History of Today in India – 12 March

Explore the history of today 12 March in India, including important events, famous personalities, and milestones for UPSC SSC,Banking & PSC exams.

Last updated on 12 March 2026, 04:23 AM

📜 Important Events on 12 March in World History

12 Mar 2020: The United States suspends travel from Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
12 Mar 2019: In the House of Commons, the revised EU Withdrawal Bill was rejected by a margin of 149 votes. Read more
12 Mar 2018: US-Bangla Airlines Flight 211 crashes at Tribhuvan International Airport in Katmandu, killing 51 and injuring 20. Read more
12 Mar 2014: A gas explosion in the New York City neighborhood of East Harlem kills eight and injures 70 others. Read more
12 Mar 2011: A reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant explodes and releases radioactivity into the atmosphere a day after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Read more
12 Mar 2009: Financier Bernie Madoff pleads guilty to one of the largest frauds in Wall Street's history. Read more
12 Mar 2006: In Mahmoudiyah, Iraq, 14-year-old Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi is raped and murdered by five American soldiers of the 502nd Infantry Regiment, who also murder both of her parents and her sister. Read more
12 Mar 2004: President of South Korea, Roh Moo-hyun, is impeached by its National Assembly, the first such impeachment in the nation's history. Read more
12 Mar 2003: Zoran Đinđić, Prime Minister of Serbia, is assassinated in Belgrade. Read more
12 Mar 2003: The World Health Organization officially release a global warning of outbreaks of Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Read more
12 Mar 1999: Former Warsaw Pact members the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland join NATO. Read more
12 Mar 1993: Several bombs explode in Mumbai, India, killing about 300 people and injuring hundreds more. Read more
12 Mar 1993: North Korea announces that it will withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and refuses to allow inspectors access to its nuclear sites. Read more
12 Mar 1992: Mauritius becomes a republic while remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Read more
12 Mar 1989: Tim Berners-Lee submits his proposal to CERN for an information management system, which subsequently develops into the World Wide Web. Read more
12 Mar 1971: The 1971 Turkish military memorandum is sent to the Süleyman Demirel government of Turkey and the government resigns. Read more
12 Mar 1968: Mauritius gains independence from the United Kingdom. Read more
12 Mar 1967: Suharto takes power from Sukarno when the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly inaugurate him as Acting President of Indonesia. Read more
12 Mar 1950: The Llandow air disaster kills 80 people when the aircraft they are travelling in crashes near Sigingstone, Wales. At the time this was the world's deadliest air disaster. Read more
12 Mar 1947: Cold War: The Truman Doctrine is proclaimed to help stem the spread of Communism. Read more
12 Mar 1942: The Battle of Java ends with the surrender of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command to the Empire of Japan in Bandung, West Java, Dutch East Indies. Read more
12 Mar 1940: Winter War: Finland signs the Moscow Peace Treaty with the Soviet Union, ceding almost all of Finnish Karelia. Read more
12 Mar 1940: The most destructive train accident in Finnish history kills 39 and injures 69 people in Turenki, Janakkala. Read more
12 Mar 1938: Anschluss: German troops occupy and annex Austria. Read more
12 Mar 1933: Great Depression: Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses the nation for the first time as President of the United States. This is also the first of his "fireside chats". Read more
12 Mar 1930: Mahatma Gandhi begins the Salt March, a 200-mile (320 km) march to the sea to protest the British monopoly on salt in India. Read more
12 Mar 1928: In California, the St. Francis Dam fails; the resulting floods kill 431 people. Read more
12 Mar 1920: The Kapp Putsch begins when the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt is ordered to march on Berlin. Read more
12 Mar 1918: Moscow becomes the capital of Russia again after Saint Petersburg held this status for most of the period since 1713. Read more
12 Mar 1913: The future capital of Australia is officially named Canberra. Read more
12 Mar 1912: The Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA) are founded in the United States. Read more
12 Mar 1862: Paddle steamer Brother Jonathan docks in Fort Victoria (now Victoria, British Columbia), carrying smallpox-infected passengers from San Francisco. The ensuing epidemic killed an estimated two-thirds of First Nations in the province of British Columbia. Read more
12 Mar 1811: Peninsular War: A day after a successful rearguard action, French Marshal Michel Ney once again successfully delays the pursuing Anglo-Portuguese force at the Battle of Redinha. Read more

🎂 Important Births on 12 March in World History

12 Mar 2008: Emma Kok, Dutch singer Emma Kok is a Dutch singer. She rose to prominence in 2021 after winning the tenth season of The Voice Kids. In 2023, her performance of "Voilà" with André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra went viral, amassing more than 100 million views on YouTube. Read more
12 Mar 2004: DannyLux, American singer-songwriter Daniel Balderrama Espinoza better known by his stage name DannyLux, is an American singer-songwriter. He is well known for his hit song with Eslabón Armado called "Jugaste y Sufrí" which introduced him to the music industry, becoming one of the biggest new names in the regional Mexican genre. Read more
12 Mar 2003: Andrea Brillantes, Filipino actress and model Ramona Blythe Daguio Gorostiza, known professionally as Andrea Brillantes, is a Filipino actress. She began her career as a child actress, debuting in the sketch comedy show Goin' Bulilit. She starred in her breakthrough titular role, Annaliza and is best known for her portrayal as Marga in the melodrama Kadenang Ginto. Her accolades include two PMPC Star Awards for Television and a Box Office Entertainment Awards. Read more
12 Mar 2003: Malina Weissman, American actress and model Malina Weissman is an American actress and model, known for playing the roles of Violet Baudelaire in the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events, young April O'Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and young Kara Zor-El in Supergirl. Read more
12 Mar 2001: Max Duggan, American football player Maxwell Duggan is an American professional football quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs, winning several national awards after being part of the team that made it to the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship game. He was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft. Read more
12 Mar 2001: Kim Min-kyu, South Korean singer and actor Kim Min-kyu is a South Korean actor, model and singer. He has been cast in the Playlist's web drama "Pop Out Boy!" as the male lead Chun Nam-wook in 2020 and as Seo Ji-han in Idol: The Coup. Read more
12 Mar 1998: Carsen Edwards, American basketball player Carsen Cade Edwards is an American professional basketball player for Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers, where he was twice named an All-American. Read more
12 Mar 1998: Mecole Hardman, American football player Carey Mecole Hardman is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft, winning Super Bowl LIV, LVII, and LVIII with the team. In Super Bowl LVIII, Hardman scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime. He has also played for the New York Jets. Read more
12 Mar 1998: Daniel Samohin, Israeli figure skater Daniel Samohin is an Israeli figure skater who currently competes for the US. He is the 2016 World Junior champion, and has won two ISU Challenger Series medals, including a gold medal at the 2015 U.S. International Classic. Samohin is one of the few skaters to have landed two quad jumps in a short program, three quads in a free program, and five quads in one competition. He was a member of the Israeli delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Read more
12 Mar 1998: Elizaveta Ukolova, Czech figure skater Elizaveta Ukolova is a Czech figure skater. She has won three senior international medals and is a two-time Czech national silver medalist. She competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics and qualified for the free skate. Read more
12 Mar 1997: Dean Henderson, English footballer Dean Bradley Henderson is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Crystal Palace, whom he captains, and the England national team. Read more
12 Mar 1997: Allan Saint-Maximin, French footballer Allan Irénée Saint-Maximin, simply known as "Maxi", is a French professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ligue 1 club Lens. Read more
12 Mar 1997: Felipe Vizeu, Brazilian footballer Felipe dos Reis Pereira Vizeu do Carmo, known as just Felipe Vizeu, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Sporting Cristal. Read more
12 Mar 1996: Serhou Guirassy, French footballer Serhou Yadaly Guirassy is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. Born in France, he plays for the Guinea national team. Read more
12 Mar 1996: Karim Hafez, Egyptian footballer Karim Hafez Ramadan Seifeldin is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays for Egyptian Premier League club Pyramids and the Egyptian national team as a left-back. Read more
12 Mar 1996: Robert Murić, Croatian footballer Robert Murić is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Slovenian club NŠ Mura. Read more
12 Mar 1996: Cene Prevc, Slovenian ski jumper Cene Prevc is a retired Slovenian ski jumper. Read more
12 Mar 1994: Katie Archibald, Scottish track cyclist Katie Archibald is an elite racing cyclist, specialising in endurance track cycling events in which she represents Great Britain and Scotland. Read more
12 Mar 1994: Jerami Grant, American basketball player Houston Jerami Grant is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange and was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft. Grant has also played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, and Detroit Pistons. He won a gold medal with the 2020 U.S. Olympic team. Read more
12 Mar 1994: Christina Grimmie, American singer-songwriter (died 2016) Christina Victoria Grimmie was an American singer, songwriter, and internet personality. In 2009, she began posting covers of popular songs on YouTube. After releasing her debut EP, Find Me (2011), her YouTube channel reached one million subscribers. After she reached two million subscribers, she released her debut studio album, With Love (2013). Read more
12 Mar 1994: Tyler Patrick Jones, American actor Tyler Patrick Jones is an American former actor known for his recurring role as Ned Banks on the CBS television show Ghost Whisperer. Read more
12 Mar 1993: Shehu Abdullahi, Nigerian footballer Shehu Usman Abdullahi is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and defender for Nigeria Premier Football League team Kano Pillars. Read more
12 Mar 1993: Amjad Attwan, Iraqi footballer Amjad Attwan Kadhim Al-Magsoosi is an Iraqi professional footballer who currently plays for Zakho in the Iraq Stars League and the Iraq national team. He can be deployed as a defensive midfielder, central midfielder or attacking midfielder. Read more
12 Mar 1992: Daniele Baselli, Italian footballer Daniele Baselli is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie D club Chievo. He has also appeared for the Italy national team, earning one cap in 2018. Read more
12 Mar 1992: Jordan Ferri, French footballer Jordan Ferri is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian Serie B club Sampdoria. Read more
12 Mar 1992: Ciara Mageean, Irish middle-distance runner Ciara Mageean is a middle-distance runner from Portaferry in Northern Ireland who specialises in the 1500 metres. She is the 2024 European Athletics Championships gold medalist at the distance, the first individual Irish European champion since Sonia O'Sullivan. Read more
12 Mar 1992: Jiří Skalák, Czech footballer Jiří Skalák is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a winger for Czech First League side Dynamo České Budějovice. He has represented the Czech Republic internationally at youth levels U16 through U21. Read more
12 Mar 1991: Leandro Fernandez, Argentine footballer Leandro Miguel Fernández is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for Argentinos Juniors. Read more
12 Mar 1991: Felix Kroos, German footballer Felix Kroos is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played for Hansa Rostock, Werder Bremen, Union Berlin, and Eintracht Braunschweig and represented Germany at international levels U16 through U21. Read more
12 Mar 1990: Dont'a Hightower, American football coach and former player Qualin Dont'a Hightower is an American football coach and former linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons with the New England Patriots. Hightower played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, receiving consensus All-American honors and winning two BCS National Championships. Selected by New England in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft, he was named to two Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowl titles. After retiring, he served as the inside linebackers coach for the Patriots in 2024. Read more
12 Mar 1990: Marvin Jones, American football player Marvin Lewis Jones Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft and has also played for the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football for the California Golden Bears. Read more
12 Mar 1990: Alexander Kröckel, German skeleton racer Alexander Kröckel is a German skeleton racer who has competed since 2003. 2007 he joined the German national squad. He won Junior World Championships in 2011 and was second in 2010. 2011–12 Skeleton World Cup he finished 5th. Read more
12 Mar 1990: Dawid Kubacki, Polish ski jumper Dawid Grzegorz Kubacki is a Polish ski jumper. He is a member of the national team and competed at the Winter Olympics in 2014, 2018 and 2022, winning two bronze medals. He is the 2019 World Champion on the normal hill and winner of the 2019-20 Four Hills Tournament, as well as the 2017 World Champion and bronze medal winner at the 2013 World Championships in the large hill team competitions. Read more
12 Mar 1990: Irakli Kvekveskiri, Georgian footballer Irakli Kvekveskiri is a Russian-Georgian football player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Russian First League club Orenburg. Read more
12 Mar 1990: Matias Myttynen, Finnish ice hockey player Matias Myttynen is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward. He is currently playing for Jokerit of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Read more
12 Mar 1990: Ilija Nestorovski, Macedonian footballer Ilija Nestorovski is a Macedonian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Croatian club Slaven Belupo and the North Macedonia national team. Read more
12 Mar 1990: Milena Raičević, Montenegrin handballer Milena Raičević née Knežević, is a retired Montenegrin international handballer for
the Montenegrin national team. Read more
12 Mar 1990: Mikko Sumusalo, Finnish footballer Mikko Sumusalo is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a defender and captains Finnish Ykkösliiga club KTP. Sumusalo was born in Porvoo, Finland. Sumusalo began his senior club career playing for Klubi-04, before making his league debut for HJK at age 19 in 2009. He can play either leftback or wingback. Read more
12 Mar 1989: Jordan Adéoti, French footballer Jordan Souleymane Adéoti is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Championnat National 2 club Avranches. Born in France, he represents Benin at international level. Read more
12 Mar 1989: Vytautas Černiauskas, Lithuanian footballer Vytautas Černiauskas is a Lithuanian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for A Lyga club Panevėžys. Read more
12 Mar 1989: Tyler Clary, American swimmer Scott Tyler Clary is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist. In his Olympic debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Clary won gold in the 200-meter backstroke in Olympic record time. In total, he won sixteen medals in major international competitions: three gold, eight silver, and five bronze spanning the Summer Olympics, the FINA World Championships, the Pan Pacific Championships, and the Pan American Games. Read more
12 Mar 1989: Evgenii Dadonov, Russian ice hockey player Yevgeny Anatolyevich Dadonov is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is a winger for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played in two stints for the Florida Panthers where he was originally selected 71st overall in the 2007 NHL entry draft, as well as the Ottawa Senators, Vegas Golden Knights, Montreal Canadiens and Dallas Stars. Read more
12 Mar 1989: Richard Eckersley, English footballer Richard Jon Eckersley is an English former professional footballer who played as a full-back. Read more
12 Mar 1989: Chen Jianghua, Chinese basketball player Chen Jianghua is a Chinese former professional basketball player and current assistant coach of Guangdong Southern Tigers (China). Read more
12 Mar 1989: Dmitry Korobov, Belarusian ice hockey player Dmitri Nikolaievich Korobov, is a Belarusian professional ice hockey defenceman for HC Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Read more
12 Mar 1989: Siim Luts, Estonian footballer Siim Luts is an Estonian professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Paide Linnameeskond. Read more
12 Mar 1988: Sebastian Brendel, German canoe racer Sebastian Brendel is a German sprint canoeist who has competed since 2007. Brendel is the 2016 Olympic champion in the C-1 1000 metres and C-2 1000 metres events. Read more
12 Mar 1988: Kostas Mitroglou, Greek footballer Konstantinos Mitroglou is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is nicknamed "Mitrogoal" and "Pistolero" by fans due to his goalscoring abilities. Read more
12 Mar 1988: Titi, Brazilian footballer Cristian Chagas Tarouco, or simply Titi, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Goiás. Read more
12 Mar 1987: Manuele Boaro, Italian cyclist Manuele Boaro is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam XDS Astana Team. Read more
12 Mar 1987: Jessica Hardy, American swimmer Jessica Adele Hardy Meichtry is an American competitive swimmer who specializes in breaststroke and freestyle events. Hardy earned a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle and a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relays at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Read more
12 Mar 1987: Maxwell Holt, American volleyball player Maxwell Philip Holt is an American professional volleyball player who plays as a middle blocker for Beijing BAIC Motor of the Chinese league and the U.S. national team. Holt was a bronze medalist at the 2016 and 2024 Summer Olympics, and won gold medals in the 2014 World League, 2015 World Cup, and 2023 World Cup. Read more
12 Mar 1987: Teimour Radjabov, Azerbaijani chess player Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov is an Azerbaijani chess grandmaster. Read more
12 Mar 1987: Chris Seitz, American soccer player Christopher Seitz is an American former soccer player. He played as a goalkeeper in Major League Soccer from 2007 until his retirement in 2021. Read more
12 Mar 1987: Vadim Shipachyov, Russian ice hockey player Vadim Alexandrovich Shipachyov is a Russian professional ice hockey forward for Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He previously played for Severstal Cherepovets, SKA Saint Petersburg, HC Dynamo Moscow, Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL and the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Shipachyov currently holds the Kontinental Hockey League's all-time scoring record. Read more
12 Mar 1987: Pablo Velázquez, Paraguayan footballer Pablo César Leonardo Velázquez Centurión is a Paraguayan footballer who plays as a striker. He last played for River Plate (Asunción). Read more
12 Mar 1986: Martynas Andriuškevičius, Lithuanian basketball player Martynas Andriuškevičius is a Lithuanian former professional basketball player. He is a 2.18 m tall and 113 kg (250 lb) center. Andriuškevičius has noted perimeter skill for a player of his size, and has trained with former NBA center Arvydas Sabonis. Read more
12 Mar 1986: Oleh Dopilka, Ukrainian footballer Oleh Dopilka is a Ukrainian football defender who plays for FC Uzhhorod. Read more
12 Mar 1986: Danny Jones, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor Daniel Alan David Jones is a British singer, songwriter and musician who is one of the lead vocalists and the lead guitarist for pop-rock band McFly. Read more
12 Mar 1986: Ben Offereins, Australian runner Ben Offereins is an Australian track and field athlete. He became national 400 m champion and also represented Australia internationally. Read more
12 Mar 1986: František Rajtoral, Czech footballer (died 2017) František Rajtoral was a Czech professional footballer who played as a right winger or right-back. He was best known for his stint at Viktoria Plzeň. He was a member of the Czech Republic national team. Read more
12 Mar 1985: Marco Bonanomi, Italian racing driver Marco Erminio Bonanomi is an Italian professional racing driver. Read more
12 Mar 1985: Aleksandr Bukharov, Russian footballer Aleksandr Yevgenyevich Bukharov is a Russian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Read more
12 Mar 1985: Ed Clancy, English track and road cyclist Edward Franklin Clancy is a British former professional track and road bicycle racer, who competed between 2004 and 2021. Read more
12 Mar 1984: Jaimie Alexander, American actress Jaimie Lauren Alexander is an American actress. She is known for portraying Jessi on the TV series Kyle XY and Lady Sif in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Thor (2011), Thor: The Dark World (2013), and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), as well as the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013–2020) and the Disney+ series Loki and What If?…. From 2015 until 2020, she starred in the NBC series Blindspot. Read more
12 Mar 1984: Shreya Ghoshal, Indian singer Shreya Ghoshal is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. Noted for her wide vocal range and versatility, she is one of the most prolific and influential singers of India. She has recorded songs for films and albums in various Indian and foreign languages, receiving numerous accolades, including five National Film Awards, four Kerala State Film Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, two BFJA Awards, seven Filmfare Awards and ten Filmfare Awards South. Read more
12 Mar 1983: Atif Aslam, Pakistani singer and actor Muhammad Atif Aslam, also known mononymously by the hypocorism Aadeez, is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan films and Indian films, and is known for his vocal belting technique. His music style has been described as a mixture of Pakistani pop and Sufi rock. He made his Bollywood film debut in 2005 by singing the song "Aadat" from Kalyug. Read more
12 Mar 1983: Mikko Koivu, Finnish ice hockey player Mikko-Sakari Koivu is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. Koivu was drafted sixth overall in the 2001 NHL entry draft by the Minnesota Wild. After four seasons with TPS in the SM-liiga, Koivu joined the Wild in 2005. He spent fifteen seasons in Minnesota, including eleven as captain, accumulating several franchise records, including games played, assists and points scored. Koivu retired in 2021, after a short stint with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Read more
12 Mar 1982: Lili Bordán, Hungarian-American actress Lili Bordán is a Hungarian-American film and television actress. Read more
12 Mar 1982: Samm Levine, American actor and comedian Samuel Franklin Levine is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Neal Schweiber on NBC's Freaks and Geeks and PFC Hirschberg in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds. Levine was also the sidekick and fill-in host on the internet talk show Kevin Pollak's Chat Show. Levine was a regular competitor on Collider's Movie Trivia Schmoedown. Read more
12 Mar 1982: Ilya Nikulin, Russian ice hockey player Ilya Vladimirovich Nikulin is a Russian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played for HC Dynamo Moscow and Ak Bars Kazan in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Nikulin was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the second round, 31st overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. Read more
12 Mar 1982: Hisato Satō, Japanese footballer Hisato Sato is a Japanese former football player. He played as a forward for the Japan national team. His brother Yuto Sato is also a footballer. Read more
12 Mar 1982: Yūto Satō, Japanese footballer Yuto Sato is a Japanese retired football player. He played as a midfielder for the Japan national team. His brother Hisato Sato is also footballer. Read more
12 Mar 1982: Tobias Schweinsteiger, German footballer Tobias Schweinsteiger is a German former footballer who played as a forward. He most recently coached VfL Osnabrück. He is the older brother of former German international Bastian Schweinsteiger. Read more
12 Mar 1981: Kenta Kobayashi, Japanese wrestler and kick-boxer Kenta Kobayashi , known mononymously as Kenta, is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is the former two-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. A former amateur kickboxer, Kobayashi's wrestling style is based upon strong kicks and strikes. Kobayashi pioneered both the Go 2 Sleep and Busaiku Knee kick finishing manoeuvres, later popularized by CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, respectively. Read more
12 Mar 1981: Katarina Srebotnik, Slovenian tennis player Katarina Srebotnik is a Slovenian former professional tennis player. She reached a career-high singles ranking of world No. 20, on 7 August 2006. On 4 July 2011, she became the No. 1 of the WTA doubles rankings, holding this ranking for ten weeks. Read more
12 Mar 1981: Holly Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Holly Audrey Williams is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She is the granddaughter of Hank Williams, the half-niece of Jett Williams, daughter of Hank Williams Jr., half-sister of Hank Williams III, and half-aunt of Coleman Williams. Williams has released three studio albums: The Ones We Never Knew in 2004, Here with Me in 2009 and The Highway in 2013. The Highway was released on Williams' own label, Georgiana Records, and reached No. 146 on the Billboard 200 Read more
12 Mar 1980: Césinha, Brazilian footballer Carlos César dos Santos, known as Césinha, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a left winger. Read more
12 Mar 1980: Becky Holliday, American pole vaulter Rebecca "Becky" Holliday is an American pole vaulter. She placed 2nd at the 2012 US Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon with a final clearance of 14-11 (4.55m), qualifying her for the 2012 Summer Olympics where she finished 9th in the finals. In 2003, as a senior competing for the University of Oregon, Holliday placed 1st at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Her personal record is 4.60m, set in Des Moines, Iowa in 2010. Read more
12 Mar 1980: Jens Mouris, Dutch cyclist Jens Mouris is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist. Read more
12 Mar 1980: Douglas Murray, Swedish ice hockey player Douglas Thomas Lars Murray, nicknamed "Crankshaft", is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman. He was drafted in the 8th round, 241st overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 1999 NHL entry draft. Read more
12 Mar 1979: Charlie Bell, American basketball player and coach Charlie Will Bell III is an American professional former basketball player and coach. He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans, and then played parts of eight seasons in the NBA. He also served as an assistant coach for the Iowa Wolves of the NBA G League. and as an assistant coach for the Texas Legends of the NBA G League. Read more
12 Mar 1979: Rhys Coiro, American actor Rhys John Coiro is an American actor. He began acting on Broadway but is best known for on-screen roles such as Billy Walsh on the television series Entourage. Read more
12 Mar 1979: Pete Doherty, English musician, songwriter, actor, poet, writer, and artist Peter Doherty is an English musician. He is best known for being co-frontman of the Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie bands Babyshambles and Peter Doherty and the Puta Madres. Read more
12 Mar 1979: Jamie Dwyer, Australian field hockey player and coach Jamie Dwyer is an Australian field hockey player. He currently plays for YMCC Coastal City Hockey Club in the Melville Toyota League in Perth, Western Australia. He previously played for the Queensland Blades in the Australian Hockey League. He debuted for Australia as a junior player in 1995, and for the senior side in 2001. He played over 365 matches for Australia and scored over 244 goals. He represented Australia at the 2004 Summer Olympics where he won a gold medal and the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics where Australia won bronze medals. He has also represented Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games where he won a gold medal and the 2010 Commonwealth Games where he also won gold. He has won silver medals at the 2002 Men's Hockey World Cup and the 2006 Men's Hockey World Cup. He won a gold medal at the 2010 Men's Hockey World Cup and the 2014 Men's Hockey World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Read more
12 Mar 1979: Gerard López, Spanish footballer Gerard López Segú, usually known as just Gerard, is a Spanish former professional footballer, currently manager of the Catalonia national team. An all-around midfielder, he was known for precision passes and ball control skills. During his career, he played for several clubs, including Barcelona and Valencia, helping the latter to reach the 2000 Champions League final. Read more
12 Mar 1979: Ben Sandford, New Zealand skeleton racer Ben Sandford is a New Zealand skeleton racer who has competed since 2002. He finished tenth in the men's skeleton event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. He finished 11th at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Read more
12 Mar 1979: Edwin Villafuerte, Ecuadorian footballer Edwin Alberto Villafuerte Posligua is an Ecuadorian former goalkeeper who last played for Club Deportivo Quevedo. Read more
12 Mar 1979: Tim Wieskötter, German sprint canoer Tim Wieskötter is a German sprint canoer who has competed since the late 1990s. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he won a complete set of medals in the K-2 500 m event with Ronald Rauhe. Read more
12 Mar 1978: Marco Ferreira, Portuguese footballer Marco Júlio Castanheira Afonso Alves Ferreira is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a winger. Read more
12 Mar 1978: Casey Mears, American race car driver Casey James Mears is an American professional off-road and stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 66 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Garage 66. He has raced in IndyCar, NASCAR's three national series, including fifteen seasons in the Cup Series, SCORE International, and the Stadium Super Trucks. A former winner of the Coca-Cola 600, Mears is a member of the Mears racing family as the nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears and the son of IndyCar and off-road veteran Roger Mears. Read more
12 Mar 1978: Arina Tanemura, Japanese author and illustrator Arina Tanemura is a Japanese manga artist, illustrator, and character designer. She made her professional manga debut in 1996 with the one-shot The Style of the Second Love in the shōjo manga magazine Ribon Original and later published her first series, I.O.N, in 1997, in the main Ribon magazine. She gained mainstream popularity from the late 1990s to mid-2000s with her series Phantom Thief Jeanne, Full Moon o Sagashite, and The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross. Read more
12 Mar 1977: Michelle Burgher, track and field athlete Michelle Burgher is a track and field athlete, competing internationally for Jamaica. Read more
12 Mar 1977: Ramiro Corrales, American soccer player Ramiro Corrales is an American former professional soccer player. He spent most of his professional playing career with the San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer. Read more
12 Mar 1977: Amdy Faye, Senegalese footballer Amdy Moustapha Faye is a Senegalese former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder and could also play as a centre back. Read more
12 Mar 1977: Brent Johnson, American ice hockey player Brent Spencer Johnson is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League for the St. Louis Blues, Phoenix Coyotes, Washington Capitals, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. He is currently a studio analyst for Monumental Sports Network. Read more
12 Mar 1976: Deron Quint, American ice hockey player Deron Timothy Quint is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. His playing experience included spending time in the National Hockey League with the Winnipeg Jets, Phoenix Coyotes, New Jersey Devils, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders. Read more
12 Mar 1976: Zhao Wei, Chinese actress, film director, producer and pop singer Zhao Wei, also known as Vicky or Vicki Zhao, is a Chinese actress, singer, filmmaker, and businesswoman. Regarded as one of China's Four Dan Actresses, she rose to fame for her role in the television series My Fair Princess (1998–1999), followed by such popular dramas and films as Romance in the Rain (2001), Shaolin Soccer (2001), Moment in Peking (2005), Painted Skin (2008), Mulan (2009), Dearest (2014), for which she won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress, Lost in Hong Kong (2015) and Tiger Mom (2015). Zhao made her directorial debut with So Young (2013), which is a commercial and critical success. She is also a singer with 7 albums and the second largest shareholder of Alibaba Pictures. Zhao ranked 80th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, 22nd in 2014, 7th in 2015, and 28th in 2017. Read more
12 Mar 1975: Nicolae Grigore, Romanian footballer Nicolae Grigore is a former Romanian football player. Read more
12 Mar 1975: Edgaras Jankauskas, Lithuanian footballer Edgaras Jankauskas is a Lithuanian football manager and former professional player. He is the manager of the Lithuania national team. Read more
12 Mar 1975: Valérie Nicolas, French handball player Valérie Nicolas is a French handball goalkeeper and former player of the French national team. She became World Champion in 2003 with the French team, and was also voted Most Valuable Player and Best Goalkeeper. She was voted into the All-Star Team in the 2007 World Championship. Among her other triumphs are a silver medal from the World Championships, two bronze medals from the European Championships, victories at the Champions League, the EHF Cup, the Cup Winners' Cup, and both French and Danish national championships. Read more
12 Mar 1975: Srđan Pecelj, Bosnian footballer Srđan Pecelj is a Bosnian retired footballer who played as a defender. Read more
12 Mar 1974: Charles Akonnor, Ghanaian footballer Charles Kwabla Akonnor is a Ghanaian football manager and former player who most recently managed the Ghana national team. A former midfielder, he spent most of his club career in Germany. He made 51 appearances for the Ghana national team scoring 13 goals. Read more
12 Mar 1974: Walid Badir, Israeli footballer Walid Badir is an Israeli former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Read more
12 Mar 1972: Doron Sheffer, Israeli basketball player Doron Sheffer is an Israeli former professional basketball player. He spent most of his club career playing with Maccabi Tel Aviv. During his playing career he played at the point guard and shooting guard positions. During his playing days, his nickname was "The Iceman". Read more
12 Mar 1971: Raúl Mondesí, Dominican baseball player and politician Raúl Ramón Mondesí Avelino is a Dominican former politician and baseball player. Mondesí played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 13 seasons, primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and made his MLB debut with them in 1993. He was the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year in 1994, an MLB All-Star, and a two-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner. Known for his combination of power and speed, Mondesí twice achieved the 30–30 club. He led MLB right fielders in assists in three separate seasons over the course of his career. Read more
12 Mar 1971: Isaiah Rider, American basketball player and rapper Isaiah Rider Jr., nicknamed J.R., is an American former professional basketball player who played nine seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Read more
12 Mar 1971: Dragutin Topić, Serbian high jumper Dragutin Topić is a retired Serbian high jumper, former European champion and world junior record holder. Read more
12 Mar 1970: Karen Bradley, English politician Dame Karen Anne Bradley is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Staffordshire Moorlands since 2010 and the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee since 2024. She served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 2018 to 2019. Read more
12 Mar 1970: Dave Eggers, American author and screenwriter Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. His 2000 memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, became a bestseller and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Eggers is also the founder of several literary and philanthropic ventures, including the literary journal Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, the literacy project 826 Valencia, and the human rights non-profit organisation Voice of Witness. Additionally, he founded ScholarMatch, a program that connects donors with students needing funds for college tuition. His writing has appeared in publications including The New Yorker, Esquire, and The New York Times Magazine. Read more
12 Mar 1970: Mathias Grönberg, Swedish golfer Mathias David Grönberg is a Swedish professional golfer who now lives in the United States. He has played on the European Tour and PGA Tour. Read more
12 Mar 1970: Rex Walters, American basketball player and coach Rex Andrew Walters Sr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who last served as an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).He currently is the Head Coach at Regis University. Previously, he was the associate head coach at Wake Forest University under Danny Manning. Prior to Wake Forest, he spent time at Nevada under Eric Musselman. He has made head coaching stops with the Grand Rapids Drive, the University of San Francisco and Florida Atlantic University. Read more
12 Mar 1969: Graham Coxon, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Graham Leslie Coxon is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter who came to prominence as a founding member of the British rock band Blur, of which he was the lead guitarist and secondary vocalist. Read more
12 Mar 1969: Jake Tapper, American journalist and author Jacob Paul Tapper is an American journalist. He is the lead Washington anchor for CNN, hosts the weekday television news show The Lead with Jake Tapper, and co-hosts the Sunday morning public affairs program State of the Union. Read more
12 Mar 1968: Tammy Duckworth, Thai-American colonel, pilot, and politician Ladda Tammy Duckworth is an American politician and Army National Guard veteran serving as the junior United States senator from Illinois, a seat she has held since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented Illinois's 8th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017. Read more
12 Mar 1968: Aaron Eckhart, American actor and producer Aaron Edward Eckhart is an American actor. Born in Cupertino, California, Eckhart moved to the United Kingdom at an early age. He began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Australia for his high school senior year. He left high school without graduating, but earned a diploma through a professional education course, and then graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film. Read more
12 Mar 1967: Julio Dely Valdés, Panamanian footballer and manager Julio César Dely Valdés is a Panamanian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is a twin brother of Jorge Dely Valdés and younger brother of Armando Dely Valdés. Read more
12 Mar 1966: David Daniels, American countertenor David Daniels is an American countertenor. He was one of the most prominent classical stars to face criminal charges during the MeToo movement and pled guilty to sexual assault in 2023. Read more
12 Mar 1966: Grant Long, American basketball player and sportscaster Grant Andrew Long is an American former professional basketball player. He played over 1,000 games in the National Basketball Association over a 15-year career. Long had two relatives who were playing in the NBA during his tenure in the league: his uncle John Long, and his cousin Terry Mills. His brother is professional boxer Julius Long. Read more
12 Mar 1965: Steve Finley, American baseball player Steven Allen Finley is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for eight teams between 1989 and 2007, most notably the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks. He is one of only two players, along with Matt Herges, to play for all five National League West teams. An outstanding all-around player with power, speed, and defensive skill, he is one of only four players since 1945 with 300 home runs and 100 triples, along with Stan Musial, Willie Mays, and George Brett. He is also one of three players, along with Mays and Ken Griffey Jr., to have 2,500 hits and win five Gold Glove Awards in center field. Read more
12 Mar 1965: Ivari Padar, former Minister of Finance and Minister of Agriculture of the Estonian Social Democratic Party Ivari Padar is an Estonian-Võro politician. He is a former Minister of Finance, Minister of Agriculture and chairman of the Estonian Social Democratic Party. Read more
12 Mar 1964: Dieter Eckstein, German footballer Dieter Eckstein is a German former professional footballer who played as a striker. Read more
12 Mar 1964: Umirzak Shukeyev, Kazakh chairman of Samruk-Kazyna Umirzak Shukeyev is a Kazakh politician who's serving as the akim of Turkistan Region since 2019. Prior to that, he served as the Minister of Agriculture from 2017 to 2019, chairman of Samruk-Kazyna, Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund from 2011 to 2017, First Deputy Prime Minister from 2009 to 2011, and prior to that, Deputy Prime Minister from 2007, akim of South Kazakhstan from 2006 to 2007, akim of Astana from 2004 to 2006, akim of Kostanay Region from 1998 to 2004, Minister of Economy and Trade from 1995 to 1997 while serving as Deputy Prime Minister. Read more
12 Mar 1963: John Andretti, American race car driver (died 2020) John Andrew Andretti was an American professional race car driver. He won individual races in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series, and NASCAR during his career. A member of the Andretti racing family, he was the son of Aldo Andretti, older brother of racer Adam Andretti, nephew of Mario Andretti, and the cousin to CART drivers Michael and Jeff Andretti. He was also the first cousin once-removed of Marco Andretti. Read more
12 Mar 1963: Candy Costie, American swimmer Candace (Candy) Costie, known by her married name Candace Costie Merrill since 1995, is an American former synchronized swimming competitor who competed for the University of Arizona, and was a 1984 Los Angeles Olympic gold medal winner in the solo event. She later worked as a broadcaster for sporting events, and in real estate development for her husband's Merrill Company. Read more
12 Mar 1963: Joaquim Cruz, Brazilian runner and coach Joaquim Carvalho Cruz is a Brazilian former middle-distance runner, winner of the 800 meters at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He is one of only ten men, and in August 1984 became the second man, to run the 800 metres in less than 1 minute 42 seconds. Read more
12 Mar 1963: Reiner Gies, German boxer Reiner Gies is a former German boxer who won a Light Welterweight Bronze Medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics for West Germany. Four years earlier, when Los Angeles, California hosted the Games, he was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Read more
12 Mar 1963: Ian Holloway, English footballer and manager Ian Scott Holloway is an English professional football manager, former player, media personality and television pundit who is the manager of EFL League Two club Swindon Town. Read more
12 Mar 1963: Paul Way, English golfer Paul Graham Albert Way is an English professional golfer. Read more
12 Mar 1963: Jake Weber, English actor Jake T. Weber is an English actor. He is known in film for his role as Michael in Dawn of the Dead and for his role as Drew in Meet Joe Black. On television, he is best known for playing Joe DuBois, the sleep-deprived husband of psychic Allison DuBois, in the popular drama series Medium. Read more
12 Mar 1962: Julia Campbell, American actress Julia Campbell is an American actress. She began her career starring in the daytime television soap operas Ryan's Hope and Santa Barbara, before playing the lead in the short-lived sitcom Women in Prison (1987–1988). Her most noted role to date was "mean girl" Christie Masters in the 1997 comedy film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion. Read more
12 Mar 1962: Andreas Köpke, German footballer Andreas "Andy" Köpke is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. After being selected for the Germany national team squads that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and reached the quarter-finals of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, he succeeded Bodo Illgner to become Germany's first-choice goalkeeper at UEFA Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Read more
12 Mar 1962: Chris Sanders, American illustrator and voice actor Christopher Michael Sanders is an American filmmaker, animator, writer, storyboard artist and voice actor. His credits include Lilo & Stitch (2002) and How to Train Your Dragon (2010), both of which he co-wrote and directed with Dean DeBlois; The Croods (2013) with Kirk DeMicco; and The Wild Robot (2024), receiving nominations for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature for all of them. In 2020, he made his live-action directorial debut with the adventure-drama The Call of the Wild. He created the popular Disney character Stitch in 1985, wrote the film's story, and voiced Stitch in most of his media appearances. Read more
12 Mar 1962: Darryl Strawberry, American baseball player and minister Darryl Eugene Strawberry Sr. is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Throughout his career, Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in the sport, known for his prodigious home runs and his intimidating presence in the batter's box with his 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) frame and his long, looping swing that elicited comparisons to Ted Williams. Read more
12 Mar 1962: Titus Welliver, American actor Titus B. Welliver is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of the Man in Black in Lost, Silas Adams in Deadwood, Jimmy O'Phelan in Sons of Anarchy, and the title role in the television series Bosch and Bosch: Legacy. He is also known for his collaborations with Ben Affleck, starring in his films Gone Baby Gone (2007), The Town (2010), Argo (2012), and Live by Night (2016). Read more
12 Mar 1960: Jason Beghe, American actor Jason Deneen Beghe is an American actor. Since 2014, he has starred in the NBC TV series Chicago P.D. as Sergeant Hank Voight. He is also known for starring in the 1988 George A. Romero film Monkey Shines, playing Demi Moore's love interest in G.I. Jane, appearing as a police officer in the film Thelma & Louise, starring opposite Moira Kelly in the television series To Have & to Hold, and having recurring roles on Picket Fences, Melrose Place, Chicago Hope, American Dreams, Cane, and Californication. Read more
12 Mar 1960: Courtney B. Vance, American actor and painter Courtney Bernard Vance is an American actor. He started his career on stage before moving to film and television. Vance has received various accolades, including a Tony Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as nominations for a Grammy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award. Read more
12 Mar 1959: Milorad Dodik, Bosnian Serb politician and president of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik is a Bosnian Serb politician who served as the 8th President of Republika Srpska from 2022 until his removal from office in 2025. Having previously held the office from 2010 to 2018, he also served as the 7th Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2018 to 2022. Read more
12 Mar 1959: Luenell, American comedian and actress Luenell Campbell, known mononymously as Luenell, is an American comedian and actress. Read more
12 Mar 1959: Michael Walter, German luger (died 2016) Michael Walter was a German luger who competed during the 1980s. He won two medals in the men's singles event at the FIL World Luge Championships with a gold in 1985 and a silver in 1981. Read more
12 Mar 1958: Phil Anderson, English-Australian cyclist Philip Grant Anderson is an Australian former professional racing cyclist who was the first non-European to wear the yellow jersey of the Tour de France. Read more
12 Mar 1957: Patrick Battiston, French footballer and coach Patrick Raymond Jean Battiston is a French former footballer who played as a defender for the France national team in three World Cups and won UEFA Euro 1984. At club level, he played for Metz, Saint-Étienne, Bordeaux, and Monaco, winning five Ligue 1 titles and one Coupe de France. Read more
12 Mar 1957: Marlon Jackson, American singer-songwriter and dancer Marlon David Jackson is an American singer and dancer best known as a member of the Jackson 5. He is the sixth child of the Jackson family. Marlon now runs Study Peace Foundation to promote peace and unity worldwide. Read more
12 Mar 1957: Andrey Lopatov, Soviet basketball player (died 2022) Andrey Vyacheslavovich Lopatov was a Russian basketball player who competed for the Soviet Union for many years and won a bronze medal at the 1980 Summer Olympics. Read more
12 Mar 1956: Ove Aunli, former Norwegian cross-country skier Ove Robert Aunli is a Norwegian former cross-country skier. He took the Olympic bronze medal in 1980 Lake Placid when Thomas Wassberg beat Juha Mieto by one-hundredth of a second for the gold medal, and won a silver medal as part of Norway's 4 × 10 km relay team. Read more
12 Mar 1956: Stanisław Bobak, Polish ski jumper (died 2010) Stanisław Bobak was a Polish ski jumper. Read more
12 Mar 1956: Steve Harris, English bass player and songwriter Stephen Percy Harris is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist for heavy metal band Iron Maiden, which he founded in 1975. He is the only member who has been in the band for its entire history, while he and guitarist Dave Murray are the only members who have appeared on all of the band's studio albums. Read more
12 Mar 1956: Lesley Manville, English actress Lesley Ann Manville is a British actress. Known for her performances on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including two Laurence Olivier Awards and nominations for an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, five British Academy Television Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Read more
12 Mar 1956: Dale Murphy, American baseball player Dale Bryan Murphy is an American former outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for three National League (NL) teams, mainly the Atlanta Braves, from 1976 to 1993. A 7-time All-Star, he led the NL in home runs, runs batted in and slugging percentage twice each. Playing on frequently poor teams that posted only three winning seasons in his 15 years with Atlanta, he was named the NL's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1982 after leading the Braves to their first division title in 13 years, topping the league with 109 RBI. He was again named the MVP in 1983 after improving his batting figures in nearly every category, batting .302 with a career-high 121 RBI, and becoming only the sixth player in history with 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season. A model of reliability in the Braves lineup, he played in 740 consecutive games from 1981 to 1986, then the sixth-longest streak in NL history. His 308 home runs in the 1980s were the second most by any major league player, behind only Mike Schmidt, and his 929 RBI in the decade tied him with Schmidt for the most in the NL, despite the Braves posting the league's worst record in that time. Highly regarded for his throwing arm, Murphy won five consecutive Gold Glove Awards as a center fielder, and his 99 assists and 21 double plays in the 1980s topped all NL outfielders. Read more
12 Mar 1956: Pim Verbeek, Dutch football manager (died 2019) Peter Tim Dirk "Pim" Verbeek was a Dutch football manager who last coached the Oman national football team. Read more
12 Mar 1954: Anish Kapoor, Indian-English sculptor Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor is a British sculptor specializing in installation art and conceptual art. Born in Mumbai, Kapoor attended the all-boys Indian boarding school The Doon School, before moving to the United Kingdom to begin his art training at Hornsey College of Art and, later, Chelsea School of Art and Design. Read more
12 Mar 1953: Pavel Pinigin, former Soviet wrestler and Olympic champion Pavel Pinigin is a former Soviet wrestler and Olympic champion in Freestyle wrestling. He is also three times world champion in freestyle wrestling. He is married to athlete and Olympic champion Mariya Pinigina. Read more
12 Mar 1952: André Comte-Sponville, French philosopher André Comte-Sponville is a French philosopher. Read more
12 Mar 1952: John Mitchell, English footballer John Mitchell is an English former footballer who played as a forward in the Football League. Read more
12 Mar 1952: Yasuhiko Okudera, former Japanese footballer Yasuhiko Okudera is a Japanese former football player and manager. He is the president of J2 League club Yokohama FC and was formerly the president of English club Plymouth Argyle. A midfielder, Okudera was the first Japanese footballer to play professionally in Europe, as well as being the first Asian football player to score in the European Cup, while playing for 1. FC Köln in the 1979 semi-final match against Nottingham Forest and made 32 appearances – scoring nine goals – with the Japan national team. Read more
12 Mar 1950: Javier Clemente, Spanish footballer and manager Javier Clemente Lázaro is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Read more
12 Mar 1949: Rob Cohen, American director, producer, and screenwriter Robert Alan Cohen is an American director and producer of film and television. Beginning his career as an executive producer at 20th Century Fox, Cohen produced and developed numerous high-profile film and television programs, including Dragonheart, The Wiz, The Witches of Eastwick and Light of Day until he began focusing on full-time directing in the 1990s. He directed the action films The Fast and the Furious and XXX. Read more
12 Mar 1949: Mary Catherine Lamb, American textile artist Mary Catherine Lamb was an American textile artist, whose quilts reframed traditional Roman Catholic iconography. Recycling vintage textiles popular during the mid-20th century, she both honored and affectionately skewered her Catholic upbringing. Read more
12 Mar 1949: David Mellor, British politician David John Mellor is a British broadcaster, barrister, and former politician. As a member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister John Major as Chief Secretary to the Treasury (1990–1992) and Secretary of State for National Heritage, before resigning in 1992. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Putney from 1979 to 1997. Since leaving Parliament, Mellor has worked as a newspaper columnist, a radio presenter, and an after-dinner speaker. He also served as Chairman of the government's Football Task Force. Read more
12 Mar 1948: Virginia Bottomley, Scottish social worker and politician, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Virginia Hilda Brunette Maxwell Bottomley, Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, is a British Conservative Party politician and headhunter. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons from 1984 to 2005. She became a member of the House of Lords in 2005. Read more
12 Mar 1948: Kent Conrad, American politician Gaylord Kent Conrad is a former American politician who was a United States senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1986, he served as chairman or ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee for 12 years. Read more
12 Mar 1948: James Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. As a six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. Read more
12 Mar 1947: Peter Harry Carstensen, German educator and politician Peter Harry Carstensen is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). From 2005 to 2012 he was Minister President of the state of Schleswig-Holstein, serving as President of the Bundesrat in 2005/06. Read more
12 Mar 1947: Jan-Erik Enestam, Finland-Swedish politician Jan-Erik Enestam is a Finnish politician from the Swedish People's Party. He served as Minister of Defence from 1999 to 2003 under Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen and Minister of the Environment under Prime Ministers Anneli Jäätteenmäki and Matti Vanhanen from 2003 to 2006. Read more
12 Mar 1947: David Rigert, Soviet Olympic weightlifter David Adamovich Rigert is a Russian retired weightlifter and weightlifting coach of Austrian ancestry. During his career, he competed for the Soviet Union and set 65 ratified world records, and won an Olympic gold medal in 1976 and six world titles. Read more
12 Mar 1947: Mitt Romney, American businessman and politician, 70th Governor of Massachusetts Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and retired politician who served as a United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. Read more
12 Mar 1946: Dean Cundey, American cinematographer and film director Dean Raymond Cundey, A.S.C. is an American cinematographer and film director. Read more
12 Mar 1946: Liza Minnelli, American actress, singer and dancer Liza May Minnelli is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and four Tony Awards. She is one of the few performers awarded a non-competitive EGOT having received an honorary Grammy Award. Minnelli is a Knight of the French Legion of Honour. Read more
12 Mar 1946: Frank Welker, American voice actor and singer Franklin Wendell Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific voice actors in history. With his films earning a total worldwide box-office gross of $17.4 billion, he is also the fourth-highest-grossing actor as of 2024. Read more
12 Mar 1945: Anne Summers, Australian feminist writer, editor, publisher and public servant Anne Summers is an Australian writer and columnist, best known as a leading feminist, editor and publisher. She was formerly First Assistant Secretary of the Office of the Status of Women in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Her contributions are also noted in The Australian Media Hall of Fame biographical entry. Read more
12 Mar 1944: Erwin Mueller, former American basketball player (died 2018) Erwin Louis Mueller was an American basketball player. A 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) power forward/center, he attended the University of San Francisco where he was All–Conference and was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 1966 NBA draft. Read more
12 Mar 1943: Ratko Mladić, Serbian general Ratko Mladić is a Serbian former military officer who led the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Yugoslav Wars. In 2017, he was found guilty of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He is serving a life sentence for these crimes in The Hague. Read more
12 Mar 1942: Jimmy Wynn, American baseball player (died 2020) James Sherman Wynn, nicknamed "the Toy Cannon", was an American professional baseball player. He played 15 seasons as a center fielder; he spent ten of his fifteen seasons with the Houston Colt .45s / Astros before playing two All-Star seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers and then two more seasons with three other teams. Wynn was nicknamed "The Toy Cannon" because his bat was described as having a lot of "pop" for his small size at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) and 160 lb (73 kg). Read more
12 Mar 1941: Josip Skoblar, former Croatian footballer Josip Skoblar is a Croatian former professional football player and manager. He was primarily a forward, and also capable of playing on both wings. In 1971, he won the European Golden Shoe with 44 goals. Read more
12 Mar 1940: Al Jarreau, American singer (died 2017) Alwin Lopez Jarreau was an American singer. His 1981 album Breakin' Away spent two years on the Billboard 200 and is considered one of the finest examples of the Los Angeles pop and R&B sound. The album won Jarreau the 1982 Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. In all, he won ten Grammy Awards and was nominated 19 other times during his career. Read more
12 Mar 1938: Vladimir Msryan, Armenian actor (died 2010) Vladimir Ivanovich Msryan was an Armenian stage and film actor. Read more
12 Mar 1938: Johnny Rutherford, American race car driver and sportscaster John Sherman Rutherford III, also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. During an Indy Car career that spanned more than three decades, he scored 27 wins and 23 pole positions in 314 starts. He became one of six drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 at least three times, winning in 1974, 1976, and 1980. He also won the CART championship in 1980. Read more
12 Mar 1938: Ken Spears, American writer (died 2020) Charles Kenneth Spears was an American animator, writer, television producer and sound editor. He was best known as a co-creator of the Scooby-Doo franchise, together with Joe Ruby. In 1977, they co-founded the television animation production company Ruby-Spears Productions. Spears and Ruby created many other shows such as Jabberjaw, Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, and Fangface. Spears also worked on the shows Sectaurs, Mister T and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Read more
12 Mar 1938: Juan Horacio Suárez, Argentine bishop Juan Horacio Suárez is an Argentine Roman Catholic bishop. Read more
12 Mar 1938: Ron Tutt, American drummer (died 2021) Ronald Ellis Tutt was an American drummer who was the principal drummer for Elvis Presley, the Carpenters, Roy Orbison, Neil Diamond, and Jerry Garcia. He was also a session drummer who recorded with some of the most prominent musicians of his day. Read more
12 Mar 1937: Zoltán Horvath, Hungarian sabre fencer Zoltán Horváth was a Hungarian sabre fencer. At the 1960 Olympics, he won the gold medal in the team competition, and the individual silver medal behind teammate Rudolf Kárpáti. Horváth also took part in the 1964 Olympics, placing fifth in the team competition. Read more
12 Mar 1937: Zurab Sotkilava, Georgian operatic tenor (died 2017) Zurab Lavrentyevich Sotkilava was a Soviet and Georgian operatic tenor. Since the early 1970s, he lived and worked in Moscow. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1979. Read more
12 Mar 1936: Virginia Hamilton, American children's books author (died 2002) Virginia Esther Hamilton was an American children's books author. She wrote 41 books, including M. C. Higgins, the Great (1974), for which she won the U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature
and the Newbery Medal in 1975. Her works were celebrated for exploring the African-American experience, what she called "Liberation Literature." Read more
12 Mar 1936: Michał Heller, Polish professor of philosophy Michał Kazimierz Heller, also known as Michael Heller, is a Polish philosopher, theoretical physicist, cosmologist, theologian, and Catholic priest. He is a professor of philosophy at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Kraków, Poland, and an adjunct member of the Vatican Observatory staff. Read more
12 Mar 1936: Eddie Sutton, American basketball player and coach (died 2020) Edward Eugene Sutton was an American college basketball coach. A native of Bucklin, Kansas, Sutton played college basketball at Oklahoma A&M and was a head coach at the high school, junior college, and college levels spanning six decades. Read more
12 Mar 1935: Chiam See Tong, Singaporean lawyer and politician Chiam See Tong is a Singaporean former politician and lawyer who was serving as secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), between 1980 to 1993, and later served as secretary-general of the Singapore People's Party (SPP) between 2011 to 2019 and as chairman of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) from 2001 to 2011. Chiam was the de facto Leader of the Opposition from 1986 to 1993 and again from 1997 to 2006. Throughout his parliamentary career, he had represented Potong Pasir from 1984 to 2011. Read more
12 Mar 1934: Francisco J. Ayala, Spanish-American evolutionary biologist and philosopher (died 2023) Francisco José Ayala Pereda was a Spanish-American evolutionary biologist and philosopher who was a longtime faculty member at the University of California, Irvine, and University of California, Davis. Read more
12 Mar 1933: Myrna Fahey, American actress (died 1973) Myrna Fahey was an American actress known for her role as Maria Crespo in Walt Disney's Zorro and as Madeline Usher in The Fall of the House of Usher. Read more
12 Mar 1933: Barbara Feldon, American actress Barbara Feldon is an American actress primarily known for her roles on television. Her most prominent role was that of Agent 99 in the 1965–1970 sitcom Get Smart which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Read more
12 Mar 1932: Bob Houbregs, Canadian basketball player (died 2014) Robert J. Houbregs was a Canadian professional basketball player. Houbregs was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. Read more
12 Mar 1932: Andrew Young, American pastor and politician, 14th United States Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Jackson Young Jr. is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and a close confidant to Martin Luther King Jr. A member of the Democratic Party, Young later became active in politics, serving as a U.S. Congressman from Georgia, United States Ambassador to the United Nations in the Carter Administration, and 55th Mayor of Atlanta. He was the first African American elected to Congress from Georgia since Reconstruction, as well as one of the first two African Americans elected to Congress from the former Confederacy since Reconstruction. Since leaving office, Young has founded or served in many organizations working on issues of public policy and political lobbying. Read more
12 Mar 1931: Józef Tischner, Polish priest and philosopher (died 2000) Józef Stanisław Tischner was a Polish priest and philosopher. The first chaplain of the trade union, "Solidarity". Read more
12 Mar 1930: Antony Acland, English former diplomat and Provost of Eton College (died 2021) Sir Antony Arthur Acland was a British diplomat and a provost of Eton College. Read more
12 Mar 1930: Vern Law, American baseball player and manager Vernon Sanders Law is an American former baseball pitcher who played sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in 1950–51 and 1954–67. He batted and threw right-handed and was listed at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and 195 pounds (88 kg). Law signed for the Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1948 and made his major-league debut in 1950. In 1960, he won both the Cy Young Award and a World Series ring as a member of the Pirates. He is currently the oldest living Cy Young Award winner. In 1965, he won the Lou Gehrig Award and the Associated Press's National League Comeback Player of the Year Award. A control pitcher, he finished among the top three National League pitchers in bases on ball per nine innings pitched in multiple seasons. Law was inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame in August 2025. At the time, he was the 11th oldest living Major League player. Read more
12 Mar 1929: Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (died 2014) Win Tin was a Burmese journalist, politician and political prisoner. He co-founded the National League for Democracy (NLD). He was imprisoned by the military government for 19 years (1989–2008) for his writings and his leadership position in the NLD. Read more
12 Mar 1928: Edward Albee, American director and playwright (died 2016) Edward Franklin Albee III was an American playwright known for works such as The Zoo Story (1958), The Sandbox (1959), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962), A Delicate Balance (1966), and Three Tall Women (1994). Some critics have argued that some of his work constitutes an American variant of what Martin Esslin identified as and named the Theater of the Absurd. Three of his plays won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and two of his other works won the Tony Award for Best Play. Read more
12 Mar 1927: Raúl Alfonsín, Argentine lawyer and politician, 46th President of Argentina (died 2009) Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as president of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after the National Reorganization Process. Ideologically, he identified as a radical and a social democrat, serving as the leader of the Radical Civic Union from 1983 to 1991, 1993 to 1995, 1999 to 2001. His political approach was known as "Alfonsinism". Read more
12 Mar 1927: Emmett Leith, American professor of electrical engineering and co-inventor of three-dimensional holography (died 2005) Emmett Norman Leith was a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Michigan and, with Juris Upatnieks of the University of Michigan, the co-inventor of three-dimensional holography. Read more
12 Mar 1927: Sudharmono, Indonesian politician, 5th Vice President of Indonesia (died 2006) Sudharmono, also known by his nickname Pak Dar, was an Indonesian Army officer and politician who served as the fifth vice president of Indonesia from 1988 until 1993 under the New Order regime. Previously, he served in several positions in the government and military, including as the Chairman of Golkar, State Secretary of Indonesia, and a lieutenant general in the army. Read more
12 Mar 1926: George Ariyoshi, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Hawaii George Ryoichi Ariyoshi is an American lawyer and politician who served as the third governor of Hawaii from 1974 to 1986. A Democrat, he is Hawaii's longest-serving governor and the first American of Asian descent to serve as governor of a U.S. state. He assumed gubernatorial powers and duties when Governor John A. Burns was declared incapacitated in October 1973 and was elected in 1974, becoming the first Asian-American to be elected governor of a U.S. state or territory. His lengthy tenure is a record likely to remain unbroken due to term limits enacted after he left office. Since the death of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter from Georgia in December 2024, he is the oldest living former governor of any U.S. state. Read more
12 Mar 1926: Arthur A. Hartman, American career diplomat (died 2015) Arthur Adair Hartman was an American career diplomat who served as Ambassador to France under Jimmy Carter and Ambassador to the Soviet Union under Ronald Reagan. Read more
12 Mar 1926: John Clellon Holmes, American author and professor (died 1988) John Clellon Holmes was an American author, poet and professor, best known for his 1952 novel Go. Considered the first "Beat" novel, Go depicted events in his life with his friends Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Allen Ginsberg. He was often referred to as the "quiet Beat" and was one of Kerouac's closest friends. Holmes also wrote what is considered the definitive jazz novel of the Beat Generation, The Horn. Read more
12 Mar 1926: David Nadien, American violinist (died 2014) David Nadien was an American virtuoso violinist and violin teacher. He was the concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic from 1966 to 1970. His playing style, characterized by fast vibrato, audible shifting noises, and superb bow control, has been compared to that of Jascha Heifetz. Read more
12 Mar 1925: Leo Esaki, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Leo Esaki is a Japanese solid-state physicist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics with Ivar Giaever and Brian Josephson for his work on tunneling in semiconductors, which led to his invention of the tunnel diode that exploits this phenomenon. His research was done when he was with Sony. He has also contributed in being a pioneer of semiconductor superlattices. Read more
12 Mar 1925: Harry Harrison, American author and illustrator (died 2012) Harry Max Harrison was an American science fiction author, known mostly for his character The Stainless Steel Rat and for his novel Make Room! Make Room! (1966). The latter was the rough basis for the motion picture Soylent Green (1973). Long resident in both Ireland and the United Kingdom, Harrison was involved in the foundation of the Irish Science Fiction Association, and was, with Brian Aldiss, co-president of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group. Read more
12 Mar 1923: Hjalmar Andersen, Norwegian speed skater and cyclist (died 2013) Hjalmar "Hjallis" Johan Andersen was a speed skater from Norway who won three gold medals at the 1952 Winter Olympic Games of Oslo, Norway. He was the only triple gold medalist at the 1952 Winter Olympics, and as such, became the most successful athlete there. Read more
12 Mar 1923: Norbert Brainin, Austrian violinist (died 2005) Norbert Brainin was the first violinist of the Amadeus Quartet, one of the world's most highly regarded string quartets. Read more
12 Mar 1923: Wally Schirra, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (died 2007) Walter Marty Schirra Jr. was an American naval aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. In 1959, he became one of the original seven astronauts chosen for Project Mercury, which was the United States' first effort to put humans into space. On October 3, 1962, he flew the six-orbit, nine-hour, Mercury-Atlas 8 mission, in a spacecraft he nicknamed Sigma 7, becoming the fifth American and ninth human to travel into space. In December 1965, as part of the two-man Gemini program, he achieved the first space rendezvous, station-keeping his Gemini 6A spacecraft within 1 foot (30 cm) of the sister Gemini 7 spacecraft. In October 1968, he commanded Apollo 7, an 11-day low Earth orbit shakedown test of the three-man Apollo Command/Service Module and the first crewed launch for the Apollo program. Read more
12 Mar 1923: Mae Young, American wrestler (died 2014) Johnnie Mae Young was an American professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. She wrestled throughout the United States and Canada and won multiple titles in the National Wrestling Alliance. Young is considered one of the pioneers in women's wrestling as she helped to increase the popularity of the sport throughout the 1940s and during World War II. In 1954, she and Mildred Burke were among the first female competitors to tour post-war Japan. Read more
12 Mar 1922: Jack Kerouac, American author and poet (died 1969) Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac, known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Read more
12 Mar 1922: Lane Kirkland, American sailor and union leader (died 1999) Joseph Lane Kirkland was an American labor union leader who served as President of the AFL–CIO from 1979 to 1995. Read more
12 Mar 1921: Gianni Agnelli, Italian businessman (died 2001) Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli, nicknamed L'Avvocato, was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce, and 16.5% of its industrial investment in research. He was the richest man in modern Italian history. Read more
12 Mar 1921: Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (died 1986) Albert Gordon MacRae was an American actor, singer, and television and radio host. He appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! (1955) and Carousel (1956), and played the leading man opposite Doris Day in On Moonlight Bay (1951) and its sequel, By The Light of the Silvery Moon (1953). Read more
12 Mar 1918: Elaine de Kooning, American painter and academic (died 1989) Elaine Marie Catherine de Kooning was an Abstract Expressionist and Figurative Expressionist painter in the post-World War II era. She wrote extensively on the art of the period and was an editorial associate for Art News magazine. Read more
12 Mar 1918: Pádraig Faulkner, Irish Fianna Fáil politician (died 2012) Pádraig Faulkner was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1980 to 1981, Minister for Defence 1979 to 1980, Minister for Posts and Telegraphs and Minister for Tourism and Transport from 1977 to 1979, Minister for Education from 1969 to 1973, Minister for the Gaeltacht and Minister for Lands from 1968 to 1969 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Gaeltacht from 1965 to 1968. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Louth constituency from 1957 to 1987. Read more
12 Mar 1917: Leonard Chess, American record company executive, co-founder of Chess Records (died 1969) Leonard Samuel Chess was a Polish-American record company executive and the founder of Chess Records alongside his brother Phil. He was influential in the development of the recording industry, and electric blues, Chicago blues, and rock and roll. Read more
12 Mar 1917: Millard Kaufman, American author and screenwriter (died 2009) Millard Kaufman was an American screenwriter and novelist. His works include the Academy Award-nominated Bad Day at Black Rock (1955). He was also one of the creators of Mr. Magoo. Read more
12 Mar 1917: Googie Withers, Indian-Australian actress (died 2011) Georgette Lizette "Googie" Withers was an English entertainer. She was a dancer and actress, with a lengthy career spanning some 73 years in theatre, film, and television. She was a well-known actress and star of British films during and after the Second World War. Read more
12 Mar 1915: Alberto Burri, Italian painter and sculptor (died 1995) Alberto Burri was an Italian visual artist, painter, sculptor, and physician based in Città di Castello. He is associated with the matterism of the European informal art movement and described his style as a polymaterialist. He had connections with Lucio Fontana's spatialism and, with Antoni Tàpies, an influence on the revival of the art of post-war assembly in the United States as in Europe. Read more
12 Mar 1915: Jiří Mucha, Czech journalist (died 1991) Jiří Mucha was a Czech journalist, writer, screenwriter, author of autobiographical novels and studies of the works of his father, the painter Alphonse Mucha. Read more
12 Mar 1913: Yashwantrao Chavan, Indian politician, 5th Deputy Prime Minister of India (died 1984) Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as 5th Deputy Prime Minister of India in the short-lived Charan Singh ministry in 1979. He served as the last Chief Minister of Bombay State and the first of Maharashtra after the latter was created by the division of Bombay State. His also held significant ministerial post was as the 8th Minister of Finance from 1970 to 1971 and from 1971 to 1974. Read more
12 Mar 1913: Agathe von Trapp, Hungarian-American singer and author (died 2010) Agathe Johanna Erwina Gobertina von Trapp was the eldest daughter of Georg von Trapp with his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp. She was also a member of the Trapp Family Singers, whose lives were the inspiration for the 1959 musical play and 1965 film The Sound of Music. She was portrayed as the character "Liesl". Read more
12 Mar 1912: Willie Hall, English footballer (died 1967) George William Hall was an English footballer who played for Notts County, Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team during the 1930s. Read more
12 Mar 1912: Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic (died 2006) Irving Peter Layton, OC was a Romanian-born Canadian poet. He was known for his "tell it like it is" style which won him a wide following but also made him enemies. As T. Jacobs notes in his biography (2001), Layton fought Puritanism throughout his life:Layton's work had provided the bolt of lightning that was needed to split open the thin skin of conservatism and complacency in the poetry scene of the preceding century, allowing modern poetry to expose previously unseen richness and depth. Read more
12 Mar 1911: Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Mexican academic and politician, 49th President of Mexico (died 1979) Gustavo Díaz Ordaz Bolaños was a Mexican politician and member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He served as the President of Mexico from 1964 to 1970. Previously, he served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies for Puebla's 1st district, a senator of the Congress of the Union for Puebla, and Secretary of the Interior. Read more
12 Mar 1910: László Lékai, Archbishop of Esztergom and Cardinal (died 1986) László Lékai was Archbishop of Esztergom and a Cardinal. Read more
12 Mar 1910: Masayoshi Ōhira, Japanese politician, 68th Prime Minister of Japan (died 1980) Masayoshi Ōhira was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1978 until his death in 1980. Read more
12 Mar 1909: Petras Cvirka, Lithuanian author (died 1947) Petras Cvirka was a Lithuanian writer of several novels, children's books, and short story collections. He wrote under a variety of pen names: A. Cvingelis, Cezaris Petrėnas, J. K. Pavilionis, K. Cvirka, Kanapeikus, Kazys Gerutis, Klangis, Klangis Petras, Klangių Petras, L. P. Cvirka, Laumakys, P. Cvinglis, P. Cvirka-Rymantas, P. Gelmė, P. Veliuoniškis, Petras Serapinas, and S. Laumakys. His works have been translated into Belarusian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech, English, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Polish, Romanian, and Uzbek. Read more
12 Mar 1908: Rita Angus, New Zealand painter (died 1970) Henrietta Catherine Angus, known as Rita Cook early in her career, was a New Zealand painter who, alongside Colin McCahon and Toss Woollaston, is regarded as one of the leading figures in twentieth-century New Zealand art. She worked primarily in oil and watercolour, and became known for her portraits and landscapes. Read more
12 Mar 1908: David Marshall, Singaporean lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Singapore (died 1995) David Saul Marshall was a Singaporean lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as the first chief minister of Singapore from April 1955 to June 1956. He resigned after just over a year into his chief ministership after his delegation to London regarding negotiations for self-governance was rejected by the British. Read more
12 Mar 1907: Dorrit Hoffleit, American astronomer and academic (died 2007) Ellen Dorrit Hoffleit was an American senior research astronomer at Yale University. She is best known for her work in variable stars, astrometry, spectroscopy, meteors, and the Bright Star Catalog. She is also known for her mentorship of many young women and generations of astronomers. Read more
12 Mar 1905: Takashi Shimura, Japanese actor (died 1982) Takashi Shimura was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1934 and 1981. He appeared in 21 of Akira Kurosawa's 30 films, including as a lead actor in Drunken Angel (1948), Rashomon (1950), Ikiru (1952) and Seven Samurai (1954). He played Professor Kyohei Yamane in Ishirō Honda's original Godzilla (1954) and its first sequel, Godzilla Raids Again (1955). Read more
12 Mar 1904: Lyudmila Keldysh, Russian mathematician (died 1976) Lyudmila Vsevolodovna Keldysh was a Soviet mathematician known for set theory and geometric topology. Her son, Sergei Novikov, was also a mathematician. Read more
12 Mar 1900: Rinus van den Berge, Dutch athlete (died 1972) Marinus "Rinus" van den Berge was a Dutch athlete, who competed mainly in the 100 metres. Read more
12 Mar 1900: Sylvi Kekkonen, Finnish writer and wife of President of Finland Urho Kekkonen (died 1974) Sylvi Kekkonen was a Finnish writer and the longest-serving First Lady of Finland. Read more
12 Mar 1900: Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, 19th President of Colombia (died 1975) Gustavo Rojas Pinilla was a Colombian army general, civil engineer and politician who ruled as President of Colombia in a military dictatorship from June 1953 to May 1957. Read more
12 Mar 1899: Ramón Muttis, Argentine footballer (died 1955) Ramón Alfredo Muttis was an Argentine football defender who spent most of his career with Boca Juniors. He also played for the Argentina national team winning the 1925 South American Championship. Read more
12 Mar 1898: Tian Han, Chinese playwright (died 1968) Tian Han, formerly romanized as T'ien Han, was a Chinese drama activist, playwright, a leader of revolutionary music and films, as well as a translator and poet. He emerged at the time of the New Culture Movement of the early 20th century and continued to be active until the Cultural Revolution, when he was denounced and jailed for two years until his death, before being "posthumously rehabilitated" by the Chinese authorities in 1979. He is considered by drama historians as one of the three founders of Chinese spoken drama, together with Ouyang Yuqian and Hong Shen. His most famous legacy may be the lyrics he wrote for "March of the Volunteers" in 1934, which were later adopted as the national anthem of the People's Republic of China. Read more
12 Mar 1898: Luitpold Steidle, German army officer and politician (died 1984) Luitpold Steidle was a German army officer and an East German politician. During his political career he belonged to the CDU. Read more
12 Mar 1896: Jesse Fuller, American singer-songwriter and musician (died 1976) Jesse Fuller was an American one-man band musician, best known for his song "San Francisco Bay Blues". Read more
12 Mar 1890: Evert Taube, Swedish singer-songwriter and lute player (died 1976) Axel Evert Taube was a Swedish singer, composer, and writer. He is widely regarded as one of Sweden's most respected musicians and the foremost troubadour of the Swedish ballad tradition in the 20th century. Read more
12 Mar 1888: Walter Hermann Bucher, German-American geologist and paleontologist (died 1965) Walter Hermann Bucher was a German-American geologist and paleontologist. Read more
12 Mar 1888: Hans Knappertsbusch, German conductor (died 1965) Hans Knappertsbusch was a German conductor, best known for his performances of the music of Wagner, Bruckner and Richard Strauss. Read more
12 Mar 1883: Sándor Jávorka, Hungarian botanist (died 1961) Sándor Jávorka was a Hungarian botanist. His birthplace was Hegybánya, then in the Kingdom of Hungary, now in Slovakia and now called Štiavnické Bane. He died in Budapest. Occasionally he has been referred to as Alexander Jávorka; the Hungarian style of his name is Jávorka Sándor. Read more
12 Mar 1882: Carlos Blanco Galindo, Bolivian politician (died 1943) Carlos Blanco Galindo was a Bolivian military officer who served as the 32nd president of Bolivia from 1930 to 1931. Read more
12 Mar 1881: Väinö Tanner, Finnish politician of Social Democratic Party of Finland; the Prime Minister of Finland (died 1966) Väinö Alfred Tanner was a leading figure in the Social Democratic Party of Finland, and a pioneer and leader of the cooperative movement in Finland. He was Prime Minister of Finland in 1926–1927. Read more
12 Mar 1880: Henry Drysdale Dakin, English-American chemist and academic (died 1952) Henry Drysdale Dakin FRS was an English chemist. Read more
12 Mar 1878: Gemma Galgani, Italian mystic and saint (died 1903) Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani, also known as Gemma of Lucca, was an Italian mystic, canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church in 1940. She has been called the "daughter of the Passion" because of her profound imitation of the Passion of Christ. She is especially venerated in the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus (Passionists). Read more
12 Mar 1877: Wilhelm Frick, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of the Interior (died 1946) Wilhelm Frick was a German politician of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) and convicted war criminal. He served as Minister of the Interior in Adolf Hitler's cabinet from 1933 to 1943 and as the last governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Read more
12 Mar 1874: Edmund Eysler, Austrian composer (died 1949) Edmund Samuel Eysler, was an Austrian composer. Read more
12 Mar 1869: George Forbes, New Zealand politician, 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1947) George William Forbes was a New Zealand politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of New Zealand from 28 May 1930 to 6 December 1935. He was the last leader of the remnant of the Liberal Party having entered the House of Representatives in 1908 as a Radical in that Party. Forbes was a co-founder of the United Party in 1927. Later he was a founder of the New Zealand National Party in 1936 and the Party's first parliamentary leader. Read more
12 Mar 1868: Mary Karadja, Swedish writer, spiritualist and princess (died 1943) Marie Louise "Mary" Karadja was a Swedish writer, spiritual medium and aristocrat, a central figure in Western esotericism during the Belle Époque. Born in Stockholm to the business magnate Lars Olsson Smith, she married prince Jean Karadja Pasha, an Ottoman diplomat, with whom she had a son, the Romanian diplomat and scholar Constantin Karadja. She lived in various European countries, and published works in several languages—beginning with aphorisms in French. Her involvement with Kardecist spiritism dates to 1899, and was prompted by the deaths of an infant son and of her husband the prince. Under the influence of spiritism, Theosophy and neo-gnosticism, the princess produced spirit drawings and writings that she stated were inspired and dictated to her spiritually. She was a literary celebrity in her native country for a while, and corresponded with August Strindberg; she was also heavily criticized for her claims by investigators such as Henry Morselli and Joseph McCabe, and was a regular target of Birger Sjöberg's satirical articles. Read more
12 Mar 1864: W. H. R. Rivers, English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, and psychiatrist (died 1922) William Halse Rivers Rivers was an English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist and psychiatrist known for treatment of First World War officers suffering shell shock. Rivers' most famous patient was the war poet Siegfried Sassoon, with whom he remained close friends until his own sudden death. Read more
12 Mar 1864: Alice Tegnér, Swedish organist, composer, and educator (died 1943) Alice Charlotta Tegnér was a Swedish music teacher, poet and composer. She is the foremost composer of Swedish children's songs during the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. Read more
12 Mar 1863: Gabriele D'Annunzio, Italian soldier, journalist, poet, and playwright (died 1938) General Gabriele D'Annunzio, Prince of Montenevoso, sometimes written d'Annunzio as he used to sign himself, was an Italian poet, playwright, orator, journalist, aristocrat, and Royal Italian Army officer during World War I. He occupied a prominent place in Italian literature from 1889 to 1910 and in its political life from 1914 to 1924. He had the epithets il Profeta and il Vate : vate stems from the Latin vates, meaning a prophetic, divinatory, or inspirational poet. Read more
12 Mar 1863: Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian and Ukrainian mineralogist and chemist (died 1945) Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, also spelt Volodymyr Ivanovych Vernadsky, was a Russian, Ukrainian, and Soviet mineralogist and geochemist who is considered one of the founders of geochemistry, biogeochemistry, and radiogeology. He was one of the founders and the first president of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. Vladimir Vernadsky is most noted for his 1926 book The Biosphere in which he inadvertently worked to popularize Eduard Suess's 1875 term biosphere, by hypothesizing that life is the geological force that shapes the earth. In 1943 he was awarded the Stalin Prize. Vernadsky's portrait is depicted on the Ukrainian ₴1,000 hryvnia banknote. Read more
12 Mar 1860: Eric Stenbock, Estonian poet and author (died 1895) Graf Eric Stanislaus Stenbock was a Baltic Swedish poet and writer of macabre fantastic fiction. Read more
12 Mar 1859: Ernesto Cesàro, Italian mathematician (died 1906) Ernesto Cesàro was an Italian mathematician who worked in the field of differential geometry. He wrote a book, Lezioni di geometria intrinseca, on this topic, in which he also describes fractal, space-filling curves, partly covered by the larger class of de Rham curves, but are still known today in his honor as Cesàro curves. He is also known for his 'averaging' method for the Cesàro summation of divergent series, also known as the "Cesàro mean". Read more
12 Mar 1858: Adolph Ochs, American publisher (died 1935) Adolph Simon Ochs was an American newspaper publisher and former owner of The New York Times and The Chattanooga Times, which is now the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Through his only child, Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger, and her husband Arthur Hays Sulzberger, Ochs's descendants continue to publish The New York Times through the present day. Read more
12 Mar 1857: William V. Ranous, American actor and director (died 1915) William V. Ranous was an American silent film actor and director and Shakespearean stage actor. Read more
12 Mar 1855: Eduard Birnbaum, Polish-born German cantor (died 1920) Eduard Birnbaum (1855–1920) was a Polish-born German hazzan (cantor) and one of the first explorers of Jewish music. Read more
12 Mar 1843: Gabriel Tarde, French sociologist and criminologist (died 1904) Jean-Gabriel (de) Tarde was a French sociologist, criminologist and social psychologist who conceived sociology as based on small psychological interactions among individuals, the fundamental forces being imitation and innovation. Read more
12 Mar 1838: William Henry Perkin, English chemist and academic (died 1907) Sir William Henry Perkin was an English chemist and entrepreneur best known for his serendipitous discovery of the first commercial synthetic organic dye, mauveine, made from aniline. Though he failed in trying to synthesise quinine for the treatment of malaria, he became successful in the field of dyes after his first discovery at the age of 18. Read more
12 Mar 1837: Alexandre Guilmant, French organist and composer (died 1911) Félix-Alexandre Guilmant was a French organist and composer. He was the organist of La Trinité from 1871 until 1901. A noted pedagogue, performer, and improviser, Guilmant helped found the Schola Cantorum de Paris. He was appointed as Professor of Organ in the Conservatoire de Paris in 1896. Read more
12 Mar 1835: Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician (died 1909) Simon Newcomb was a Canadian–American astronomer, applied mathematician, and autodidactic polymath. He served as Professor of Mathematics in the United States Navy and at Johns Hopkins University. Born in Nova Scotia, at the age of 19 Newcomb left an apprenticeship to join his father in Massachusetts, where the latter was teaching. Read more
12 Mar 1835: Sigismondo Savona, Maltese educator and politician (died 1908) Sigismondo Savona was a Maltese educator and politician who played a prominent role in the Language Question which defined the politics of the Crown Colony of Malta in the late 19th century. Read more
12 Mar 1834: Hilary A. Herbert, American politician, Secretary of the Navy (died 1919) Hilary Abner Herbert was Secretary of the Navy in the second administration of President Grover Cleveland. He also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama. Read more
12 Mar 1832: Charles Boycott, English farmer and agent (died 1897) Captain Charles Cunningham Boycott was an English land agent whose ostracism by his local community in Ireland gave the English language the term boycott. He had served in the British Army 39th Foot, which brought him to Ireland. After retiring from the army, Boycott worked as a land agent for Lord Erne, a landowner in the Lough Mask area of County Mayo. Read more
12 Mar 1824: Gustav Kirchhoff, Russian-German physicist and academic (died 1887) Gustav Robert Kirchhoff was a German physicist and mathematician who contributed to the fundamental understanding of electrical circuits, spectroscopy, and the emission of black-body radiation by heated objects. He coined the term black body in 1860. Read more
12 Mar 1823: Katsu Kaishū, Japanese statesman (died 1899) Count Katsu Yasuyoshi , born Katsu Yoshikuni , best known by his nickname Katsu Kaishū , was a Japanese statesman, naval engineer and military commander during the late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period. Read more
12 Mar 1821: John Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Canada (died 1893) Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Canada from 1891 to 1892. He held office as the leader of the Conservative Party. Read more
12 Mar 1821: Medo Pucić, Croatian writer and politician (died 1882) Orsat "Medo" Pucić, was a Ragusan writer and an important member of the Serb-Catholic movement in Dubrovnik. Read more
12 Mar 1815: Louis-Jules Trochu, French military leader and politician (died 1896) Louis-Jules Trochu was a French military leader and politician. He served as President of the Government of National Defense—France's de facto head of state—from 4 September 1870 until his resignation on 22 January 1871. Read more
12 Mar 1807: James Abbott, Indian Army officer (died 1896) General Sir James Abbott, was an English military officer in the Bengal Army and an administrator in British India. The city of Abbottabad, in present day Pakistan, was founded by and subsequently named after him. Read more
12 Mar 1806: Jane Pierce, American wife of Franklin Pierce, 15th First Lady of the United States (died 1863) Jane Means Pierce was the first lady of the United States from 1853 to 1857, being married to Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States. Born in Hampton, New Hampshire, she married Pierce, then a congressman, in 1834 despite her family's misgivings. She refused to live in Washington, D.C., and in 1842, she convinced her husband to retire from politics. He sought the Democratic presidential nomination without her knowledge in 1852 and was elected president later that year. Their only surviving son, Benjamin, was killed in a train accident before Franklin's inauguration, sending Jane into a deep depression that afflicted her for the rest of her life. Pierce was a reclusive first lady, spending the first two years of her husband's presidency mourning her son. Her duties at this time were often fulfilled by Abby Kent-Means. After Franklin's presidency, they traveled abroad for two years before settling in Massachusetts. She died of tuberculosis in 1863. Read more

🕊️ Important Deaths on 12 March in World History

12 Mar 2021: Ronald DeFeo Jr., American criminal (born 1951) Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr. was an American mass murderer who was tried and convicted for the 1974 killings of his father, mother, two brothers, and two sisters in Amityville, New York. He was found guilty of six counts of second degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years to life. DeFeo died in March 2021. The case inspired the book and film versions of The Amityville Horror. Read more
12 Mar 2016: Rafiq Azad, Bangladeshi poet and author (born 1942) Rafiq Azad was a Bangladeshi poet, editor and writer. He is credited with 45 collections of poetry including Prakriti O Premer Kabita, Asambhaber Paye, Sahasra Sundar, Haturir Nichae Jiban, Khub Beshi Durea Noy, Khamakaro Bahaman Hey Udar Amiyo Batas and others. He is most well known for his poem "Bhaat De Haramjada" which was written during the famine of 1974. The poet participated in the war against Pakistani forces in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 and was awarded ‘Notable Freedom Fighter Award' in 1997. He received Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1984 and national award Ekushey Padak in 2013 for his contribution to Bangla language and literature. Read more
12 Mar 2016: Felix Ibru, Nigerian architect and politician, Governor of Delta State (born 1935) Felix Ovudoroye Ibru was a Nigerian businessman, architect and politician. He was the first democratically elected Governor of Delta State and Senator for Delta Central Senatorial District. Until his death he held the position of President General of the Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU).
As a traditional chieftain of his homeland, Ibru bore the tribal honorific Olorogun and often used it as a pre-nominal style. This title is also borne by the members of his large family in the same way. Read more
12 Mar 2016: Lloyd Shapley, American mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1923) Lloyd Stowell Shapley was an American mathematician and Nobel Memorial Prize-winning economist. He contributed to the fields of mathematical economics and especially game theory. Shapley is generally considered one of the most important contributors to the development of game theory since the work of von Neumann and Morgenstern. With Alvin E. Roth, Shapley won the 2012 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences "for the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design." Read more
12 Mar 2015: Willie Barrow, American minister and activist (born 1924) Willie Beatrice Barrow was an American civil rights activist and minister. Barrow was the co-founder of Operation PUSH, which was named Operation Breadbasket at the time of its creation alongside Rev. Jesse Jackson. In 1984, Barrow became the first woman executive director of a civil rights organization, serving as Push's CEO. Barrow was the godmother of President Barack Obama. Read more
12 Mar 2015: Michael Graves, American architect and academic, designed the Portland Building and the Humana Building (born 1934) Michael Graves was an American architect, designer, and educator, and principal of Michael Graves and Associates and Michael Graves Design Group. He was a member of The New York Five and the Memphis Group and a professor of architecture at Princeton University for nearly forty years. Following his own partial paralysis in 2003, Graves became an internationally recognized advocate of health care design. Read more
12 Mar 2015: Ada Jafri, Pakistani poet and author (born 1924) Ada Jafarey, often spelled Ada Jafri, was a Pakistani poet who is regarded as the first major female Urdu poet to be published and has been called "The First Lady of Urdu Poetry". She was also an author and was considered a prominent figure in contemporary Urdu literature. She received awards from the Government of Pakistan, the Pakistan Writers' Guild, and literary societies of North America and Europe in recognition of her efforts. Read more
12 Mar 2015: Terry Pratchett, English journalist, author, and screenwriter (born 1948) Sir Terence David John Pratchett was an English author, humorist, and satirist, best known for the Discworld series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983 and 2015, and for the apocalyptic comedy novel Good Omens (1990), which he co-wrote with Neil Gaiman. Read more
12 Mar 2014: Věra Chytilová, Czech actress, director, and screenwriter (born 1929) Věra Chytilová was an avant-garde Czech film director and pioneer of Czech cinema. Banned by the Czechoslovak government in the 1960s, she is best known for her Czech New Wave 1966 film Sedmikrásky (Daisies). Her subsequent films screened at international film festivals, including Vlčí bouda (1987), which screened at the 37th Berlin International Film Festival, A Hoof Here, a Hoof There (1989), which screened at the 16th Moscow International Film Festival, and The Inheritance or Fuckoffguysgoodday (1992), which screened at the 18th Moscow International Film Festival. For her work, she received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Medal of Merit and the Czech Lion award. Read more
12 Mar 2014: Paul C. Donnelly, American scientist and engineer (born 1923) Paul Charles Donnelly was an American guided missile pioneer and a senior NASA manager during the Apollo Moon landing program at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Responsible for the checkout of all Apollo launch vehicles and spacecraft, he was also involved in every U.S. manned launch from Alan Shepard's Mercury suborbital flight in 1961 through the tenth Space Shuttle mission (STS-41B) in 1984. Read more
12 Mar 2014: José Policarpo, Portuguese cardinal (born 1936) José da Cruz Policarpo, officially referred to as José IV, Patriarch of Lisbon, though usually referred to as "D. José Policarpo", was Patriarch of Lisbon from 24 March 1998 to 18 May 2013. Pope John Paul II made him a Cardinal in 2001. Policarpo held a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Read more
12 Mar 2013: Michael Grigsby, English director and producer (born 1936) Michael Kenneth Christian Grigsby was an English documentary filmmaker. Read more
12 Mar 2013: Ganesh Pyne, Indian painter and illustrator (born 1937) Ganesh Pyne was an Indian painter and draughtsman, born in Kolkata, West Bengal. Pyne is one of the most notable contemporary artists of the Bengal School of Art, who had also developed his own style of "poetic surrealism", fantasy and dark imagery, around the themes of Bengali folklore and mythology. Read more
12 Mar 2012: Dick Harter, American basketball player and coach (born 1930) Richard Alvin Harter was an American basketball coach who served as both a head and assistant coach in both the NBA and NCAA. Read more
12 Mar 2012: Michael Hossack, American drummer (born 1946) Michael Joseph Hossack was an American drummer for the rock band The Doobie Brothers. Read more
12 Mar 2012: Friedhelm Konietzka, German-Swiss footballer and manager (born 1938) Friedhelm "Timo" Konietzka was a German professional football player and manager who played as a striker. He earned his nickname "Timo" due to a supposed resemblance to the Soviet commander Semyon Timoshenko. Read more
12 Mar 2011: Nilla Pizzi, Italian singer (born 1919) Adionilla Pizzi, known by her stage name Nilla Pizzi, was an Italian singer and actress. Read more
12 Mar 2010: Miguel Delibes, Spanish journalist and author (born 1920) Miguel Delibes Setién MML was a Spanish novelist, journalist and newspaper editor associated with the Generation of '36 movement. From 1975 until his death, he was a member of the Royal Spanish Academy, where he occupied letter "e" seat. Educated in commerce, he began his career as a cartoonist and columnist. He later became the editor for the regional newspaper El Norte de Castilla before gradually devoting himself exclusively to writing novels. Read more
12 Mar 2008: Jorge Guinzburg, Argentinian journalist and producer (born 1949) Jorge Ariel Guinzburg was an Argentine journalist, theatrical producer, humorist, and TV and radio host. Read more
12 Mar 2008: Lazare Ponticelli, Italian-French soldier and supercentenarian (born 1897) Lazare Ponticelli, Knight of Vittorio Veneto, was at 110, the last surviving officially recognized veteran of the First World War from France and the last poilu of its trenches to die. Read more
12 Mar 2006: Victor Sokolov, Russian-American priest and journalist (born 1947) Victor Sokolov was a Russian-American former dissident Soviet journalist and an Eastern Orthodox priest. Read more
12 Mar 2004: Milton Resnick, Russian-American painter (born 1917) Milton Resnick was an American artist noted for abstract paintings that coupled scale with density of incident. It was not uncommon for some of the largest paintings to weigh in excess of three hundred pounds, almost all of it pigment. He had a long and varied career, lasting about sixty-five years. He produced at least eight hundred canvases and eight thousand works on paper and board. Read more
12 Mar 2003: Zoran Đinđić, Serbian philosopher and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Serbia (born 1952) Zoran Đinđić was a Serbian politician and philosopher who served as the prime minister of Serbia from 2001 until his assassination in 2003. He was the mayor of Belgrade in 1997, becoming the first non-communist and first democratically elected official to hold both key positions after World War II. Đinđić was a long-time opposition politician and held a doctorate in philosophy. Read more
12 Mar 2003: Howard Fast, American novelist and screenwriter (born 1914) Howard Melvin Fast was an American novelist and television writer. Fast also wrote under the pen names E.V. Cunningham and Walter Ericson. He was jailed after testifying before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Read more
12 Mar 2003: Lynne Thigpen, American actress and singer (born 1948) Cherlynne Theresa Thigpen was an American actress of stage and screen. She was known for her role as the Chief of ACME Crimenet in the game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? and various spinoffs, and for her role as "Luna" in the Playhouse Disney children's series Bear in the Big Blue House. For her varied television work, Thigpen was nominated for six Daytime Emmy Awards. She won a Tony Award in 1997 for portraying Dr. Judith Kaufman in An American Daughter, and also played Ella Farmer on The District (2000–2003). Thigpen first gained attention for her role in the 1971 off-Broadway musical Godspell. Thigpen's character is named Lynne, and she sang "O Bless the Lord, My Soul" in the musical. Thigpen reprised her role as Lynne in the 1973 film adaptation, which she starred in alongside David Haskell and Victor Garber. Read more
12 Mar 2002: Spyros Kyprianou, Cypriot lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Cyprus (born 1932) Spyros Achilleos Kyprianou was a Cypriot barrister and politician, who served as President of Cyprus from 1977 to 1988. He also served as President of the Cypriot House of Representatives from 1976 to 1977 and then again from 1996 to 2001, as well as being President of the Democratic Party, which he founded, from 1976 to 2000. Read more
12 Mar 2002: Jean-Paul Riopelle, Canadian painter and sculptor (born 1923) Jean-Paul Riopelle, was a Canadian painter and sculptor from Quebec. He had one of the longest and most important international careers of the sixteen signatories of the Refus Global, the 1948 manifesto that announced the Quebecois artistic community's refusal of clericalism and provincialism. He is best known for his abstract painting style, in particular his "mosaic" works of the 1950s when he famously abandoned the paintbrush, using only a palette knife to apply paint to canvas, giving his works a distinctive sculptural quality. He became the first Canadian painter since James Wilson Morrice to attain widespread international recognition and high praise, both during his career and after his death. He was a leading artist of French Lyrical Abstraction. Read more
12 Mar 2001: Morton Downey Jr., American singer-songwriter, actor, and talk show host (born 1933) Morton Downey Jr. was an American television talk show host and actor who pioneered the "trash TV" format in the late 1980s on his program The Morton Downey Jr. Show. Read more
12 Mar 2001: Robert Ludlum, American author (born 1927) Robert Ludlum was an American author of 27 thriller novels, best known as the creator of Jason Bourne from the original The Bourne Trilogy series. The number of copies of his books in print is estimated between 300 million and 500 million. They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd. Read more
12 Mar 2001: Victor Westhoff, Dutch botanist and academic (born 1916) Victor Westhoff was a botanist at the Radboud University Nijmegen. Read more
12 Mar 2000: Aleksandar Nikolić, Yugoslav basketball coach (born 1924) Aleksandar "Aca" Nikolić was a Serbian professional basketball player and coach. He was also a professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Sport and Physical Education. He is often referred to as the Father of Yugoslav and Serbian Basketball. Read more
12 Mar 1999: Yehudi Menuhin, American-Swiss violinist and conductor (born 1916) Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, was an American-born British and Swiss violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. Read more
12 Mar 1999: Bidu Sayão, Brazilian-American soprano (born 1902) Balduína "Bidú" de Oliveira Sayão was a Brazilian opera soprano. One of Brazil's celebrated musicians, Sayão was a leading artist of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1937 to 1952. Read more
12 Mar 1998: Beatrice Wood, American painter and potter (born 1893) Beatrice Wood was an American artist and studio potter involved in the Dada movement in the United States; she founded and edited The Blind Man and Rongwrong magazines in New York City with French artist Marcel Duchamp and writer Henri-Pierre Roché in 1917. She had earlier studied art and theater in Paris, and was working in New York as an actress. She later worked at sculpture and pottery. Wood was characterized as the "Mama of Dada". Read more
12 Mar 1992: Lucy M. Lewis, American potter (born 1890) Lucy Martin Lewis was a Native American potter from Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico. She is known for her black-on-white decorative ceramics made using traditional techniques. Read more
12 Mar 1991: Ragnar Granit, Finnish-Swedish neuroscientist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1900) Ragnar Arthur Granit was a Finnish and Swedish scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1967 along with Haldan Keffer Hartline and George Wald "for their discoveries concerning the primary physiological and chemical visual processes in the eye". Read more
12 Mar 1991: William Heinesen, Faroese author, poet, and author (born 1900) Andreas William Heinesen was a poet, writer, composer and painter from the Faroe Islands. Read more
12 Mar 1989: Maurice Evans, English-American actor (born 1901) Maurice Herbert Evans was an English actor, noted for his interpretations of Shakespearean characters. His best-known screen roles include Dr. Zaius in the 1968 film Planet of the Apes and Maurice on Bewitched. Read more
12 Mar 1985: Eugene Ormandy, Hungarian-American violinist and conductor (born 1899) Eugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association with the orchestra is one of the longest enjoyed by any conductor with any American orchestra. Ormandy made numerous recordings with the orchestra, and as guest conductor with European orchestras, and achieved three gold records and two Grammy Awards. His reputation was as a skilled technician and expert orchestral builder. Read more
12 Mar 1974: George D. Sax, American banker and businessman (born 1904) George D. Sax was an American businessman and hotelier, who served as the chairman of the board of Exchange International Corporation and Chicago's former Exchange National Bank. He was president of Sax Enterprises, Inc and was a business entrepreneur who owned the Saxony Hotel, the first luxury hotel to be built in Miami Beach. Read more
12 Mar 1973: Frankie Frisch, American baseball player and manager (born 1898) Frank Francis Frisch, nicknamed "the Fordham Flash" or "the Old Flash", was an American professional baseball second baseman and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Giants (1919–1926) and St. Louis Cardinals (1927–1937), and managed the Cardinals (1933–1938), Pittsburgh Pirates (1940–1946), and Chicago Cubs (1949–1951). He is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum. He is tied with Yogi Berra for most World Series doubles at 10 and holds the record for the most World Series hits at 58 for a player who never played for the New York Yankees, exceeded only by Berra and Mickey Mantle. Read more
12 Mar 1971: Eugene Lindsay Opie, American physician and pathologist (born 1873) Eugene Lindsay Opie was an American physician and pathologist who conducted research on the causes, transmission, and diagnosis of tuberculosis and on immunization against the disease. He served as professor of pathology at several U.S. medical schools and as Dean of the Washington University School of Medicine. Read more
12 Mar 1957: Josephine Hull, American actress (born 1877) Marie Josephine Hull was an American stage and film actress who also was a director of plays. She had a successful 50-year career on stage while taking some of her better known roles to film. She won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the movie Harvey (1950), a role she originally played on the Broadway stage. She was sometimes credited as Josephine Sherwood. Read more
12 Mar 1955: Charlie Parker, American saxophonist and composer (born 1920) Charles Parker Jr., nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique, and advanced harmonies. He was a virtuoso and introduced revolutionary rhythmic and harmonic ideas into jazz, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. Parker primarily played the alto saxophone. Read more
12 Mar 1955: Theodor Plievier, German author best known for his anti-war novel (born 1892) Theodor Otto Richard Plievier was a German writer best known for his 1948 anti-war novel Stalingrad. Read more
12 Mar 1954: Marianne Weber, German sociologist and suffragist (born 1870) Marianne Weber was a German sociologist, women's rights activist, and the wife of Max Weber. Read more
12 Mar 1949: Wilhelm Steinkopf, German chemist (born 1879) Georg Wilhelm Steinkopf was a German chemist. Today he is mostly remembered for his work on the production of mustard gas during World War I. Read more
12 Mar 1946: Ferenc Szálasi, Hungarian soldier and politician, Head of State of Hungary (born 1897) Ferenc Szálasi was a Hungarian military officer, politician, Nazi sympathizer and founder of the far-right Arrow Cross Party who headed the government of Hungary during the country's occupation by Nazi Germany in the final stages of World War II. Read more
12 Mar 1943: Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian sculptor (born 1869) Gustav Vigeland, born as Adolf Gustav Thorsen, was a Norwegian sculptor. Gustav Vigeland occupies a special position among Norwegian sculptors, both in the power of his creative imagination and in his productivity. He is most associated with the Vigeland installation (Vigelandsanlegget) in Frogner Park, Oslo. The Vigeland installation made Frogner Park into Norway's most popular tourist attraction, and the park also contains Frogner Manor with the Oslo Museum and the Henriette Wegner Pavilion. Vigeland was also the designer of the Nobel Peace Prize medal. Read more
12 Mar 1942: William Henry Bragg, English physicist, chemist, and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1862) Sir William Henry Bragg was a British X-ray crystallographer who uniquely shared a Nobel Prize with his son Lawrence Bragg – the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics "for their services in the analysis of crystal structure by means of X-rays", an important step in the development of X-ray crystallography. Read more
12 Mar 1935: Mihajlo Pupin, Serbian-American physicist and chemist (born 1858) Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin, also known as Michael Pupin, was a Serbian-American electrical engineer, physicist and inventor. Read more
12 Mar 1929: Asa Griggs Candler, American businessman and politician, 44th Mayor of Atlanta (born 1851) Asa Griggs Candler Sr. was an American business magnate and politician who in 1888 purchased the Coca-Cola recipe for $238.98 from chemist John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. Candler founded the Coca-Cola Company in 1892 and developed it as a major company. Read more
12 Mar 1925: Sun Yat-sen, Chinese physician and politician, 1st President of the Republic of China (born 1866) Sun Yat-sen, a.k.a. Sun Zhongshan, Sun Wen, was a Chinese physician, revolutionary, statesman, and political philosopher who founded the Republic of China (ROC) and its first political party, the Kuomintang (KMT). As the paramount leader of the 1911 Revolution, Sun is credited with overthrowing the Qing dynasty and served as the first president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of China (1912) and as the inaugural premier of the Kuomintang. Read more
12 Mar 1916: Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian author (born 1830) Baroness Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach née Countess Dubsky was an Austrian writer and a noblewoman. Noted for her psychological novels, she is regarded as one of the most important German-language writers of the latter portion of the 19th century. Read more
12 Mar 1898: Zachris Topelius, Finnish-Swedish journalist, historian, and author (born 1818) Zacharias Topelius was a Finnish author, poet, journalist, historian, and rector of the University of Helsinki who wrote novels related to Finnish history. He wrote his works exclusively in Swedish, although they were translated early on into Finnish. In Finland Topelius emerged as one of the foremost heirs to Sir Walter Scott’s legacy of exploring the nation through the historical novel. Read more

Why is 12 March Important in World History?

Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 12 March, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.

👉 View complete History of Today archive

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on 12 March in World history?

On 12 March, several important historical events, notable births, and major milestones occurred in World history.

Is History of Today important for competitive exams?

Yes, History of Today is frequently asked in UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, and State PSC exams as part of static GK and current awareness sections.