Events on Mar 20
- 1345Saturn / Jupiter / Mars-conjunction: thought "cause of plague epidemic"
- 1598French King Henri IV and Duke van Mercour sign treaty
- 1602United Dutch East Indian Company (VOC) forms
- 1616Walter Raleigh released from Tower of London to seek gold in Guyana
- 1627France and Spain signs accord for fighting protestantism
- 1697Willem de Vlamingh returns to Batavia after exploring "South Land"
- 1760Great Fire of Boston destroys 349 buildings
- 1800French army defeats Turks at Helipolis Turkey, and advance to Cairo
- 1814Prince Willem Frederik becomes Monarch of the Netherlands
- 1815Napoleon enters Paris after escape from Elba, begins 100-day rule
- 1816US Supreme Court affirms its right to review state court decisions
- 1833US and Siam sign commercial treaty
- 1848King Louis I of Bayern abdicates to marry dancer Lola Montez
- 1863Battle of Pensacola Florida - evacuated by Federals
- 18652nd day of Battle of Bentonville, North Carolina
- 1868Jesse James Gang robs bank in Russelville Kentucky of $14,000
- 1883Unity treaty of Paris signed: protects industrial property
- 1885John Matzeliger of Suriname patents shoe lacing machine
- 1885Yiddish theater opens in New York with Golldfaden operetta
- 18861st AC power plant in US begins commercial operation, Massachusetts
- 1888Start of the Sherlock Holmes Adventure, "A Scandal in Bohemia"
- 1890German Emperor Wilhelm II fires Republic chancellor Otto Von Bismarck
- 1896Marines land in Nicaragua to protect US citizens
- 1896Uprising in Matabeleland
- 18971st known intercollegiate basketball game, Yale beats Penn 32-10
- 18971st US orthodox Jewish Rabbinical seminary (RIETS) incorporates in New York
- 1897France signs treaty with Emperor Menelik II of Abyssinia
- 1911National Squash Tennis Association forms (NYC)
- 1911Winter Garden Theater opens at 1634 Broadway, New York City
- 19141st international figure-skating tournament held in US, New Haven
Born on Mar 20
- 1634Balthasar Bekker: Frisian theologist (Examiner of Comets)
- 1728Franciscus L Kersteman: Dutch lawyer / astrologist
- 1739Eligio Celestino: Composer
- 1750Martinus van Marum: Dutch chemist / physicist (Homo Diluvii Testus)
- 1774John Braham: Composer
- 1804Neal Dow: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1897
- 1811George Caleb Bingham: United States -- Politician / painter (Country Election)
- 1812George Bibb Crittenden: Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1880
- 1813Matthias Keller: Ulm, Germany -- Hymm writer (O Farther un High)
- 1820Alexander J Cuza: Monarch of Moldavia / Wallachia / Romania
- 1823John Echols: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1896
- 1825William Nelson Rector Beall: Brigadier General (Confederate Army)
- 1826Carel Vosmaer: Dutch art historian / poet / editor
- 1828Henrik Ibsen: Norway -- Playwright (Peer Gynt, Hedda Gabler)
- 1829Charles Albert White: Composer
- 1830Eugene Asa Carr: Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1910
- 1833Henry Southwick Perkins: Composer
- 1834Charles William Elliot: Boston, Massachusetts -- President of Harvard (1869-1909)
- 1846Auguste Bender: Writer
- 1853George Godfrey: Chelsea, Massachusetts -- Heavyweight boxer (Old Chocolate)
- 1856Frederick Winslow Taylor: Father of scientific management
- 1863Ernesto Nazareth: Composer
- 1868Obe Postma: Frisian poet / geography / historian (Frisian Clay Farm)
- 1870Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck: Prussian General / politician (East Africa)
- 1872Bernhard Seklas: Composer
- 1872Karin Michaelis: Writer
- 1873Sergei V Rachmaninov: Russian / US pianist / composer (Aleko)
- 1883Colin Campbell: Falkirk, Scotland -- Actress (High Bright Sun, Leather Boys)
- 1883Karl Hasse: Composer
- 1885Eugen Herrigel: Germany -- Philosopher / early pioneer of Zen in Europe
Died on Mar 20
- 0842Alfonso II the Chaste: King of Asturia (791-842)
- 1191Clement III [Paolo Scolari]: Pope (1187-91, 3rd crusades)
- 1351Mohammed ibn-Tughluq: Sultan of Delhi India
- 1393Johannes Nepomucenus [Jan Nepomucky]: Czech saint, killed
- 1415Henry IV Bolingbroke: King of England (1399-1413), dies at 45
- 1501Jean Carondelet: Lawyer / chancellor of Burgundy (1480-96), dies at 72
- 1531Sicke Freerks / Frericx [Cutter]: Dutch anabaptist, beheaded
- 1549Thomas Seymour of Sudely: English Lord Admiral, beheaded
- 1568Albrecht von Hohenzollern: 1st Duke of Prussia, dies at 77
- 1617Franciscus Aguilon: Physicist / Theologist / mathematician, dies at 50
- 1619Matthias II: Holy Roman Catholic Emperor (1611-19)
- 1646Matthew Vossius: Historian (Annales Holland Zelandiaeque), dies at 35
- 1703Johann Kunckel / Kunkel: German Alchemist / ambassador to Sweden
- 1727Issac Newton: English physicist / astronomer, dies in London at 84
- 1751Frederick Louis: English Prince of Wales / Son of George I
- 1757Johann Paul Kunzen: Composer, dies at 60
- 1767Firmin Abauzit: French huguenot / scholar, dies at 87
- 1804Ignaz Malzat: Composer, dies at 47
- 1812Jan Ladislav Dussek: Bohemian pianist / composer, dies at 52
- 1848Abraham des Amorie van der Hoeven: Dutch Theologist / poet, dies at 27
- 1866Rikard Nordraak: Composer, dies at 23
- 1871Antonio Buzzolla: Composer, dies at 56
- 1873Adolfe Louis Eugene Fetis: Composer, dies at 52
- 1874Hans Christian Lumbye: Composer, dies at 63
- 1892Arthor Goring Thomas: Composer, dies at 41
- 1894Lajos Kossuth: Hungarian freedom fighter / President (1849), dies at 91
- 1899Martha M Place: Of Brooklyn, becomes 1st woman to die by electrocution
- 1911Jean-Theodore Radoux: Composer, dies at 75
- 1913Christian Barnekow: Composer, dies at 75
- 1913Song Jiao-ren: Leader Chinese Guomindang-Party
Historical events on March 21
- 13493,000 Jews killed in Black Death riots in Efurt Germany
- 1421Battle of Beauge-French beat British
- 1492Alonzo Pietro, pilot, sailed with Columbus
- 1610King James I addresses English House of Commons
- 16813rd Exclusion Parliament meets in London
- 1697Czar Peter the Great begins tour through West-Europe
- 1702Queen Anne Stuart addresses English parliament
- 1788Fire destroyed 856 buildings in New Orleans, Louisiana
- 1788Gustavus Vassa petitions Queen Charlotte, to free enslaved Africans
- 1790Thomas Jefferson reports to President Washington in New York as Secretary of State
- 1791Captain Hopley Yeaton of NH becomes 1st commissioned officer in USN
- 1804French civil Code of Napoleon adopted
- 1824Fire at Cairo ammunitions dump kills 4,000 horses
- 1835Charles Darwin and Mariano Gonzales meet at Portillo Pass
- 1843Preacher William Miller of Mass predicts the world will end today
- 1851Yosemite Valley discovered in California
- 1857Earthquake hits Tokyo; about 107,000 die
- 18591st Zoological Society incorporates (Philadelphia)
- 1859Scottish National Gallery opens in Edinburgh
- 1859Zoological Society of Philadelphia, 1st in US, incorporated
- 1860US extradition treaty with Sweden
- 1863Naval Engagement at Havana Cuba-USS Henrick Hudson vs. BR Wild Pigeon
- 1865Battle of Bentonville ends, last Confederate effort to stop Sherman
- 1871Journalist Henry M Stanley begins his famous expedition to Africa
- 18852nd French government of Ferry resigns
- 1890Austrian Jewish communities are defined by law
- 1891A Hatfield marries a McCoy, ends long feud in West Virginia it started with an accusation of pig-stealing and lasted 20 years
- 1899British and French accord about West-Africa
- 1907US invades Honduras
- 1914US Ladies Figure Skating championship won by Theresa Weld
Born on March 21
- 1466French van Brederode: Leader Hoeksen
- 1474Angela Merici: Italian monastery founder / Saint
- 1521Mauritius: Duke / nice Monarch of Saksen (1547-53)
- 1527Hermann Finck: Composer
- 1609Jan II Kazimierz: Cardinal / King of Poland (1648-68)
- 1624Francois Roberday: Composer
- 1642Georg Schmezer: Composer
- 1708Caspar Ruetz: Composer
- 1713Francis Lewis: Signer (Declaration of Independence)
- 1716Josef Ferdinand Norbert Seger: Composer
- 1763Jean Paul: Writer
- 1765Henry Fagel: Dutch / English Baron / diplomat
- 1768Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Fourier: Mathematician / Egyptologist
- 1779Alexis Garaude: Composer
- 1813James Jesse Strang: King of Mormons on Beaver Island, MI (1850-56)
- 1816Charlotte Bronte: Novelist / poet
- 1820Frank Mori: Composer
- 1836Jesus Monasterio: Composer
- 1863Hugo Kaun: Composer
- 1866Antonia Caetana de Paiva Pereira Maury: Astronomer
- 1869Albert Kahn: Architect ( originated modern factory design)
- 1869Florenz Ziegfeld: Producer (Ziegfield Follies)
- 1878Thurlow Weed Lieurance: Composer
- 1880Hans Hofmann: German / US painter (Search for the Real)
- 1880Wilhelm Pessler: German sociologist
- 1881Hermann Sandby: Composer
- 1882Gilbert M Anderson [Max Aronson]: Little Rock, Arkansas
- 1883Jules van Nuffel: Composer
- 1884George D Birkhoff: US mathematician (Aesthetic measure)
- 1887Edwin Scharff: German "entartet" painter / sculptor
Died on March 21
- 1538Hugo: Earl of Leisnig, Governor of Frisia, dies at about 79
- 1556Thomas Cranmer: Archbishop of Canterbury, burned at stake at 66
- 1652Vredius [Olivier de Wree]: Flem Historian / mayor (Brugge), dies at 55
- 1654Johann Neukrantz: Composer, dies at 51
- 1656Armagh James Ussher: Archbishop (said world began 4004 BC), dies at 76
- 1729John Law: Scottish financier, dies at about 57
- 1734Gunther Jacob Wenceslaus: Composer, dies at 48
- 1768Jan J Mauricius: Dutch Governor-General of Suriname (1742-51), dies at 75
- 1793Johann Michael Schmidt: Composer, dies at 51
- 1801Andrea Lucchesi: Composer, dies at 59
- 1810Philippe-Joseph van den Berghe graaf Limmighe: Brabants ships
- 1844Leopold F J J J van Sassen Ysselt: Dutch politician, dies at 65
- 1857Abraham J van der Aa: Lexicographer (Biograph dictionary), dies at 64
- 1863Edwin Vose Sumner: US Union General Major (Fair Oaks), dies at 66
- 1894Jacob Rosenhaim: Composer, dies at 80
- 1916Victor de Stuers: Dutch art expert, dies at 72
- 1920Federigo Tozzi: Ital writer / journalist (Torre, Tre Croci), dies at 37
- 1921"Big Jim" Colisimo: US gangster, murdered by Al Capone
- 1934Franz Schreker: Composer, dies at 55
- 1934Lilyan Tashman: Actor (Bulldog Drummond), dies at 34
- 1936Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov: Composer (Chopiniana), dies at 70
- 1938Oscar Apfel: Actor (Inspiration), dies at 60
- 1939Evald Aav: Composer, dies at 39
- 1941Robert Liefmann: German economist (Kartelle und Trusts), dies at 67
- 1945J Woortman: Dutch resistance fighter, dies in Bergen-Belsen at 39
- 1952Wilhelm Albrecht: German SD-chief, executed
- 1954Harry Lawrence Freeman: Composer, dies at 84
- 1955Muriel Aked: Dies at 67
- 1958Cyril M Kornbluth: US sci-fi writer (Space Merchants), dies at 34
- 1969Gerhart Fritsch: Writer, dies at 44
Events on Mar 22
- 0752Stephen II elected Catholic Pope (or 23rd)
- 1349Townspeople of Fulda Germany massacre Jews (blamed for black death)
- 1457Gutenberg Bible became the 1st printed book
- 1556Cardinal Reginald Pole becomes Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1594French King Henri IV festival in Paris
- 1621Hugo de Grote escapes in bookcase from Loevenstein castle, Neth
- 16221st Indian (Powhattan) massacre of whites Jamestown Va; 347 slain
- 16301st colonial legislation prohibiting gambling enacted (Boston)
- 1638Religious dissident Anne Hutchinson expelled from Mass Bay Colony
- 1680Parliament of Breisach accept French sovereignty over Elzas
- 1692Emperor Leopold I names Duke Earnest August of Braunschweig, King
- 1733Joseph Priestly invents carbonated water (seltzer)
- 1765Stamp Act passed; 1st direct British tax on colonists
- 1775Edmund Burke presents his 13 articles to the English parliament
- 1778Captain Cook sights Cape Flattery, in Washington state
- 1790Thomas Jefferson becomes the 1st US Secretary of State
- 1794Congress bans US vessels from supplying slaves to other countries
- 1822Gioacchino Rossini marries Isabella Colbran in Bologna
- 1822New York Horticultural Society founded
- 1841Cornstarch patented (Orlando Jones)
- 18611st US nursing school chartered
- 1862San Marino and Italy conclude treaty of friendship and cooperation
- 1871William Holden of NC becomes 1st Governor removed by impeachment
- 1872Illinois becomes 1st state to require sexual equality in employment
- 1882Congress outlaws polygamy (again); bad news for Mormons
- 1882Edmunds Act adopted by US to suppress polygamy in the territories
- 1888English Football League established
- 1894Stanley Cup: Mont AAA beat Ottawa Generals, 3-1 (1st Cup game ever)
- 1895Auguste and Louis Lumiere show their 1st movie to an invited audience
- 1896Charilaos Vasilakos wins 1st marathon (3:18)
Born on Mar 22
- 1459Maximilian I of Habsburg: German Emperor / Archduke of Austria
- 1609John II Casimir Vasa: Cardinal / King of Poland (1648-68)
- 1700Giuseppe Sellitto: Composer
- 1728Anton Raphael Mengs: German writer / neo-classic painter
- 1728Giacomo Insanguine: Composer
- 1752Johann Georg Joseph Spangler: Composer
- 1767Cornelis T Elout: Dutch Minister of Finance
- 1771Heinrich D Zschokke: Switzerland -- Author (Das Goldmacherdorf)
- 1797Kaiser Wilhelm I: German Emperor (1871-88)
- 1799F W A Argelander: Memel, East Prussia -- Cataloguer of 324,188 stars
- 1803Anthonie Waldrop: Dutch painter / lithographer
- 1813Gabriel Rene Paul: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1886
- 1814Thomas Crawford: US sculptor (Babes in the Wood)
- 1817Braxton Bragg: Gen (Confederate Army), died in 1876
- 1819William Wirt Adams: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1888
- 1822Ahmed Djevdet Pasha: Turkish Minister of Education / Justice
- 1822Isaac D Fransen van de Putte: Dutch Premier (1866)
- 1822Seth Williams: Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1866
- 1824William Henry Chase Whiting: Major General (Confederate Army)
- 1834Francis Asbury Shoup: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1896
- 1842Carl A N Rosa: German violinist / composer
- 1846Randolph Caldecott: England, United Kingdom -- Illustrator (Caldecott Medal namesake)
- 1852Theodor Birt [Beatus Rhenanus]: German classical / writer
- 1857Arnold Sauwen: Flemish poet (Along the Meuse)
- 1857Paul Doumer: Governor-General of Indo-China / 13th President of France (1931-32)
- 1865Theophile Ysaye: Composer
- 1868Hamish MacCunn: Composer
- 1868Henry W Methorst: Lawyer / director (Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics)
- 1868Robert A Millikan: US physicist (photoelectric effect; Nobel 1923)
- 1874Ellen Glasgow: Novelist
Died on Mar 22
- 0337Constantine: Emperor of Rome, dies at 47
- 1471George van Podiebrad: King of Bohemia (1458-71)
- 1589Lodovico Guicciardini: Ital historian, dies at 67
- 1639Thomas Carew: English Poet / diplomat (The Rapture)
- 1661Hendrick Uylenburgh: Art dealer, buried at about 73
- 1777John Bartram: Father of American botany, dies at 77
- 1796Gaspare Gabellone: Composer, dies at 68
- 1798Justin Morgan: Composer, dies at 51
- 1820Stephen Decatur: Killed in a duel with Com James Barron at 41
- 1824Johann Melchior Dreyer: Composer, dies at 76
- 1832J W Goethe: Writer, dies at 82
- 1838Hendrik Fagel: Dutch / English baron, dies at 73
- 1845Franz Joseph Volkert: Composer, dies at 67
- 1867Ferdinando Giorgetti: Composer, dies at 70
- 1906Martin Wegelius: Finnish musicologist / composer, dies at 59
- 1909Gyula Erkel: Composer, dies at 66
- 1922Louis A Ranvier: French anatomist / historian, dies at 86
- 1924R G Nivelle: French General (Verdun), dies at 67
- 1929Anton Beer-Walbrun: Composer, dies at 64
- 1944Pucheu: French Internal Minister to Vichy, executed
- 1945J Postuma: Dutch resistance fighter
- 1946Clemens A von Galen: Bishop of Munster / anti fascist, dies at 68
- 1953James Anderson II: (Jo-Northern Exposure)
- 1956George A L Sarton: Belgian / US historian, dies at 71
- 1958Michael Todd: Producer (Around the World in 80 Days), dies at 56
- 1962Aura Abranches: Port actress (Lisboa, O Primo Basilio), dies at 65
- 1964Addison Richards: Actor (Col-Pentagon), dies at 76
- 1969Ernst Deutsch [Dorian]: Czech actor (3rd Man, Golem), dies at 78
- 1971Martin Bodmer: Writer
- 1974Peter Revson: US race car driver (Indianapolis 500), dies at 35