What Happened in March 1951

Historical Events

Rosenberg Trial

Mar 6 Trial of Julius Rosenberg and his wife Ethel Rosenberg begins for providing top-secret information to the Soviet Union

Boxing Title Fight

Mar 7 Ezzard Charles beats Jersey Joe Walcott in 15 for 2nd time to win National Boxing Association world heavyweight title, at the Olympia in Detroit, Michigan

Boxer and World Heavyweight Champion Ezzard Charles

Heavyweight Boxing Champion Jersey Joe Walcott

Autumn Garden

Mar 7 Lillian Hellman's play "Autumn Garden" premieres on Broadway in NYC

Mar 8 Intl Table Tennis Federation bans Egypt (for refusing to play Israel)

Hydrogen Bomb Proposed

Mar 9 Edward Teller and Stanislaw Ulam submit a classified paper at the Los Alamos lab, in which they proposed their revolutionary new design, staged implosion, for a practical megaton-range hydrogen bomb

Mathematician and Nuclear Physicist Stanislaw Ulam

Mar 10 "Where's Charley?" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 56 performances

Hoover Declines Post

Mar 10 FBI director J. Edgar Hoover declines post of baseball commissioner

First Director of the FBI J. Edgar Hoover

Mar 10 Ireland clinches their 7th Five Nations Rugby Championship with a 3-3 draw against Wales at the National Stadium, Cardiff
Mar 12 Baseball Commish Happy Chandler loses fight (9-7) to stay in office
Mar 12 Comic strip "Dennis the Menace," 1st appears in the British comic magazine The Beano'
Mar 12 Communist troops driven out of Seoul
Mar 13 2nd Dutch government of Drees forms
Mar 13 Israel demands DM 6.2 billion compensation from Germany

Event of Interest

Mar 14 Bess Fosburgh Kaiser, wife of Henry J. Kaiser, dies

Mar 14 Earthquake at Euskirchen, Germany
Mar 15 Persia nationalizes Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
Mar 15 UN forces recapture Seoul, the fourth and final time the city changes hands in the Korean War
Mar 17 Government of Drees takes power
Mar 17 Test cricket debut of great English fast bowler Brian Statham, England v NZ at Christchurch; goes on to play 70 Tests, 252 wickets @ 24.84
Mar 18 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Pat O'Sullivan wins her only major title by 2 strokes from fellow amateur Beverly Hanson
Mar 18 William Grant Still's Symphony No. 4 ("Autochthonous"), premiere performance, by the Oklahoma City Symphony Orchestra with Victor Alessandro conducting
Mar 19 Herman Wouk's novel "The Caine Mutiny" published (Pulitzer Prize 1952)
Mar 20 Fujiyoshida, a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, in the center of the Japanese main island of Honshū is founded
Mar 20 Indonesian army offensive against Darul Islam on Java
Mar 21 2,900,000 US soldiers in Korea
Mar 23 Wages in France increase 11%
Mar 25 5th Tony Awards: "Guys & Dolls" (musical) and "The Rose Tattoo" (play) win
Mar 25 Edward Mills Purcell and Harold I. Ewen detect 21-cm radiation at Harvard physics lab

Air Force Flag

Mar 26 United States Air Force flag officially adopted by President Harry S. Truman

Mar 27 13th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kentucky beats Kansas, 68-58; Wildcats' 3rd title; 16-team field is introduced

I'm a Fool to Want You

Mar 27 Frank Sinatra records "I'm a Fool to Want You"

Academy Awards

Mar 29 23rd Academy Awards: "All About Eve", Judy Holliday and José Ferrer win

Event of Interest

Mar 29 American citizens Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are convicted and sentenced to death for conspiracy to commit espionage for the Soviet Union

The King and I

Mar 29 Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical "The King and I", based on the novel "Anna and the King of Siam", opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 1,246 performances, winning 5 Tony Awards; Star Yul Brynner would lead the cast of the 1956 film version, and play the role over 4,200 times

Music Premiere

Mar 30 1st performance of Walter Piston's 4th Symphony commissioned to mark the University of Minnesota's centennial, debuts by the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, Antal Doráti conducting

Mar 31 US tanks exceed 38° of latitude in Korea

Events in 1951

Famous Birthdays

Mar 1 Barbara DeAngelis, talk show hostess (Barbara DeAngelis Show)
Mar 1 Birger Jensen, Danish soccer goalkeeper (19 caps; Club Brugge KV 328 games), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2023)
Mar 1 Deb Fischer, American politician (Senator-R-Nebraska 2013-), born in Lincoln, Nebraska
Mar 1 Jocelyn Guevremont, Canadian ice hockey defenceman (NHL All Star 1974; Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres), born in Montreal, Quebec
Mar 1 Paula Sperber-Carter, American bowler (US Open 1971; USBC Hall of Fame), born in Miami, Florida
Mar 1 Scott Ross, American-French harpsichordist (recorded all 555 sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1989)
Mar 2 Cassie Yates, Macon Ga, actress (Osterman Weekend, Dynasty)
Mar 3 Lindsay Cooper, British bassoonist, oboe player, and composer (Henry Cow; News from Babel), born in Hornsey, North London, England (d. 2013)
Mar 3 Rustee Allen, American funk and jazz fusion bass guitar player (Sly and the Family Stone, 1972-75; Robin Trower; Bobby Womack), born in Monroe, Louisiana
Mar 3 Sergei Aleksandrovich Yemelyanov, Russian cosmonaut
Mar 4 Chris Rea, English rock guitarist, songwriter, and singer ("Fool (If You Think It Is Over)"), born in Middlesbrough, England
Mar 4 Edelgard Bulmahn, German politician
Mar 4 Gwen Welles, American actress (Desert Hearts, Sticky Fingers), born in New York City (d. 1993)
Mar 4 Kenny Dalglish, Scottish soccer forward (102 caps; Celtic, Liverpool) and manager (3 x Div 1 C'ship Liverpool; EPL 1995 Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United), born in Glasgow, Scotland
Mar 4 Linda Yamamoto, Japanese singer ("Nerai uchi"), and actress (Kamen Island), born in Kitakyushu, Japan
Mar 4 Robbie Blunt, English session and touring rock guitarist (Robert Plant; Clannad), born in Worcestershire, England

Mar 4 Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, American novelist (Dictee), born in Busan, South Korea (d. 1982)
Mar 5 Giorgos Ninios, Greek actor
Mar 5 Rodney Hogg, cricketer (prolific Australian wicket-taker 1978-84)
Mar 6 Gerrie Knetemann, Dutch road cyclist (World Road Race Champion 1978; Amstel Gold Race 1974, 85), born in Amsterdam, New Holland (d. 2004)
Mar 6 Walter Trout, American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter (Canned Heat; Bluesbreakers), born in Ocean City, New Jersey
Mar 7 (Francis) Rocco Prestia, American funk-rock bassist (Tower of Power), born in Sonora, California (d. 2020)
Mar 8 Philippe Henri Edmonds, cricketer (in Zambia England slow left-arm)
Mar 9 Helen Zille, South African politician, born in Johannesburg
Mar 9 Michael Kinsley, American journalist and editor, born in Detroit, Michigan
Mar 9 Zakir Hussain, Punjabi tabla virtuoso, composer, producer (Global Drum Project), and film actor, born in Mahim, India
Mar 11 Katie Kissoon [Farthing], Trinidadian-British pop singer ("Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep"), and session and touring backing vocalist (Van Morrison; Eric Clapton; Roger Water; Mark Knopfler), born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Mar 12 Caren Kaye, actress (My Tutor, Bambi-Blansky's Beauties), born in New York City
Mar 12 Jack Green, Scottish musician (T. Rex, 1973-74; The Pretty Things, 1974-76), born in Glasgow, Scotland
Mar 13 Fred Berry, African-American actor (Rerun-What's Happening), born in St Louis, Missouri (d. 2003)
Mar 14 Jerry Greenfield, American businessman and co-founder of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, born in Brooklyn, New York

Mar 14 Rigdon "Rick" Dees, American actor, voice artist and radio disc jock (The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown), born in Jacksonville, Florida
Mar 16 Kate Nelligan, actress (Bethune, Eye of the Needle), born in London, Ontario
Mar 16 Ray Benson [Seifert], American Western swing singer-songwriter, and record producer (Asleep at the Wheel), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 16 Ritchie Teeter, American drummer (The Dictators, 1976-79; Twisted Sister, 1980-81), born in the USA (d. 2012)
Mar 17 Donald Findlay, Scottish lawyer, born in Cowdenbeath, Scotland

Kurt Russell (73 years old)

Mar 17 American actor (Thing, Overboard, Mean Seasons), born in Springfield, Massachusetts

Mar 17 Scott Gorham, American rock guitarist (Thin Lizzy - "Jailbreak"; "21 Guns"), born in Glendale, California
Mar 18 (Patrick) "Paul" Barber, English stage and screen actor (The Full Monty; Only Fools and Horses - "Denzil"), born in Liverpool, England
Mar 18 Ben Cohen, American co-founder of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, born in Brooklyn, New York
Mar 18 Bill Frisell, American jazz guitarist, composer, and bandleader, born in Baltimore, Maryland
Mar 18 Tret Fure, American contemporary folk singer-songwriter, and audio engineer, born in Iowa
Mar 19 Derek Longmuir, Scottish rock drummer (Bay City Rollers - "Saturday Night"), born in Edinburgh, Scotland
Mar 20 Curt Smith, American author and media host
Mar 20 Guy Perry [Adrian Peritore], American rock guitarist (Motels, 1982-87 - "Only the Lonely"; "Suddenly Last Summer"), born in Brooklyn, New York
Mar 20 Jimmie Vaughan, American blues-rock guitarist (Fabulous Thunderbirds - "Wrap It Up"), born in Dallas, Texas
Mar 20 Madan Lal, cricketer (Indian medium pacer in the 70's)
Mar 20 Mohamed Ben Rehaiem, Tunisian soccer midfielder (35 caps; CS Sfaxien), born in Sfax, Tunisia (d. 2020)
Mar 20 Suzanne Lynch (née Donaldson), New Zealand pop singer (The Chicks), and session vocalist (Cat Stevens), born in New Zealand
Mar 20 Tanya Boyd, actress (Celeste-Days of our Life), born in Detroit, Michigan
Mar 21 Conrad Lozano, American rock bass player (Los Lobos - "Will The Wolf Survive"), born in Los Angeles, California
Mar 21 Russell Thompkins Jr, American soul tenor, lead singer (Stylistics - "Betcha by Golly, Wow"; "You Make Me Feel Brand New"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 22 Howard Reitzes, American rocker (Iron Butterfly), born in Southgate, California
Mar 22 Musa Manarov, Soviet cosmonaut who spent 541 days in space (Soyuz TM-4, TM-11), born in Baku, Azerbaijan, USSR
Mar 23 Karen Young, American disco singer ("Hot Shot"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1991)
Mar 23 Lis Howell, British broadcaster (director of programs GMTV), born in Liverpool. England
Mar 23 Phil Keaggy, American rock and contemporary Christian music acoustic and electric guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist (Glass Harp), born in Youngstown, Ohio
Mar 24 Dougie Thompson, Scottich bassist (Supertramp - "Bloody Well Right"), born in Glasgow, Scotland
Mar 24 Earl Williams, American-Israeli NBA player, born in Levittown, Pennsylvania
Mar 24 Kenneth S Reightler Jr, Patuxent R Md, Cmdr USN/astro (STS 48, 60)

Pat Bradley (73 years old)

Mar 24 American golfer (6 LPGA major titles; US Open 1981), born in Westford, Massachusetts

Mar 24 Tommy Hilfiger, American fashion designer, born in Elmira, New York
Mar 25 Bob Pelander, American rock keyboardist and vocalist (Michael Stanley Band, 1976-87), born in Cleveland, Ohio
Mar 25 Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Canadian politician (first indigenous women elected to Canadian parliament and first cabinet minister), born in Tulita, Northwest Territories [1]
Mar 25 Maisie Williams, British vocalist (Boney M), born in Brades, Montserrat, British West Indies
Mar 27 Bobby Lalonde, NHLer (Boston Bruins), born in Montreal
Mar 28 Chip Reese, American poker player (3 x World Series of Poker bracelets), born in Centerville, Ohio (d. 2007)
Mar 28 Karen Kain, Canadian ballet dancer, 1973-97 (Moscow International Ballet Competition, 1973), and artistic director (National Ballet of Canada, 2005-21), born in Hamilton, Ontario
Mar 28 Matti Pellonpää, Finnish actor and musician, born in Helsinki, Finland (d. 1995)
Mar 29 Geoff Howarth, New Zealand cricket batsman (47 Tests, 30 as captain, 6 x 100s, HS 147; Surrey CCC, Auckland CA, Northern Districts CA), born in Auckland, New Zealand
Mar 30 Anton Tkáč, Slovak track cyclist (Olympic gold Czechoslovakia men's match sprint 1976; World C'ship gold 1974, 78), born in Lozorno, Slovakia (d. 2022)
Mar 30 Yves Séguin, Quebec politician
Mar 31 Henry Spinetti, Welsh session and touring drummer (Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading, Gerry Rafferty, Katie Melua), born in Cwm, Monmouthshire, Wales

Born in 1951

Famous Weddings

Mar 28 American playwright and screenwriter Sidney Sheldon (34) weds second wife, American actress Jorja Curtright (27), until her death in 1985

Famous Deaths

Mar 6 Ivor Novello [David Ivor Davies], Welsh composer, writer and actor (Keep the Home Fires Burning, The Truth Game), dies at 58
Mar 6 Volodymyr Vynnychenko, Ukrainian politician and statesman, dies at 70
Mar 7 Haj Ali Razmara, 33rd Prime Minister of Iran (1950-51), assassinated at 49
Mar 8 Honeymoon Killers, dies in electric chair
Mar 8 John Winter Thompson, composer, dies at 83
Mar 10 Kijūrō Shidehara, Japanese politician and diplomat, Prime minister of Japan (1945-46), dies at 78
Mar 11 Philippe of Isacker, Belgian minister, dies at 66
Mar 13 Alfred Hugenberg, German right-wing politician, businessman, and media magnate, dies at 85
Mar 13 James I Wedgwood, British theosophist and bishop (Liberal Catholic Church), dies at 67
Mar 15 John S. Paraskevopoulos, Greek-born astronomer (b. 1889)
Mar 20 Kathleen Lockhart Manning, American composer, dies at 60
Mar 22 Willem Mengelberg, Dutch conductor (Concertgebouw Orchestra, 1895-1945; New York Philharmonic, 1922-30), dies at 79

Eddie Collins (1887-1951)

Mar 25 American Baseball Hall of Fame infielder (World Series 1910, 11, 13, 17, 29, 30; AL MVP 1914; 4 x AL stolen base leader; Philadelphia A's, Chicago White Sox), dies of heart problems at 63

Mar 25 Sidney “Big Sid” Catlett, American jazz drummer (Louis Armstrong), dies of a heart attack at 41
Mar 26 James F. Hinkle, American politician, sixth Governor of New Mexico, dies at 86
Mar 29 Jerome Travers, American golfer (US Open 1915), dies at 63
Mar 31 Ralph Forbes [Taylor], British screen and stage actor (Romeo and Juliet; Piccadilly Jim; Daniel Boone), dies at 46