Bailey: US Botanist (Plantbreeding)
- 1864Johan Halvorsen: Composer
- 1864Leslie Stuart: Composer
- 1867Lionel Pigot Johnson: England, United Kingdom -- Poet / critic (Ireland & Other Poems)
- 1867Will Rossiter: Composer
- 1871Betsy van den Arend: Dutch [Betje], actress (Miss Hobbs)
- 1873David Vaughan Thomas: Composer
Died on Mar 15
- 0493Odiaker: German army leader / King of Italy (476-93)
- 0963Romanus II: Byzantine Emperor (959-63), dies at 25
- 1034Mieszko II: King of Poland (1025-34)
- 1673Salvatore Rosa: Italian Painter (Baroque) / Poet / music / actor, dies at 57
- 1731Adolf H van Rechteren: Dutch diplomat / politician, dies at 75
- 1842Maria Luigi C Z S Cherubini: Italian Composer (Dies Irae), dies at 81
- 1880Jan K J de Jonge: Dutch historian, dies at 51
- 1881Emory Upton: US Union General Major (Selma), commits suicide at 42
- 1883Karol Studzinski: Composer, dies at 55
- 1905Arnold Kerdijk: Dutch liberal / founder (Social Weekly), dies at 60
- 1906Alfred Gilpin Jones: Lt-gov of Nova Scotia (1900-06), dies at 81
- 1918Jose Silvestre de los Dolores White Lafitte: Composer, dies at 82
- 1918Juliette Marie Olga Lili Boulanger: Composer, dies at 24
- 1918Lili Boulanger: Composer, dies at 24
- 1929Pine-Top Smith: Jazz pianist (Boogie Woogie Piano), dies at 24
- 1930Antonio Beltramelli: Writer, dies at 51
- 1944Otto von Below: German Commandant (WWI), dies at 86
- 1945Herman B Wiardi Beckman: Dutch MP (SDAP), dies at 41
- 1954Arthur Fickenscher: Composer, dies at 82
- 1964Paul Cavanagh: Actor (Black Arrow, Woman in Green), dies at 75
- 1966Abe Saperstein: Founder (Harlem Globetrotters), dies at 63
- 1966Heinrich Lemacher: Composer, dies at 74
- 1970Josef Martin Bauer: Writer, dies at 68
- 1970Tarjei Vesaas: Nowegian Author / Novelist / writer (Isslottet), dies at 72
- 1975Antonino Rocca: Professional wrestler / sportscaster, dies at 49
- 1975Aristotle S Onassis: Greek shipping magnate, dies at 69
- 1977Kamal Joemblat: Lebanese politician, murdered
- 1983Jose Luis Sert: Spanish-US Architect / urban developer, dies at 80
- 1987Sterling W Cole: (Rep-R-NY), dies at 82
- 1988Dmitri F Polyakov: Russian Secret-General / top spy for US, executed
Historical events on March 16
- 1079Iran adopts solar Hijrah calendar
- 1190Crusades begin massacre of Jews of York England
- 1190Jews of York England commit mass sucide rather than submit to baptism
- 1345Holy spirit glides above fire: "the miracle of Amsterdam" (legend)
- 1517Pope Leo X signs 5th Council of Lateranen
- 1521Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reaches Philippines
- 1527Battle at Khanua: Mogol Emperor Babur beats Rajputen
- 1621Native American chief visits colony of Plymouth, Massachusetts
- 1641General court declares RI a democracy and adopts new constitution
- 1660English Long Parliament disbands
- 1690French King Louis XIV sends troops to Ireland
- 1730Willem Charles Henry Friso installed as Viceroy of Drenthe
- 1731Treaty of Vienna: Emperor Charles VI of England and Netherlands
- 1792Murder attempt on King Gustavus III by count Ankarstrom at opera
- 1802Law signed to establish US Military Academy (West Point, NY)
- 1802US army Corps of Engineers established (2nd time)
- 1815Willem I proclaimed King of the Netherlands, including Belgium
- 1822Composer Gioacchino Rossini marries Spanish soprano
- 1829Ohio authorizes high school night classes
- 1830New York Stock Exchange slowest day ever (31 shares traded)
- 1833Susan Hayhurst becomes 1st US woman grad of a pharmacy college
- 1834HMS Beagle anchors at Berkeley Sound, Falkland Islands
- 1836Texas approves a constitution
- 1861Arizona Territory votes to leave the Union
- 1861Confederate government appoints commissioners to Britain
- 1862Battle at Pound Gap Kentucky: Confederates separate battles
- 1865Battle of Averasboro NC (1,500 casualities)
- 1869Hiram R Revels makes 1st official speech by a black in the Senate
- 18711st fertilizer law enacted
- 18721st FA Cup Final: Wanderers-Royal Engineers 1-0 in Bolton
Born on March 16
- 1585Gerbrant A Bredero: Holland, Netherlands -- Poet / playwright (Klucht van de Koe)
- 1609Michael Franck: Composer
- 1634Contessa Marie Madeleine La Fayette: Novelist
- 1651Zaccaria Tevo: Composer
- 1663Nicholas Siret: Composer
- 1729Georg W "Franz" Panzer: German vicar / librarian (Annales typographic)
- 1739George Clymer: US Merchant (signed Declaration of Independence, Constitution)
- 1745Johann Wilhelm Cornelius von Konigslow: Composer
- 1750Caroline Lucretia Herchel: Hanover, Germany -- 1st mod woman astronomer
- 1751James Madison: Port Conway, Virginia -- (D-R), 4th US President (1809-17)
- 1757Bengt Lidner: Swedish poet (Medea, Yttersa Domen)
- 1774Matthew Flinders: English navigator / cartographer (coast Australia)
- 1776Johan G Verstolk van Soelen: Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1802George Archibald McCall: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1868
- 1806Norbert Rillieux: Inventor (sugar refiner)
- 1812Henry Dwight Terry: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1869
- 1814Jules Eugene Abraham Alary: Composer
- 1821Ernest Feydeau: French author (Georges Feydeau)
- 1822John Pope: Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1892
- 1822Rosa Bonheur: French landscape painter (Buffalo Bill)
- 1823William Henry Monk: Composer
- 1832Charles Camp Doolittle: Bvt Major General (Union volunteer)
- 1836Andrew S Hallidie: Inventor (cable car)
- 1849James E Smith: Became father at 100 with woman 64 years younger
- 1856E Louis YY Napoleon Bonaparte: French / English Prince
- 1873Hippoliet Daeye: Flemish painter (Sereniteit)
- 1876Charles Halton: Washington, DC -- Actor (Dr Cyclops, Tugboat Annie Sails Again)
- 1878Clemens A Graaf von Galen: Cardinal / Bishop of Munster / anti-Nazi
- 1878Henry B Walthall: Shelby City, Alabama -- Actor (Birth of a Nation, Klondike)
- 1878Reza Sjah Pahlawi [Reza Chan]: Shah of Iran
Died on March 16
- 1072Adalbert: Archbishop of Bremen-Hamburg
- 1536Ibrahim Pasha: Grand-visier of Osmaanse Rich, murdered at about 45
- 1629Emilia of Nassau: Daughter of Willem of Orange, dies at 59
- 1736Giovanni B Pergolesi: Italian Composer (Stabat Mater), dies at 26
- 1738Georg Baehr: German master builder (Frauenkirche, Dresden), dies at 72
- 1804Francisco Marquis Albergati Capacelli: Italian playwright, dies at 75
- 1806Giuseppe Colla: Composer, dies at 74
- 1819Nicolas Sejan: Composer, dies at 73
- 1838Nathaniel Bowditch: Astronomer / navigation expert, dies at 64
- 1843Anton R Falck: Dutch Minister of Education / Colonies, dies at 65
- 1867Benjamin Hanby: Composer, dies at 33
- 1878William Banting: English undertaker
- 1881Modest P Mussorgsky: Russian Composer (Boris Godunov), dies at 42
- 1882Charles R Darwin: English naturalist (Origin of species), dies at 73
- 1887Emanuel Kania: Composer, dies at 59
- 1898Aubrey (Vincent) Beardsley: English illustrator (Salome), dies at 23
- 1909George Thorndike Angell: Lawyer (ASPCA), dies at 85
- 1914Gaston Calmette: Editor (Le Figaro), killed by Mme Caillaux at 55
- 1919Sigurd von Koch: Composer, dies at 39
- 1933Alfred Her: Hungarian mathematician, dies at 47
- 1935John J R Macleod: Scot / Canadian physiologist (Nobel 1923), dies at 58
- 1937J Austen Chamberlain: English Minister of Foreign Affairs (Nobel), dies at 73
- 1945Pierre Drieu la Rochelle: French writer / poet, commits suicide at 52
- 1946Marius HLW "Max" Blokzijl: Dutch Nazi propagandist, executed at 61
- 1955Mayhew Lake: Composer, dies at 75
- 1956Joseph John Richards: Composer, dies at 77
- 1957Mosa Pijade: Yugoslavian MP (communist), dies at 67
- 1958Leon J Cadore: Pitched the 26 inning game, dies at 65
- 1959John Sailling: Last documented Civil War vet, dies at 111
- 1962John Owen Jones: Composer, dies at 85
Events on Mar 17
- 0432St. Patrick, a bishop, is carried off to Ireland as a slave
- 0455Roman senator Petronius Maximus becomes Emperor
- 1190Crusades complete massacre of Jews of York England
- 1521Ferdinand Magellan discovers the Philippines
- 1521Magelhaes lands on Homohon
- 1526French King Francois I freed from Spain
- 1537French troops invade Flanders
- 1580Prince Willem of Orange welcomed in Amsterdam
- 1658Pro-Charles II plot in England discovered
- 1672England declares war on Netherlands
- 1722Willem KH Friso appointed Mayor of Drente
- 1755Transylvania Land Co buys Kentucky for $50,000 from a Cherokee chief
- 1776British forces evacuate Boston to Nova Scotia during Revolutionary War
- 1800English warship Queen Charlotte catches fire; 700 die
- 1824England and Netherlands sign a trade agreement
- 1833Phoenix Society forms (NY)
- 1836Texas abolishes slavery
- 1845Bristol man, Henry Jones, patents self-raising flour
- 1845Rubber band patented by Stephen Perry of London
- 1847"Macbeth" opera premieres in Florence
- 18541st park land purchased by a US city, Worcester, Massachusetts
- 1860Japanese embassy arrives aboard Candinmarruh [sic]
- 1861Italy declares independence; Kingdom of Italy proclaimed
- 1868Postage stamp canceling machine patent issued
- 1870Mass legislature authorizes incorporation of Wellesley Female Seminary
- 1871National Association of Professional Base-Ball players organized
- 1876Gen Crook destroy Cheyennes and Oglala-Sioux indian camps
- 1884John Joseph Montgomery makes 1st glider flight, Otay, California
- 1886Carrollton Massacre, (Mississippi) 20 blacks killed
- 1891British Steamer "Utopia" sinks off Gibraltar killing 574
Born on Mar 17
- 1473James IV: King of Scotland (1488-1513)
- 1628Daniel van Papenbroeck [Papebrochius]: Flemish historian
- 1664Georg Osterreich: Composer
- 1675Petrus Laurentius Wockenfuss: Composer
- 1685Jean-Marc Nattier: French portrait painter
- 1746Jan David Holland: Composer
- 1777Roger Brooke Taney: Calvert, Maryland -- 5th Chief Justice (Dred Scott dec)
- 1780Thomas Chalmers: 1st moderator (Free Church of Scotland 1843-47)
- 1781Dominique J de Eerens: Governor-General of the Netherlands Indies
- 1789Edmund Kean: London, England -- Tragic actor (Shylock)
- 1804James Bridger: Scout / fur trader / mountain man par excellance
- 1820Patrick Edward Connor: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
- 1825Rodolphe Bresdin: French cartoonist / lithographer (Le Bon Samaritain)
- 1828Patrick Ronayne Cleburne: Major General (Confederate Army)
- 1832Moncure Daniel Conway: United States -- Abolitionist (Life of Thomas Paine)
- 1832Walter Quintin Gresham: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
- 1834Gottlieb Daimler: Germany -- Engineer / inventor / designed 1st motorcycle
- 1839Josef Rheinberger: Vaduz, Liechtenstein -- Opera composer (Munich Conser)
- 1846Kate Greenaway: England, United Kingdom -- Artist / book illustrator (Under the Window)
- 1848Horace Wadham Nicholl: Composer
- 1873Chard Somerset: 1st woman Cabinet Minister (1929-31)
- 1874Kincsem: Horse that never lost a race
- 1874Stephen Samuel Wise: United States -- President of Zionist Organization of America
- 1876Frederic Ayers: Composer
- 1877Albert P Hahn: Dutch political cartoonist (People / Nutcracker)
- 1880Guillermo Uribe Holguin: Composer
- 1881Kristian Elster: Norwegian author (Less bror Harris)
- 1887Ben Sajet: Dutch Physician / politician
- 1888Frank Buck: Actor (Africa Screams, Tiger Queen, Tiger Fangs)
- 1890Harold Morris: Composer
Died on Mar 17
- 0180Antonius Marcus Aurelius [Marcus Verus]: Emperor of Rome, dies at 58
- 0461St Patrick: Patron St of Ireland, dies in Saul (according to legend)
- 0659Gertrudis van Nijvel: Saint / Patron of travellers, dies at about 32
- 1040Harold: British King (1035-40)
- 1565Alexander Alesius [Aless / Alane]: Theologist / physician, dies at 64
- 1588Petrus Dathenus: Flemish Minister / Physician (Psalms of David)
- 1605Pieter Bast [Bastius]: Dutch engraver / cartographer, dies at about 34
- 1640Philip Massinger: Dramatist
- 1649Gerardus Johannis Vossius [Gerrit Vos]: Dutch regent, dies at 71
- 1680Francois Duc de La Rochefoucauld: Writer
- 1704Menno baron van Coehoorn: Fort builder / Coevorden / howitzer, dies at 63
- 1764George Parker: English astronomer
- 1796Pieter Paulus: Lawyer / Dutch CEO (National Convention), dies at 41
- 1801Juan de Sesse y Balaguer: Composer, dies at 64
- 1803Candido Jose Ruano: Composer, dies at 42
- 1806David Dale: Industrialist and philanthropist
- 1846F W Bessel: Measured distance to 61 Cygni
- 1846Friedrich W Bessel: German astronomer (Bessel Functions), dies at 61
- 1849Willem II Frederik GL: King of the Netherlands (1840-49), dies at 56
- 1853Christian Doppler: Physicist
- 1855Ramon Carnicer y Batlle: Composer, dies at 65
- 1857Adolph Trube: Composer, dies at 42
- 1861Petter Conrad Boman: Composer, dies at 56
- 1862Fromental Halevy [Elie Levy]: French opera composer, dies at 62
- 1863John Pelham: US Confederate artillery major, dies in battle at 24
- 1864Alexandre Calamo: Swiss Painter / etcher / lithographer, dies at 53
- 1889Joseph A Alberdingk Thijm [Pauwels Foreestier]: Poet, dies at 68
- 1891Napoleon JKP Bonaparte: French prince / member National Convention, dies at 68
- 1898Blanche Kelso Bruce: (Sen-Miss, 1875-1881), dies at 57 in Washington
- 1901Franz Melde: German physicist (Melde Test), dies at 69