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45 BC - In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.

624 - A key victory by Muhammad over his Meccan adversaries in the Battle of Badr.

1103 - Birth of noted Song Dynasty general Yue Fei.

1577 - The Cathay Company is formed to send Martin Frobisher back to the New World for more gold.

1673 - Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet begin their exploration of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi river.

1756 - St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in New York City for the first time (at the Crown and Thistle Tavern).

1776 - American Revolution: British forces evacuate Boston, Massachusetts after George Washington and Henry Knox place artillery overlooking the city.

1805 - The Italian Republic, with Napoleon as president, becomes the Kingdom of Italy, with Napoleon as King.

1845 - The rubber band is invented

1861 - The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed.

1886 - Carrollton Massacre: 20 African Americans are killed in Mississippi.

1891 - The British steamship SS ''Utopia'' sinks off the coast of Gibraltar, killing 574.

1901 - A showing of 71 Vincent van Gogh paintings in Paris, 11 years after his death, creates a sensation.

1906 - The Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity is founded at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

1910 - Luther Gulick and his wife Charlotte found Camp Fire Girls (now Camp Fire USA) (formally announced in 1912).

1917 - Delta Phi Epsilon was founded at New York University Law School.

1921 - The Second Republic of Poland adopts the March Constitution.

1931 - Nevada legalizes gambling.

1931 - First St. Patrick's Day parade held in the Irish Free State, reviewed by Desmond Fitzgerald

1939 - Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945): The Battle of Nanchang between the Kuomintang and the Japanese break out.

1941 - In Washington, DC, the National Gallery of Art is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

1942 - Holocaust: 1,500 Jews from the Lviv Ghetto (western Ukraine) arrived at Belzec death camp (eastern Poland). Until 30 March 15,000 Jews from Lviv (Ukraine) were deported to face death in Belzec by German Gestapo.

1948 - Benelux, France, and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels, a precursor to the NATO Agreement.

1950 - University of California, Berkeley researchers announce the creation of element 98, which they name "Californium".

1958 - The United States launches the Vanguard 1 satellite.

1959 - Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, flees Tibet and travels to India.

1966 - Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, the ''Alvin'' submarine finds a missing American hydrogen bomb.

1969 - Golda Meir of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, becomes Prime Minister of Israel.

1969 - The Longhope lifeboat in Scotland is lost, the entire crew of eight die

1970 - My Lai massacre: The United States Army charges 14 officers with suppressing information related to the incident.

1985 - Serial killer Richard Ramirez, the "Night Stalker", commits his first two murders in Los Angeles, California murder spree.

1988 - A Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, Avianca Flight 410, crashes into the side of the mountains near the Venezuelan border killing 143.

1992 - A suicide car-bomb kills 29 and injures 242 at the Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

2003 - British Cabinet Minister, Robin Cook, resigns over government plans for war with Iraq.

2004 - Massive Unrest in Kosovo. Over 22 killed, 200 wounded, 35 destroyed Serb Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Belgrade and Nis.

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1231 - Emperor Shijo of Japan (d. 1242)

1473 - King James IV of Scotland (d. 1513)

1628 - François Girardon, French sculptor (d. 1715)

1676 - Thomas Boston, Scottish church leader (d. 1732)

1725 - Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-born American military and political leader (d. 1806)

1777 - Roger Brooke Taney, 5th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (d. 1864)

1780 - Thomas Chalmers, Scottish pastor, social reformer, author, and scientist (d. 1847)

1804 - Jim Bridger, American trapper and explorer (d. 1881)

1820 - Jean Ingelow, English poet (d. 1897)

1834 - Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and inventor (d. 1900)

1846 - Kate Greenaway, English children's author and illustrator (d. 1901)

1856 - Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter (d. 1910)

1862 - Silvio Gesell, Belgian economist (d. 1930)

1866 - Pierce Butler, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1939)

1870 - Horace Donisthorpe, British entomologist (d. 1951)

1880 - Sir Patrick Hastings, British barrister (d. 1952)

1881 - Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)

1883 - Urmuz, Romanian writer (d. 1923)

1884 - Alcide Nunez, American jazz clarinetist (d. 1934)

1892 - Benjamin Drake Van Wissen, Australian Engineer (d. 1984)

1894 - Paul Green, American writer (d. 1981)

1901 - Alfred Newman, American film composer (d. 1970)

1902 - Bobby Jones, American golfer (d. 1971)

1907 - Sonny Werblin, former owner of the New York Jets (d. 1991)

1908 - Brigitte Helm, German actress (d. 1996)

1912 - Bayard Rustin, American civil rights activist (d. 1987)

1914 - Sammy Baugh, American football player

1916 - Ray Ellington, British singer (d. 1985)

1919 - Nat King Cole, American singer (d. 1965)

1926 - Siegfried Lenz, German writer

1930 - James Irwin, astronaut (d. 1991)

1936 - Ladislav Kupkovic, Slovakian composer

1936 - Ken Mattingly, astronaut

1938 - Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-born dancer and choreographer (d. 1993)

1938 - Keith Michael Patrick Cardinal O'Brien, Northern Irish clergyman

1939 - Jim Gary, American sculptor (d. 2006)

1940 - Mark White, American politician

1941 - Paul Kantner, American musician (Jefferson Airplane)

1942 - John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer (d. 1994)

1944 - Pattie Boyd, British photographer and model

1944 - Cito Gaston, baseball player and coach

1944 - John Sebastian, American singer and songwriter

1945 - Elis Regina, Brazilian singer (d. 1982)

1945 - Katri Helena, Finnish singer

1947 - James Morrow, author

1948 - William Gibson, American writer

1949 - Patrick Duffy, American actor

1949 - Pat Rice, Northern Irish footballer and football manager

1950 - Patrick Adams, American record producer and songwriter

1951 - Donald Findlay, Scottish Lawyer

1951 - Kurt Russell, American actor

1953 - Filemon Lagman, Filipino communist revolutionary (d. 2001)

1954 - Lesley-Anne Down, English actress

1955 - Gary Sinise, American actor

1955 - Cynthia Mckinney, Controversial American Politician

1956 - Patrick McDonnell, American cartoonist

1957 - Mal Donaghy, Northern Irish footballer

1957 - Michael Kelly, American journalist (d. 2003)

1959 - Danny Ainge, American basketball player and coach

1961 - Casey Siemaszko, American actor

1962 - Clare Grogan, Scottish actress-singer

1963 - Nick Peros, Canadian composer

1964 - Rob Lowe, American actor

1964 - Lee Dixon, English footballer

1967 - Billy Corgan, American musician

1967 - Barry Minkow, American businessman

1969 - Mathew St. Patrick, American actor

1970 - Yanic Truesdale, Canadian actor

1971 - Bill Mueller, baseball player

1972 - Melissa Auf der Maur, Canadian rock musician

1972 - Marc Gunn, poet, podcaster, and Celtic musician (Brobdingnagian Bards)

1972 - Mia Hamm, American soccer player

1973 - Rico Blanco, Filipino singer (Rivermaya)

1973 - Caroline Corr, Irish singer and musician

1975 - Justin Hawkins, British singer (The Darkness)

1975 - Andrew "Test" Martin, Canadian professional wrestler

1976 - Stephen Gately, Irish singer, musician, and actor (Boyzone)

1979 - Andrew Ference, Canadian hockey player

1979 - Samoa Joe, Samoan professional wrestler

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45 BC - Titus Labienus, Roman leader (in battle)

45 BC - Gnaeus Pompeius, the Younger, Roman general (executed)

180 - Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (b. 121)

493 - Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland

1040 - Harold Harefoot, King of England

1058 - King Lulach I of Scotland

1272 - Emperor Go-Saga of Japan (b. 1220)

1425 - Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Japanese shogun (b. 1407)

1516 - Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence (b. 1478)

1565 - Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian (b. 1500)

1620 - St. John Sarkander, Moravian priest, died of injuries caused by torturing

1640 - Philip Massinger, English dramatist (b. 1583)

1680 - François de La Rochefoucauld, French writer (b. 1613)

1704 - Menno van Coehoorn, Dutch military engineer (b. 1641)

1715 - Gilbert Burnet, Scottish Bishop of Salisbury (b. 1643)

1741 - Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet (b. 1671)

1764 - George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield, English astronomer

1782 - Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-born mathematician (b. 1700)

1830 - Laurent, Marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French marshal (b. 1764)

1846 - Friedrich Bessel, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1784)

1849 - William II of the Netherlands (b. 1792)

1853 - Christian Doppler, Austrian physician and mathematician (b. 1803)

1875 - Ferdinand Laub, Czech violinist (b. 1832)

1893 - Jules Ferry, French statesman (b. 1832)

1917 - Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (b. 1838)

1926 - Aleksei Brusilov, Russian general (b. 1853)

1937 - Austen Chamberlain, English statesman, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1863)

1949 - Aleksandra Ekster, Russian painter (b. 1882)

1956 - Fred Allen, American actor and comedian (b. 1894)

1956 - Irene Joliot-Curie, French physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b. 1897)

1957 - Ramon Magsaysay, President of the Philippines (b. 1907)

1965 - Amos Alonzo Stagg, baseball, basketball, and football coach and player (b. 1862)

1974 - Louis Kahn, American architect

1976 - Luchino Visconti, Italian director (b. 1906)

1981 - Paul Dean, baseball player (b. 1913)

1983 - Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)

1987 - Santo Trafficante, Jr., American gangster (b. 1914)

1989 - Merritt Butrick, American actor (b. 1959)

1990 - Capucine, French actress (b. 1931)

1993 - Helen Hayes, American actress (b. 1900)

1995 - Ronnie Kray, British gangster (b. 1933)

1999 - Ernest Gold, Austrian composer (b. 1921)

1999 - Rod Hull, British comedian (b. 1936)

2002 - Rosetta LeNoire, American actress and producer (b. 1911)

2002 - Pat Weaver, American broadcast executive (b. 1908)

2004 - J.J. Jackson, American television personality (b. 1941)

2005 - George F. Kennan, American Cold War strategist and historian (b. 1904)

2005 - Andre Norton, American writer (b. 1912)

2006 - Bob Blue, American singer-songwriter

2006 - Oleg Cassini, American fashion designer (b. 1913)

2006 - Ray Meyer, American basketball coach (b. 1913)

2006 - Robert DeWayne Papenbrook, American voice actor (b. 1955)

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Ancient Latvia - Kustonu Diena (return of the larks) observed

Feast day of St Patrick: a public holiday in Ireland (National feast) and Montserrat, widely celebrated in North America and worldwide (see St. Patrick's Day)

Boston, Massachusetts - Evacuation Day

Ancient Rome - the second day of the Bacchanalia in honor of Bacchus

Ancient Rome - the Liberalia in honor of Liber

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St. Agricola

St. Joseph of Arimathea