What Happened in March 1844

Historical Events

  • Mar 8 King Oscar I ascends to the throne of Sweden-Norway

Hernani

Mar 9 Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Hernani" premieres in Venice

  • Mar 21 Origin of Baha'i Era-Baha'i calendar starts here (Baha 1, 1)
  • Mar 21 The original date predicted by William Miller of Massachusetts for the return of Christ and the end of the world
  • Mar 28 Jose Zorilla's "Don Juan Tenorio" premieres in Madrid

Famous Birthdays

  • Mar 2 Herman Schaepman 'the Doctor', Dutch poet, Roman Catholic priest, theologian, and politician, born in Tubbergen, Netherlands (d. 1903)
  • Mar 4 Josip Jurčič, Slovene writer (10th Brother), born in Muljava, Austrian Empire (d. 1881)
  • Mar 7 Anthony Comstock, American anti-vice crusader/philatelist, born in New Canaan, Connecticut (d. 1915)
  • Mar 10 Pablo de Sarasate, Spanish violinist and composer (Spanish Dancer), born in Pamplona, Spain (d. 1908)
  • Mar 14 Umberto I of Italy, King of Italy (1878-1900), born in Turin, Italy (d. 1900)
  • Mar 15 Bransby Cooper, Australian cricket wicket-keeper (1 Test, 2 dismissals; Middlesex CCC, Kent CCC, Victoria), born in Dhaka, Bangladesh (d. 1914)
  • Mar 18 Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer (Scheherazade;Flight of the Bumblebee), born in Tikhvin, Russia (d. 1908)
  • Mar 19 Minna Canth, Finnish playwright (The Pastor's Family) and social activist, born in Tampere, Finland (d. 1897)
  • Mar 23 Eugène Gigout, French organist (St Augustin de Paris, 1863-1925), and composer (10 pièces pour orgue), born in Nancy, France (d. 1925)
  • Mar 27 Adolphus Washington Greely, American Arctic explorer and recipient of the Medal of Honor, born in Newburyport, Massachusetts (d. 1935)
  • Mar 30 Paul Verlaine, French lyric poet (Sagesse; Clair de lune; Hombres), born in Metz, France (d. 1896)
  • Mar 31 Andrew Lang, Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and anthropologist (Andrew Lang's Fairy Books), born in Selkirk, Scottish Borders, Scotland (d. 1912)

Famous Deaths

  • Mar 6 Gabriel Duvall, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1811-35), dies at 91
  • Mar 8 Charles XIV [Jean Bernadotte], French-born King of Sweden & Norway (1818-44), Marshall of France, dies at 81
  • Mar 21 Leopold van Sasse van Ysselt, Dutch nobleman and politician, dies at 65
  • Mar 24 Bertel Thorvaldsen, Danish sculptor (Dying Lion), dies at 73