Historical Events
Music History
Mar 1 American singer Liza Minnelli enters Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California for substance abuse rehabilitation
- Mar 1 Milwaukee businessman Herb Kohl purchases NBA's Milwaukee Bucks for $18 million
- Mar 1 Pentagon accepts theory that atomic war would cause a nuclear winter
- Mar 2 FDA in the US approves an ELISA screening test for AIDS antibody for all blood banks
Moonlighting
Mar 3 "Moonlighting" with Cybill Shepard & Bruce Willis premieres on ABC TV in the US
Sports History
Mar 3 Bill Shoemaker becomes 1st jockey to win $100 million
My One and Only
Mar 3 Musical created around songs of George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin "My One and Only", starring Tommy Tune, Twiggy, and Roscoe Lee Brown, closes at St James Theater, NYC, after 767 performances and 3 Tony award wins
- Mar 3 National Union of Mine Workers in Britain ends a 51 week strike
- Mar 4 STS 51-E vehicle rolls back to Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center (Florida); mission cancelled
- Mar 4 Virtual ban on leaded gas ordered by US Environment Protection Agency
- Mar 4 WWII veterans return to the "Bridge over the River Kwai"
- Mar 5 38th British Film and Television Awards (BAFTAs): "The Killing Fields" Best Film, Wim Wenders Best Director
- Mar 5 Mexican authorities find the body of US drug agent Enrique "Kike" Camarena Salaazar
Sports History
Mar 5 NHL New York Islanders Mike Bossy is 1st to score 50 goals in 8 straight seasons
- Mar 6 Atlantis (OV-104) rollout at Palmdale
Baseball Hall of Fame
Mar 6 Enos Slaughter and Arky Vaughan elected to baseball's Hall of Fame
Boxing Title Fight
Mar 6 Future undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson KOs Hector Mercedes at 1:47 in round 1 of 4 in Albany, NY in his first professional fight
Film & TV History
Mar 6 Yul Brynner appears in his 4,500th performance of "The King & I"
- Mar 7 IBM-PC DOS Version 3.1 (update) released
- Mar 8 6th Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: Georgetown beats St. John's, 92-80
- Mar 8 Ice Dance Championship at Tokyo won by Bestemianova & Bukin (URS)
- Mar 9 26th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Auburn beats Alabama, 53-49
- Mar 9 Ladies' Figure Skating Championship in Tokyo won by Katarina Witt (East Germany)
- Mar 10 32nd ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: Georgia Tech beats North Carolina, 57-54
- Mar 10 Dallas Maverick coach Dick Motta is 4th NBA coach to win 700 games
- Mar 10 French socialists lose election (National Front 9%)
- Mar 10 Ice Pairs Championship at Tokyo won by Elena Valova and Oleg Vasiliev (Soviet Union)
- Mar 10 India beat Pakistan to win "World Championship of Cricket"
- Mar 10 Men's Figure Skating Championship in Tokyo won by Alexandr Fadeev (URS)
Gorbachev Replaces Chernenko
Mar 11 Mikhail Gorbachev replaces Konstantin Chernenko as Soviet leader
People's Choice Awards
Mar 12 11th People's Choice Awards: Clint Eastwood & Meryl Streep win (Motion Picture) and Tom Selleck, Joan Collins & Linda Evans win (TV)
Sports History
Mar 12 Larry Bird scores Boston Celtic record 60 points
Event of Interest
Mar 13 Funeral services held for Konstantin Chernenko in Moscow
- Mar 13 Michael Secrest (US) begins 24-hr ride of 516 miles, 427 yards
- Mar 14 Michael Secrest (US) completes 24-hr ride of 516 miles, 427 yards
Boxing Title Fight
Mar 15 Larry Holmes TKOs David Bey in 10 for heavyweight boxing title
- Mar 15 The first Internet domain name, symbolics.com is registered
- Mar 15 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Mar 16 Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson taken hostage in Beirut
Sports History
Mar 16 Two-time Cy Young Award winner Denny McLain is convicted of embezzlement and drug trafficking; sentenced to 25 years but conviction later reversed
Sports History
Mar 17 Matti Nykanen of Finland set a world ski jump record of 623'
- Mar 18 Capital Cities Communications Inc acquires ABC for $3.5 billion, first transfer of ownership of a TV network
Sports History
Mar 18 Commissioner Peter Ueberroth reinstates Willie Mays & Mickey Mantle
Hall of Fame
Mar 21 Arthur Ashe is nominated for the International Tennis Hall of Fame
- Mar 21 Bloodbath at Langa (Uitenhage) South-Africa, 19 killed
Sports History
Mar 21 Canadian Rick Hansen sets off on his 'Man in Motion' world tour in his wheelchair raising money for spinal research, from Oakridge Mall, Vancouver (successfully completes May 1987) [1]
- Mar 22 NASA launches Intelsat VA F-10
Music History
Mar 23 David Bowie is special surprise guest at Tina Turner concert at NEC arena in Birmingham, England; they perform duets of Bowie's "Tonight" and a medley of Chris Montez' "Let's Dance" and Bowie's song of the same name
- Mar 23 Julian Lennon's 1st concert (San Antonio Texas)
- Mar 23 Space Shuttle Discovery moves to Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center (Florida) for mating of STS 51-D mission
- Mar 23 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Mar 24 5th Golden Raspberry (Razzie) Awards: "Bolero" wins
- Mar 24 Norman Gifford makes cricket ODI debuts at age 44 (v Aust, Sharjah)
Sports History
Mar 24 Third straight WTA Tour Championship for tennis legend Martina Navratilova; beats Helena Suková 6–3, 7–5, 6–4 at Madison Square Garden, NYC
Academy Awards
Mar 25 57th Academy Awards: "Amadeus", F. Murray Abraham & Sally Field win
Event of Interest
Mar 25 Edwin Meese III takes office as US Attorney General
Event of Interest
Mar 26 Pope John Paul II proclaims first ever World Youth Day
Film & TV History
Mar 27 American actor Billy Dee Williams receives a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Film & TV History
Mar 27 Professional wrestler Hulk Hogan acquiesces to put interviewer Richard Belzer in a hold, resulting in Belzer passing out, hitting his head on the floor, and requiring 9 stitches; Belzer sues Hogan for $5 million in damages for personal injury, they settle out of court, and Belzer buys a home in France
- Mar 28 International Cometary Explorer measures solar wind ahead of Halley
Biloxi Blues
Mar 28 Neil Simon's play "Biloxi Blues" premieres in NYC
- Mar 28 STS 51-D vehicle moves to launch pad
- Mar 29 Christos Sartzetakis elected President of Greece
NHL Record
Mar 29 Wayne Gretzky breaks own NHL season record with 126th assist
- Mar 30 139th Grand National: Welsh jockey Hywel Davies aboard 11-year old 50/1 outsider Last Suspect wins by 1½ lengths from Mr. Snugfit
- Mar 30 Ireland beats England, 13-10 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin to clinch its 10th outright Five Nations Rugby Championship and 6th triple Crown
- Mar 31 15th Easter Seal Telethon raises $27,400,000
- Mar 31 4th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Old Dominion beats Georgia, 70-65; Monarchs' Tracy Claxton, MOP
- Mar 31 El Salvador's President José Napoleón Duarte' Christian Democratic Party wins election
- Mar 31 PGA Tournament Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Calvin Peete shoots final round 66 to win by 3 strokes from D. A. Weibring; Peete only player to break par in all 4 rounds
- Mar 31 WrestleMania I, Madison Square Garden, NYC: Hulk Hogan & Mr T beat Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorf
Famous Birthdays
- Mar 1 Jeremy Jacob "J" Leman, Champaign Illinois, American Football Player
- Mar 2 Luke Pritchard, British rock singer and guitarist (The Kooks - Inside In/Inside Out), born in Worthing, West Sussex, England
- Mar 2 Reggie Bush, American NFL running back (Heisman Trophy 2005 [later forfeited], USC; Super Bowl 2009, New Orleans Saints), born in Spring Valley, California
- Mar 2 Robert Iler, American actor
- Mar 2 Tobuscus [Toby Turner], American YouTube personality, born in Osborn, Mississippi
- Mar 3 Sam Morrow, Northern Irish footballer
- Mar 5 Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Japanese actor
- Mar 5 Whitney Port, Cast member of The Hills TV series
- Mar 6 Alaska Thunderf**k [Justin Andrew Honard], American drag queen and TV performer (RuPaul's Drag Race), born in Erie, Pennsylvania
- Mar 6 Albert Reed, American model
- Mar 6 Pretty Yende, South African operatic soprano, born in Piet Retief, Mpumalanga, South Africa
- Mar 7 Gerwyn Price, Welsh darts player (PDC World C'ship 2021; Grand Slam of Darts 2018, 19; World Grand Prix 2020), born in Cardiff, Wales
- Mar 7 Thomas Erak, American progressive rock guitarist (The Fall of Troy; Just Like Vinyl), born in Seattle, Washington
- Mar 8 Ewa Sonnet, Polish model and pop singer, born in Rybnik, Poland
- Mar 9 Parthiv Patel, Indian cricket wicketkeeper (25 Tests, 6 x 50s, 72 dismissals), born in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India
- Mar 10 Casey Dienel, American singer-songwriter, keyboardist, and ukulele player (Wind-Up Canary), born in Massachusetts
- Mar 10 Kim Leclerc, Canadian politician
- Mar 10 Lassana Diarra, French footballer (Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain), born in Paris, France
- Mar 11 Arooj Aftab, Pakistani-American singer and composer (Mohabbat), born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Mar 11 Derek Schouman, American football player
- Mar 11 Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Australian soccer player
- Mar 11 Taniela Moa, Tongan rugby union halfback (20 caps; Auckland Blues, Section Paloise RUFC), born in Tofoa, Tonga (d. 2021)
- Mar 12 Stromae [Paul Van Haver], Belgian rapper and songwriter, born in Brussels, Belgium
- Mar 13 Alcides [Alcides Eduardo Mendes de Araújo Alves], Brazilian football player, born in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil
- Mar 13 Austin Scott, American football player, born in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Emile Hirsch (39 years old)
Mar 13 American actor (Into the Wild, Speed Racer), born in Topanga, California
- Mar 14 Idaira, Spanish singer, born in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
- Mar 15 Antti Autti, Finnish snowboarder (Gold 2005 Winter X Games), born in Finland
- Mar 15 Eva Amurri, American actress, born in New York City
- Mar 15 F.V.A. Morriello, Canadian author
- Mar 15 James MacLurcan, Australian actor (Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive), born in Sydney, Australia
- Mar 15 Stefan Węgłowski, Polish composer, guitarist, and educator, born in Warsaw, Poland
- Mar 15 Tom Chilton, British racing driver, born in Reigate, England
- Mar 16 Colin O'Brady, American athlete and adventurer, first to cross Antarctica solo unassisted, born in Olympia, Washington
- Mar 16 Nicole Trunfio, Australian supermodel, born in Merredin, Australia
- Mar 18 Gennaro Esposito, Italian footballer
- Mar 18 Vince Lia, Australian Footballer
- Mar 19 Ernesto Viso, Venezuelan racing driver
- Mar 21 Adrian Peterson, American Football player
- Mar 22 Mike Jenkins, German-born American NFL cornerback (Pro Bowl 2009; Dallas Cowboys), born in Neuenburg am Rhein, Germany
- Mar 23 Maurice Jones-Drew, American football player
- Mar 24 Haruka Ayase, Japanese actress and model
- Mar 26 Jonathan Groff, American actor (Hamilton, Frozen), born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Keira Knightley (39 years old)
Mar 26 English actress (Bend It Like Beckham, Pirates of the Caribbean), born in London, England
- Mar 26 Prosper Utseya, Zimbabwean cricket spin bowler and captain who played 4 Tests and 161 ODIs; Midlands, Manicaland, Mashonaland, born in Harare, Zimbabwe
- Mar 27 Caroline Winberg, Swedish supermodel, born in Sollentuna Municipality, Sweden
- Mar 28 Stan Wawrinka, Swiss tennis player (3-time Grand Slam winner), born in Lausanne, Switzerland
- Mar 30 Miss Fame [Kurtis Dam-Mikkelsen], American drag queen, model, and TV personality (RuPaul's Drag Race), born in Templeton, California
Famous Weddings
- Mar 9 Actors Laura Johnson (Falcon Crest) & Harry Hamlin (LA Law) wed
Maureen McCormick
Mar 16 Actress Maureen McCormick (28) weds Michael Cummings
Billy Joel
Mar 23 American 'Piano Man' Billy Joel (34) weds American supermodel Christie Brinkley (31), on a yacht moored alongside the Statue of Liberty; divorce in 1994
George Foreman
Mar 25 Professional boxer George Foreman (35) weds Mary Martelly
Famous Deaths
- Mar 1 Eugene List, American concert pianist and teacher (Eastman School of Music), dies at 66
- Mar 2 John Kelly Jr, American rower (Olympic bronze single sculls 1956; president US Olympic Committee 1985) and brother of Grace Kelly, dies at 57
- Mar 3 Sarah Blanding, 1st US fem college head (Vassar 1946-64), dies at 86
- Mar 6 Eric Sloane, American artist, dies at 80
- Mar 7 George Schick, Czech conductor (Chicago Symphony, 1950-56; Metropolitan Opera, 1958-69), and educator, dies at 76
- Mar 7 Robert W. Woodruff, American CEO (Coca-Cola) and philanthropist, dies at 95
- Mar 7 Victor W. Farris, American inventor (paper milk carton), dies at 75
- Mar 8 Edward Andrews, American actor (Tea & Sympathy, Glass Bottom Boat), dies of a heart attack at 70
- Mar 8 Thomas Creighton, US heart patient (3 implants in 46 hrs), dies at 33
Konstantin Chernenko (1911-1985)
Mar 10 General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1984-85), dies of Emphysema at 73
Eugene Ormandy (1899-1985)
Mar 12 Hungarian-American violinist and conductor (Philadelphia Orchestra, 1936-80), dies of pneumonia at 85
Eddie Shore (1902-1985)
Mar 16 Canadian ice hockey player and NHL hall of famer (Boston Bruins), dies of a lung infection at 82
- Mar 16 Jean Purdy, British embryologist and nurse (pioneer in developing IVF), dies from melanoma at 39
Roger Sessions (1896-1985)
Mar 16 American Pulitzer Prize winning composer (Concerto for Orchestra; The Black Maskers), musicologist, and educator (Princeton, 1936-45, 53-65; Berkeley, 1945-53), dies at 88
- Mar 17 Anita Boyer, American radio and big band singer (Tommy Dorsey - "I Concentrate On You"), dies at 69 [1]
- Mar 17 Dattu Phadkar, Indian cricketer (Indian all-rounder, 31 Tests 1947-58), dies at 59
- Mar 18 Jack Miller, Ameerican orchestra leader (Kate Smith Evening Hour), dies at 89
- Mar 21 Michael Redgrave, British actor (Browning Version, Goodbye Mr Chips, Lady Vanishes), dies of Parkinson's Disease at 77
- Mar 21 Salvador Ley, composer, dies at 78
- Mar 23 Anton Constandse, Dutch anarchist and writer, dies at 85
- Mar 23 Patricia Roberts Harris, (Rep-D), 1st African American woman cabinet member, dies of cancer at 60
- Mar 23 Peter Charanis, Greek-American scholar and professor (b. 1908)
- Mar 23 Richard Beeching, English physicist, engineer and chairman of British Railways (1961-64), dies at 71
- Mar 24 George London, Canadian bass-baritone (Rigoleto- "Monterone"), dies at 64
- Mar 25 Karl Gustav Ahlefeldt, Danish actor (Gertrud, Hooray for the Blue Hussars), dies at 75
- Mar 28 Marc Chagall [Moise Shagal], Jewish Belarusan-French modernist painter and stained glass artist (La Mariée; I and the Village), dies at 97
- Mar 28 Nand Baert, Flemish radio presenter (Afternoonbeat) and television game show host, dies at 53
- Mar 29 Gerhard Stöck, German athlete (Olympic gold javelin, bronze shot put 1936), dies at 73
- Mar 29 Jeanine Deckers, Belgian singer-songwriter, and Dominican nun known as 'The Singing Nun' ("Dominique"), cities financial difficulties, and commits suicide with barbiturate overdose at 51
- Mar 29 Luther Terry, 9th Surgeon General of the United States, dies at 73
- Mar 30 Harold Peary, American actor (Herb-Blondie, Willy), dies of a heart attack at 76
