March 31

March 31 is the 90th day of the year (91st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 275 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 307 – After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Maximian.
• 627 – Battle of the Trench: Muhammad undergoes a 14-day siege at Medina (Saudi Arabia) by Meccan forces under Abu Sufyan.
• 1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII is present, and joins the Crusade.
• 1492 – Queen Isabella of Castille issues the Alhambra Decree, ordering her 150,000 Jewish and Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.
• 1561 – The city of San Cristóbal, Táchira is founded.
• 1717 – A sermon on "The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ" by Benjamin Hoadly, the Bishop of Bangor, provokes the Bangorian Controversy.
• 1774 – American Revolutionary War: The Kingdom of Great Britain orders the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act.
• 1822 – The massacre of the population of the Greek island of Chios by soldiers of the Ottoman Empire following an attempted rebellion, depicted by the French artist Eugène Delacroix.
• 1854 – Commodore Matthew Perry signs the Convention of Kanagawa with the Japanese government, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade.
• 1866 – The Spanish Navy bombs the harbor of Valparaíso, Chile.
• 1877 – The family with samurai antecedents that responded to the Saigō army in Ōita Nakatsu, rebels.
• 1885 – The United Kingdom establishes the Bechuanaland Protectorate.
• 1889 – The Eiffel Tower is officially opened.
• 1899 – Malolos, capital of the First Philippine Republic, was captured by American forces.
• 1903 – Richard Pearse allegedly makes a powered flight in an early aircraft.
• 1906 – The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (later the National Collegiate Athletic Association) is established to set rules for college sports in the United States.
• 1909 – Serbia accepts Austrian control over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• 1909 – Construction of the ill fated RMS Titanic begins.
• 1910 – Six North Staffordshire Pottery towns federate to form modern Stoke-on-Trent.
• 1913 – The Vienna Concert Society rioted during a performance of modernist music by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Alexander von Zemlinsky, and Anton von Webern, causing a premature end to the concert due to violence; this concert became known as the Skandalkonzert.
• 1917 – The United States takes possession of the Danish West Indies after paying $25 million to Denmark, and renames the territory the United States Virgin Islands.
• 1918 – Massacre of ethnic Azerbaijanis is committed by allied armed groups of Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Bolsheviks. Nearly 12,000 Azerbaijani Muslims are killed.
• 1918 – Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States for the first time.
• 1921 – The Royal Australian Air Force is formed.
• 1930 – The Motion Picture Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty-eight years.
• 1931 – An earthquake destroys Managua, Nicaragua, killing 2,000.
• 1931 – TWA Flight 599 crashes near Bazaar, Kansas, killing eight, including University of Notre Dame head football coach Knute Rockne.
• 1933 – The Civilian Conservation Corps is established with the mission of relieving rampant unemployment in the United States.
• 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces invade Christmas Island, then a British possession.
• 1945 – World War II: A defecting German pilot delivers a Messerschmitt Me 262A-1, the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft, to the Americans, the first to fall into Allied hands.
• 1949 – The Dominion of Newfoundland joins the Canadian Confederation and becomes the 10th Province of Canada.
• 1951 – Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau.
• 1957 – Elections to the Territorial Assembly of the French colony Upper Volta are held. After the elections PDU and MDV form a government.
• 1958 – In the Canadian federal election, the Progressive Conservatives, led by John Diefenbaker, win the largest percentage of seats in Canadian history, with 208 seats of 265.
• 1959 – The 14th Dalai Lama, crosses the border into India and is granted political asylum.
• 1964 – A coup d'état in Brazil establishes a military government, under the aegis of general Castelo Branco.
• 1966 – The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon.
• 1970 – Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth's atmosphere after 12 years in orbit.
• 1979 – The last British soldier leaves the Maltese Islands. Malta declares its Freedom Day (Jum il-Helsien).
• 1980 – The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operates its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets because of bankruptcy and debts owed to creditors.
• 1985 – The first WrestleMania, the biggest wrestling event from the WWE (then the WWF), takes place in Madison Square Garden in New York.
• 1986 – Six metropolitan county councils are abolished in England.
• 1990 – Approximately 200,000 protestors take to the streets of London to protest against the newly introduced Poll Tax.
• 1991 – Georgian independence referendum, 1991: Nearly 99 percent of the voters support the country's independence from the Soviet Union.
• 1992 – The USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, is decommissioned in Long Beach, California.
• 1994 – The journal Nature reports the finding in Ethiopia of the first complete Australopithecus afarensis skull.
• 1995 – Mexican-American singer Selena is murdered by Yolanda Saldívar, the former president of her fan club.
• 2004 – Iraq War in Anbar Province: In Fallujah, Iraq, four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed after being ambushed.

Births

• 250 – Constantius Chlorus, Roman emperor (d. 306)
• 1360 – Philippa of Lancaster (d. 1415)
• 1425 – Bianca Maria Visconti, Italian wife of Francesco I Sforza (d. 1468)
• 1499 – Pope Pius IV (d. 1565)
• 1504 – Guru Angad, Indian guru (d. 1552)
• 1519 – Henry II of France (d. 1559)
• 1536 – Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese shogun (d. 1565)
• 1576 – Countess Louise Juliana of Nassau (d. 1644)
• 1596 – René Descartes, French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1650)
• 1621 – Andrew Marvell, English poet and politician (d. 1678)
• 1644 – Henry Winstanley, English painter and engineer (d. 1703)
• 1651 – Charles II, Elector Palatine, German husband of Princess Wilhelmine Ernestine of Denmark (d. 1685)
• 1675 – Pope Benedict XIV (d. 1758)
• 1685 – Johann Sebastian Bach, German organist and composer (d. 1750)
• 1718 – Mariana Victoria of Spain (d. 1781)
• 1723 – Frederick V of Denmark (d. 1766)
• 1730 – Étienne Bézout, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1783)
• 1732 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian pianist and composer (d. 1809)
• 1740 – Panoutsos Notaras, Greek politician (d. 1849)
• 1747 – Johann Abraham Peter Schulz, German pianist and composer (d. 1800)
• 1777 – Charles Cagniard de la Tour, French physicist and engineer (d. 1859)
• 1778 – Coenraad Jacob Temminck, Dutch zoologist and ornithologist (d. 1858)
• 1794 – Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan, American lawyer and politician, 2nd United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1852)
• 1809 – Edward FitzGerald, English poet and translator (d. 1883)
• 1809 – Nikolai Gogol, Ukrainian-Russian author and playwright (d. 1852)
• 1809 – Otto Lindblad, Swedish composer (d. 1864)
• 1819 – Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (d. 1901)
• 1823 – Mary Boykin Chesnut, American author (d. 1886)
• 1847 – Hermann de Pourtalès, Swiss sailor (d. 1904)
• 1847 – Yegor Ivanovich Zolotarev, Russian mathematician and theorist (d. 1878)
• 1855 – Alfred E. Hunt, American businessman (d. 1899)
• 1859 – Emil Fenyvessy, Hungarian actor and screenwriter (d. 1924)
• 1865 – Anandi Gopal Joshi, Indian physician (d. 1887)
• 1871 – Arthur Griffith, Irish journalist and politician, 3rd President of Dáil Éireann (d. 1922)
• 1872 – Sergei Diaghilev, Russian ballet manager and critic, founded the Ballets Russes (d. 1929)
• 1872 – Alexandra Kollontai, Russian diplomat (d. 1952)
• 1874 – Benjamín G. Hill, Mexican revolutionary general, governor of Sonora (d. 1920)
• 1876 – Borisav Stanković, Serbian author (d. 1927)
• 1878 – Jack Johnson, American boxer (d. 1946)
• 1884 – Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-American astronomer and academic (d. 1946)
• 1885 – Pascin, Bulgarian-American painter and illustrator (d. 1930)
• 1890 – Ben Adams, American jumper (d. 1961)
• 1890 – William Lawrence Bragg, Australian-English physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
• 1891 – Victor Varconi, Hungarian-American actor and director (d. 1976)
• 1893 – Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor and manager (d. 1954)
• 1893 – Herbert Meinhard Mühlpfordt, German physician and historian (d. 1982)
• 1895 – Vardis Fisher, American author and academic (d. 1968)
• 1900 – Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester (d. 1974)
• 1902 – Alfred Praks, Estonian wrestler (d. 1998)
• 1903 – John Harron, American actor (d. 1939)
• 1904 – Đorđe Andrejević-Kun, Serbian painter (d. 1964)
• 1905 – Robert Stevenson, English director and screenwriter (d. 1986)
• 1906 – Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
• 1907 – Eddie Quillan, American actor and singer (d. 1990)
• 1908 – Red Norvo, American vibraphone player and composer (d. 1999)
• 1911 – Freddie Green, American guitarist (d. 1987)
• 1911 – Elisabeth Grümmer, German soprano (d. 1986)
• 1912 – William Lederer, American soldier and author (d. 2009)
• 1913 – Etta Baker, American singer and guitarist (d. 2006)
• 1914 – Octavio Paz, Mexican author, poet, and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1998)
• 1915 – Albert Hourani, English historian and author (d. 1993)
• 1915 – Shoichi Yokoi, Japanese sergeant (d. 1997)
• 1916 – Lucille Bliss, American voice actress (d. 2012)
• 1916 – John H. Wood, Jr., American lawyer and judge (d. 1979)
• 1917 – Dorothy DeLay, American violinist and educator (d. 2002)
• 1919 – Frank Akins, American football player (d. 1993)
• 1920 – Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (d. 2014)
• 1920 – Paul Zorner, German soldier and pilot (d. 2014)
• 1921 – Peggy Rea, American actress and casting director (d. 2011)
• 1922 – Richard Kiley, American actor and singer (d. 1999)
• 1923 – Shoshana Damari, Yemeni-Israeli singer and actress (d. 2006)
• 1923 – François Sermon, Belgian footballer (d. 2013)
• 1924 – Leo Buscaglia, American author and academic (d. 1998)
• 1924 – Charles Guggenheim, American director and producer (d. 2002)
• 1925 – Jean Coutu, Canadian actor and director (d. 1999)
• 1926 – John Fowles, English author and educator (d. 2005)
• 1926 – Beni Montresor, Italian director, set designer, author, and illustrator (d. 2001)
• 1926 – Rocco Petrone, American colonel and engineer (d. 2006)
• 1927 – Cesar Chavez, American union leader and activist (d. 1993)
• 1927 – William Daniels, American actor
• 1927 – Elmer Diedtrich, American businessman and politician (d. 2013)
• 1927 – Bud MacPherson, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1988)
• 1928 – Lefty Frizzell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
• 1928 – Gordie Howe, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1929 – Liz Claiborne, Belgian-American fashion designer, founded Liz Claiborne Inc. (d. 2007)
• 1929 – Bert Fields, American lawyer and author
• 1931 – Miller Barber, American golfer (d. 2013)
• 1931 – Tamara Tyshkevich, Belarusian shot putter (d. 1997)
• 1932 – John Jakes, American author
• 1932 – Nagisa Oshima, Japanese director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1933 – Anita Carter, American singer-songwriter and bassist (Carter Family and The Carter Sisters) (d. 1999)
• 1933 – Nichita Stănescu, Romanian poet (d. 1983)
• 1934 – Richard Chamberlain, American actor and singer
• 1934 – Shirley Jones, American actress and singer
• 1934 – John D. Loudermilk, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1934 – Carlo Rubbia, Italian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1934 – Kamala Surayya, Indian poet and author
• 1935 – Herb Alpert, American singer-songwriter, trumpet player, and producer
• 1935 – Judith Rossner, American author (d. 2005)
• 1936 – Sandayū Dokumamushi, Japanese actor
• 1936 – Marge Piercy, American author and poet
• 1936 – Bob Pulford, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1937 – Willem Duyn, Dutch singer-songwriter (Mouth & MacNeal) (d. 2004)
• 1938 – Patrick Bateson, English biologist and academic
• 1938 – Sheila Dikshit, Indian politician, 22nd Governor of Kerala
• 1938 – Antje Gleichfeld, German runner
• 1938 – Joel Godard, American television announcer
• 1938 – Bill Hicke, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 2005)
• 1938 – Tõnno Lepmets, Estonian basketball player (d. 2005)
• 1938 – Michiko Nomura, Japanese voice actress
• 1938 – Arthur B. Rubinstein, American pianist, composer, and conductor (The Beepers)
• 1938 – David Steel, Scottish academic and politician
• 1939 – Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgian anthropologist and politician, 1st President of Georgia (d. 1993)
• 1939 – Israel Horovitz, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1939 – Walker David Miller, American lawyer and judge (d. 2013)
• 1939 – Volker Schlöndorff, German director and producer
• 1939 – Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, German footballer
• 1940 – Brian Ackland-Snow, English production designer and art director (d. 2013)
• 1940 – Barney Frank, American lawyer and politician
• 1940 – Patrick Leahy, American lawyer and politician
• 1941 – Franco Bonvicini, Italian author and illustrator (d. 1995)
• 1941 – Faith Leech, Australian swimmer (d. 2013)
• 1942 – Ulla Hoffmann, Swedish politician
• 1942 – Hugh McCracken, American guitarist and producer (d. 2013)
• 1942 – Michael Savage, American radio host and author
• 1943 – Roy Andersson, Swedish director and screenwriter
• 1943 – Deirdre Clancy, English costume designer
• 1943 – Al Goodman, American singer (Ray, Goodman & Brown) (d. 2010)
• 1943 – Christopher Walken, American actor and singer
• 1944 – Pascal Danel, French singer-songwriter
• 1944 – Mick Ralphs, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Mott the Hoople and Bad Company)
• 1945 – Edwin Catmull, American computer scientist and engineer
• 1945 – Valerie Curtin, American actress and screenwriter
• 1945 – Gabe Kaplan, American actor, screenwriter, and poker player
• 1945 – Myfanwy Talog, Welsh actress and singer (d. 1995)
• 1946 – Gonzalo Márquez, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 1984)
• 1946 – Bob Russell, English politician
• 1946 – Klaus Wolfermann, German javelin thrower
• 1947 – Augustin Banyaga, Rwandan-American mathematician and academic
• 1947 – Kristian Blak, Danish-Faroese pianist, composer, and producer (Yggdrasil)
• 1947 – Don Foster, English academic and politician
• 1947 – César Gaviria, Colombian economist and politician, 36th President of Colombia
• 1947 – Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Israeli physicist and economist (d. 2011)
• 1948 – Gary Doer, Canadian politician and diplomat, 20th Premier of Manitoba
• 1948 – Natalia Dubova, Russian ice dancer and coach
• 1948 – David Eisenhower, American author and educator
• 1948 – Al Gore, American soldier and politician, 45th Vice President of the United States and Nobel Prize laureate
• 1948 – Rhea Perlman, American actress and producer
• 1948 – Gustaaf Van Cauter, Belgian cyclist
• 1949 – Gilles Gilbert, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1949 – Bert Massie, English activist
• 1950 – András Adorján, Hungarian chess player and author
• 1950 – Ed Marinaro, American football player and actor
• 1950 – Sandra Morgen, American anthropologist and academic
• 1950 – Hiroshi Tachi, Japanese actor and singer
• 1951 – Lena Söderberg, Swedish model
• 1952 – Vanessa del Rio, American porn actress
• 1952 – Dermot Morgan, Irish actor (d. 1998)
• 1953 – Dennis Kamakahi, American guitarist and composer (d. 2014)
• 1954 – Laima Vaikule, Latvian actress, singer, director, and choreographer
• 1955 – Robert Vance, New Zealand cricketer
• 1955 – Angus Young, Scottish-Australian guitarist and songwriter (AC/DC and Marcus Hook Roll Band)
• 1957 – Alan Duncan, English businessman and politician, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
• 1957 – Marc McClure, American actor
• 1958 – Tony Cox, American actor and stuntman
• 1958 – Sylvester Groth, German tenor and actor
• 1959 – Markus Hediger, Swiss poet and translator
• 1959 – Ali McMordie, Irish bass player (Stiff Little Fingers and Friction Groove)
• 1960 – Michelle Nicastro, American actress and singer (d. 2010)
• 1961 – Ron Brown, American sprinter and football player
• 1961 – Howard Gordon, American screenwriter and producer
• 1961 – Suzanne Westenhoefer, American comedian and actress
• 1961 – Gary Winick, American director and producer (d. 2011)
• 1962 – John Taylor, American football player
• 1962 – Olli Rehn, Finnish footballer and politician
• 1963 – Paul Mercurio, Australian actor and dancer
• 1963 – Geir Rognø, Norwegian bassist
• 1964 – Mark Hoban, English accountant and politician
• 1964 – Brad Slaight, American comedian, actor, and screenwriter
• 1964 – Fez Whatley, American radio host and producer
• 1964 – Paul Wong, Hong Kong singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (Beyond)
• 1965 – Tom Barrasso, American ice hockey player and coach
• 1965 – Jean-Christophe Lafaille, French mountaineer (d. 2006)
• 1965 – William McNamara, American actor and producer
• 1965 – Steven T. Seagle, American author and screenwriter
• 1966 – Roger Black, English runner and journalist
• 1966 – Nick Firestone, American race car driver
• 1967 – Ivar Kolve, Norwegian vibraphonist
• 1968 – Kimmo Kinnunen, Finnish javelin thrower
• 1968 – Naoya Ogawa, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
• 1968 – J. R. Reid, American basketball player and coach
• 1969 – Nyamko Sabuni, Burundian-Swedish politician
• 1969 – Steve Smith, American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1970 – Alenka Bratušek, Slovenian politician, 7th Prime Minister of Slovenia
• 1970 – Samantha Brown, American television host
• 1970 – Damon Herriman, Australian actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1970 – Patrick Lachman, American singer and guitarist (Damageplan and Halford)
• 1971 – Demetris Assiotis, Cypriot footballer
• 1971 – Martin Atkinson, English footballer and referee
• 1971 – Pavel Bure, Russian ice hockey player
• 1971 – Paul Grayson, English cricketer
• 1971 – Craig McCracken, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
• 1971 – Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor, singer, producer, and screenwriter
• 1972 – Alejandro Amenábar, Chilean-Spanish director and screenwriter
• 1972 – Andrew Bowen, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1972 – Ze Frank, American comedian and blogger
• 1972 – Luca Gentili, Italian footballer and coach
• 1972 – Hristos Polihroniou, Greek hammer thrower
• 1972 – Evan Williams, American businessman, co-founded Twitter and Pyra Labs
• 1973 – Christopher Hampson, English ballet dancer and choreographer
• 1974 – Benjamin Eicher, German director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1974 – Adrian Holmes, Welsh-Canadian actor
• 1974 – Stefan Olsdal, Swedish bass player (Placebo)
• 1975 – Emma Atkins, English actress
• 1975 – Prodromos Dreliozis, Greek basketball player
• 1975 – Toni Gardemeister, Finnish race car driver
• 1975 – Adam Green, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1975 – Nathan Grey, Australian rugby player and coach
• 1975 – Cameron Murray, Scottish rugby player
• 1975 – Ryan Rupe, American baseball player
• 1976 – Anthony B, Jamaican singer and DJ
• 1976 – Rich Clementi, American mixed martial artist
• 1976 – Howard Frier, American basketball player
• 1976 – Vice Ganda, Filipino actor and singer
• 1976 – Shawty Lo, American rapper (D4L)
• 1976 – Guy Mariano, American skateboarder
• 1976 – Josh Saviano, American actor and lawyer
• 1976 – Igors Sļesarčuks, Latvian-Russian footballer
• 1976 – Alan Tern, Singaporean actor
• 1977 – Toshiya, Japanese bass player, songwriter, and producer (Dir En Grey)
• 1977 – Garth Tander, Australian race car driver
• 1978 – Stephen Clemence, English footballer and coach
• 1978 – Jarrod Cooper, American football player
• 1978 – Daniel Mays, English actor
• 1978 – Jérôme Rothen, French footballer
• 1978 – Vivian Schmitt, German porn actress
• 1978 – Tony Yayo, American rapper and actor (G-Unit)
• 1979 – Omri Afek, Israeli footballer
• 1979 – Euan Burton, Scottish martial artist and coach
• 1979 – Alexis Ferrero, Argentinian footballer
• 1979 – Josh Kinney, American baseball player
• 1979 – Charlie Manning, American baseball player
• 1979 – Tanya Tate, English porn actress and director
• 1980 – Trenyce, American singer and actress
• 1980 – Martin Albrechtsen, Danish footballer
• 1980 – Karolina Lassbo, Swedish lawyer and blogger
• 1980 – Dean Clark, English footballer
• 1980 – Kate Micucci, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (Garfunkel and Oates)
• 1980 – Michael Ryder, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Maaya Sakamoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
• 1980 – Chien-Ming Wang, Taiwanese baseball player
• 1981 – Ryan Bingham, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1981 – Thomas Chatelle, Belgian footballer
• 1981 – Gerard McCarthy, Irish actor
• 1981 – Pa Dembo Touray, Gambian footballer
• 1981 – Maarten van der Weijden, Dutch swimmer
• 1982 – Tal Ben Haim, Israeli footballer
• 1982 – Ryland Blackinton, American guitarist (Cobra Starship and This Is Ivy League)
• 1982 – Bam Childress, American football player
• 1982 – Audrey Kawasaki, American painter
• 1982 – Lennon Murphy, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1982 – Ketlin Priilinn, Estonian author, translator and journalist
• 1983 – Hashim Amla, South African cricketer
• 1983 – Thierry Issiémou, Gabonese footballer
• 1983 – Silver Leppik, Estonian basketball player
• 1983 – Anthony Lewis, English actor
• 1983 – Jeff Mathis, American baseball player
• 1983 – Vlasios Maras, Greek gymnast
• 1983 – Paddy McCarthy, Irish footballer
• 1983 – Melissa Ordway, American model and actress
• 1983 – Nigel Plum, Australian rugby player
• 1983 – Noah "40" Shebib, Canadian songwriter and producer
• 1984 – Rakshita, Indian actress and producer
• 1984 – Jack Antonoff, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Fun, Steel Train, and Bleachers)
• 1984 – Dario Bova, Italian footballer
• 1984 – David Clarkson, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1984 – Osama Hawsawi, Saudi Arabian footballer
• 1984 – Eddie Johnson, American soccer player
• 1984 – James Jones, American football player
• 1984 – Kaie Kand, Estonian heptathlete
• 1984 – Alberto Junior Rodríguez, Peruvian footballer
• 1984 – Yanin Vismitananda, Thai actress and martial artist
• 1984 – Anna Willard, American runner
• 1984 – Ed Williamson, English rugby player
• 1985 – Stephanie Bendixsen, Australian television host
• 1985 – Steve Bernier, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1985 – Jo-Lonn Dunbar, American football player
• 1985 – Jesper Hansen, Danish footballer
• 1985 – Ivan Mishyn, Ukrainian race car driver
• 1985 – Kory Sheets, American football player
• 1985 – Jalmar Sjöberg, Swedish wrestler
• 1985 – Jessica Szohr, American actress
• 1986 – Matthew Collins, Welsh footballer
• 1986 – Andreas Dober, Austrian footballer
• 1986 – Romeo Filipović, German-Croatian footballer
• 1986 – James King, Scottish rugby player
• 1986 – Paulo Machado, Portuguese footballer
• 1986 – Jay Rock, American rapper (Black Hippy)
• 1987 – Nordin Amrabat, Dutch footballer
• 1987 – Hugo Ayala, Mexican footballer
• 1987 – Amaury Bischoff, Portuguese footballer
• 1987 – Justin Braun, American soccer player
• 1987 – The Child of Lov, Belgian-Dutch singer (d. 2013)
• 1987 – Carl Dickinson, English footballer
• 1987 – Allison Falk, American soccer player
• 1987 – Humpy Koneru, Indian chess player
• 1987 – Eros Pisano, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Aridane Santana, Spanish footballer
• 1987 – Kirill Starkov, Danish ice hockey player
• 1987 – Winston Venable, American football player
• 1987 – Nelli Zhiganshina, Russian figure skater
• 1988 – Thomas De Corte, Belgian footballer
• 1988 – Dorin Dickerson, American football player
• 1988 – Hogan Ephraim, English footballer
• 1988 – DeAndre Liggins, American basketball player
• 1988 – Louis van der Westhuizen, Namibian cricketer
• 1989 – Kidd, Scottish-Danish rapper
• 1989 – Benjamin Alves, Guamanian-Filipino actor
• 1989 – Alyn Camara, German long jumper
• 1989 – Alberto Martín Romo García Adámez, Spanish footballer
• 1989 – Alfredo Marte, Dominican baseball player
• 1989 – Josmil Pinto, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1989 – Nejc Vidmar, Slovenian footballer
• 1989 – Liu Zige, Chinese swimmer
• 1990 – Kylie Bisutti, American model and author
• 1990 – Balázs Megyeri, Hungarian footballer
• 1990 – George Iloka, American football player
• 1990 – Sandra Roma, Swedish tennis player
• 1990 – Bang Yong-guk, South Korean rapper, actor, and dancer (B.A.P)
• 1991 – Nichaon Jindapon, Thai badminton player
• 1991 – Renato Kelić, Croatian footballer
• 1991 – Milan Milanović, Serbian footballer
• 1991 – Lukas Rotpuller, Austrian footballer
• 1991 – Jan Šebek, Czech footballer
• 1991 – Rodney Sneijder, Dutch footballer
• 1992 – Stijn de Looijer, Dutch footballer
• 1992 – Henri Laaksonen, Swiss-Finnish tennis player
• 1992 – Beatričė Rožinskaitė, Lithuanian figure skater
• 1993 – Jonatan Isenia, Dutch baseball player
• 1993 – Mikael Ishak, Swedish footballer
• 1994 – Tyler Wright, Australian surfer
• 1998 – Valeria Gorlats, Estonian tennis player
• 1998 – Jakob Chychrun, American-born Canadian ice hockey player
• 1998 – Anna Seidel, German short track speed skater
• 1999 – Chae Sang-woo, South Korean actor

Deaths

• 1340 – Ivan I of Moscow (b. 1288)
• 1547 – Francis I of France (b. 1494)
• 1567 – Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse (b. 1504)
• 1621 – Philip III of Spain (b. 1578)
• 1631 – John Donne, English lawyer and poet (b. 1572)
• 1671 – Anne Hyde, English wife of James II of England (b. 1637)
• 1703 – Johann Christoph Bach, German organist and composer (b. 1642)
• 1723 – Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon, English soldier and politician, 14th Colonial Governor of New York (b. 1661)
• 1741 – Pieter Burman the Elder, Dutch scholar and author (b. 1668)
• 1797 – Olaudah Equiano, Nigerian merchant, author, and activist (b.1745)
• 1837 – John Constable, English painter and educator (b. 1776)
• 1850 – John C. Calhoun, American lawyer and politician, 7th Vice President of the United States (b. 1782)
• 1855 – Charlotte Brontë, English author and poet (b. 1816)
• 1877 – Antoine Augustin Cournot, French mathematician and philosopher (b. 1801)
• 1880 – Henryk Wieniawski, Polish violinist and composer (b. 1835)
• 1885 – Franz Abt, German composer and conductor (b. 1819)
• 1913 – J. P. Morgan, American banker and financier, founded J.P. Morgan & Co. (b. 1837)
• 1915 – Wyndham Halswelle, English-Scottish runner and captain (b. 1882)
• 1917 – Emil von Behring, German physiologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1854)
• 1924 – George Charles Haité, English painter and illustrator (b. 1855)
• 1929 – Pablo de Escandón, Mexican polo player (b. 1856)
• 1930 – Ludwig Schüler, German politician, Mayor of Marburg (b. 1836)
• 1931 – Knute Rockne, American football player and coach (b. 1888)
• 1935 – Georges V. Matchabelli, Georgian-American businessman and diplomat, founded Prince Matchabelli perfume (b. 1885)
• 1935 – Concordia Selander, Swedish actress and manager (b. 1861)
• 1939 – Ioannis Tsangaridis, Greek general (b. 1887)
• 1944 – Mineichi Koga, Japanese admiral (b. 1885)
• 1945 – Frank Findlay, New Zealand banker and politician (b. 1884)
• 1945 – Hans Fischer, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1881)
• 1950 – Robert Natus, Estonian architect (b. 1890)
• 1952 – Wallace H. White, Jr., American lawyer and politician (b. 1877)
• 1956 – Ralph DePalma, Italian-American race car driver and actor (b. 1884)
• 1968 – Grover Lowdermilk, American baseball player (b. 1885)
• 1972 – Meena Kumari, Indian actress (b. 1932)
• 1975 – Percy Alliss, English golfer (b. 1897)
• 1976 – Paul Strand, American photographer and director (b. 1890)
• 1978 – Charles Herbert Best, American-Canadian physiologist and biochemist, co-discovered Insulin (b. 1899)
• 1980 – Vladimír Holan, Czech poet and author (b. 1905)
• 1980 – Jesse Owens, American sprinter and long jumper (b. 1913)
• 1981 – Enid Bagnold, English author and playwright (b. 1889)
• 1983 – Christina Stead, Australian author and academic (b. 1902)
• 1984 – Ronald Clark O'Bryan, American murderer (b. 1944)
• 1986 – O'Kelly Isley, Jr., American singer-songwriter (The Isley Brothers) (b. 1937)
• 1986 – Jerry Paris, American actor and director (b. 1925)
• 1988 – William McMahon, Australian lawyer and politician, 20th Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1908)
• 1993 – Chichay, Filipino actress (b. 1918)
• 1993 – Brandon Lee, American actor and martial artist (b. 1965)
• 1993 – Mitchell Parish, Lithuanian-American songwriter (b. 1900)
• 1995 – Selena, American singer-songwriter (Selena y Los Dinos) (b. 1971)
• 1996 – Dante Giacosa, Italian automobile designer and engineer (b. 1905)
• 1996 – Jeffrey Lee Pierce, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Gun Club) (b. 1958)
• 1998 – Bella Abzug, American lawyer and politician (b. 1920)
• 1998 – Tim Flock, American race car driver (b. 1924)
• 1999 – Yuri Knorozov, Russian linguist and ethnographer (b. 1922)
• 2001 – David Rocastle, English footballer (b. 1967)
• 2001 – Clifford Shull, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1915)
• 2002 – Barry Took, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1928)
• 2002 – Moturu Udayam, Indian activist and politician (b. 1924)
• 2003 – Harold Scott MacDonald Coxeter, English-Canadian mathematician and academic (b. 1907)
• 2003 – Anne Gwynne, American actress and singer (b. 1918)
• 2003 – Tommy Seebach, Danish singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (Sir Henry and his Butlers) (b. 1949)
• 2004 – Scott Helvenston, American soldier (b. 1965)
• 2005 – Stanley J. Korsmeyer, American oncologist and academic (b. 1951)
• 2005 – Justiniano Montano, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1905)
• 2005 – Frank Perdue, American businessman (b. 1920)
• 2005 – Terri Schiavo, American medical patient (b. 1963)
• 2006 – Jackie McLean, American saxophonist and composer (b. 1931)
• 2007 – Paul Watzlawick, Austrian-American psychologist and philosopher (b. 1921)
• 2008 – Jules Dassin, American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor (b. 1911)
• 2008 – Bill Keightley, American equipment manager (b. 1926)
• 2009 – Raúl Alfonsín, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 46th President of Argentina (b. 1927)
• 2009 – Jarl Alfredius, Swedish journalist (b. 1943)
• 2009 – Choor Singh, Indian-Singaporean lawyer and judge (b. 1911)
• 2010 – Shirley Mills, American actress (b. 1926)
• 2010 – Syed Qasim Mahmood, Pakistani journalist, lexicographer, and author (b. 1928)
• 2011 – Tony Barrell, English-Australian journalist and broadcaster (b. 1940)
• 2011 – Gil Clancy, American boxer and trainer (b. 1922)
• 2011 – Alan Fitzgerald, Australian journalist and author (b. 1935)
• 2011 – Oddvar Hansen, Norwegian footballer and coach (b. 1921)
• 2011 – Claudia Heill, Austrian martial artist (b. 1982)
• 2011 – Vassili Kononov, Russian criminal (b. 1923)
• 2011 – Ishbel MacAskill, Scottish singer and actress (b. 1941)
• 2011 – Mel McDaniel, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1942)
• 2011 – Boško Radonjić, Serbian mobster (b. 1943)
• 2011 – Edward Stobart, English businessman (b. 1954)
• 2011 – Henry Taub, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Judith Adams, New Zealand-Australian nurse and politician (b. 1943)
• 2012 – Dale R. Corson, American physicist and academic (b. 1914)
• 2012 – Bernard O. Gruenke, American stained glass artist (b. 1914)
• 2012 – Jerry Lynch, American baseball player (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Alberto Sughi, Italian painter (b. 1928)
• 2012 – Halbert White, American economist and academic (b. 1950)
• 2013 – Charles Amarin Brand, French archbishop (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Ernie Bridge, Australian singer and politician (b. 1936)
• 2013 – Helena Carroll, Scottish-American actress (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Bob Clarke, American illustrator (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Ahmad Sayyed Javadi, Iranian lawyer and politician, Iranian Minister of Interior (b. 1917)
• 2013 – Dmitri Uchaykin, Russian ice hockey player (b. 1980)
• 2014 – Gonzalo Anes, Spanish economist, historian, and academic (b. 1931)
• 2014 – Irene Fernandez, Malaysian activist (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Charles Keating, American lawyer and financier (b. 1923)
• 2014 – Frankie Knuckles, American DJ and producer (b. 1955)
• 2014 – Bob Larbey, English screenwriter (b. 1934)
• 2014 – Enrique Plancarte Solís, Mexican drug lord (b. 1970)
• 2014 – Roger Somville, Belgian painter (b. 1923)
• 2015 – Betty Churcher, Australian painter, historian, and curator (b. 1931)
• 2015 – Cocoa Fujiwara, Japanese author and illustrator (b. 1983)
• 2015 – Carlos Gaviria Díaz, Colombian lawyer and politician (b. 1937)
• 2015 – Riccardo Ingram, American baseball player and coach (b. 1966)
• 2015 – Dalibor Vesely, Czech-English historian, author, and academic (b. 1934)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day
  • Abdas of Susa
  • Acathius of Melitene (Eastern Orthodox Church)
  • Anesius and companions
  • Benjamin
  • Balbina
  • John Donne (Anglican Communion, Lutheran)
  • March 31 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Freedom Day (Malta)
• King Nangklao Memorial Day (Thailand)
• Thomas Mundy Peterson Day (New Jersey)
• Transfer Day (US Virgin Islands)
• César Chávez Day (United States of America)
• International Transgender Day of Visibility

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada