Historical Events
NBA Record
Mar 1 Atlanta's Lenny Wilkens becomes first coach in NBA history to reach 1,000 career victories when the Hawks beat Cleveland Cavaliers, 74-68
- Mar 1 New toll-free 888 area code introduced in USA
- Mar 1 Plans approved allowing traffic cameras High Harrington & Shap England
Cricket World Cup
Mar 2 Despite Sachin Tendulkar's masterful 137 in India's 3 for 272, Sri Lanka wins Cricket World Cup match in Delhi by 6 wickets; Sanath Jayasuriya 79, Hashan Tillakaratne 70no
- Mar 3 Auckland beat Wellington by 9 wickets to win Shell Trophy Final
Baseball Hall of Fame
Mar 5 Earl Weaver & Jim Bunning, elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
- Mar 6 10th American Comedy Award: James Burrows
- Mar 6 Aravinda De Silva smashes 145 v Kenya in cricket World Cup at Kandy Sri Lanka score 5-398 in 50 overs in World Cup v Kenya
- Mar 7 1st surface photos of Pluto (photographed by Hubble Space Telescope)
- Mar 7 British Steel in Workington wins Lithuanian multi-million pound order
Sports History
Mar 7 Magic Johnson is 2nd NBA player to reach 10,000 career assists
- Mar 7 The first democratically elected Palestinian parliament formed
Fargo
Mar 8 "Fargo" directed and written by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi released in the US
- Mar 9 Javed Miandad's last international in Pakistan's Cricket World Cup Quarter Final loss to India
- Mar 9 NASA space shuttle STS-75 (Columbia 19) lands
Cricket World Cup
Mar 9 Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya hammers 82 off 44 balls (13x4 3x6) v England in Cricket World Cup Quarter Final
People's Choice Awards
Mar 10 22nd People's Choice Awards: Tom Hanks & Demi Moore win (Dramatic Motion Picture) and Tim Allen & Candice Bergen win (TV)
- Mar 10 37th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Mississippi State beats Kentucky, 84-73
- Mar 10 43rd ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #12 Wake Forest beats #18 Georgia Tech, 75-74
- Mar 10 NYC Mayor Rudy Guiliani visits Israel
- Mar 11 Chris Harris scores 130 in losing NZ side v Australia, World Cup
- Mar 11 John Winston Howard becomes the 25th Prime Minister of Australia. His term in office is the second longest in Australian history, ending December 3, 2007.
- Mar 11 Mark Waugh scores 110 v NZ for his third century of the World Cup
- Mar 11 The EU Database Directive is passed
- Mar 12 Leeward Islands beat Trinidad by 73 runs to win Red Stripe Trophy
- Mar 13 At Dunblane Primary School, Scotland, 16 children and 1 teacher are shot dead by Thomas Hamilton who then commits suicide. Results in handguns being banned in the UK.
- Mar 13 Sri Lanka beat India in World Cup semi as riots stop play
- Mar 14 Australia beat West Indies by 5 runs in amazing cricket World Cup semi
- Mar 14 Crufts show at NEC Birmingham, (1995 winner, Joshua, an Irish setter)
Music History
Mar 15 Chris Isaak's album "Forever Blue" is certified Platinum by the RIAA
- Mar 16 England beats Ireland, 28-15 at Twickenham for a second consecutive Five Nations Rugby Championship and Triple Crown; fly-half Paul Grayson lands 6 penalties, a conversion and drop goal
Boxing Title Fight
Mar 16 Mike Tyson TKOs Frank Bruno in 3rd round to gain heavyweight title
- Mar 16 Montreal Canadien's 1st game in their new arena (Bell Center)
- Mar 17 "Getting Away With Murder" opens at Broadhurst NYC for 17 performances
- Mar 17 Cricket World Cup, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan: Aravinda de Silva scores 107 no and takes 3/42 as Sri Lanka beats Australia by 7 wickets; Sanath Jayasuriya, Player of Series
- Mar 17 ICC Men's Cricket ODI World Cup, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan: Sri Lanka upset Australia by 7 wickets for their first title; Player of the Match: Aravinda de Silva (SL) 107 no (124), 3/42 & 2 catches
Theatrical Finale
Mar 17 Revival of William Inge's stage drama "Bus Stop , starring Billy Crudup and Mary-Louise Parker, closes at the Circle in the Square Theater, NYC, after 29 performances
- Mar 18 50,000 swimmers raise 15 million for charity during BT's Swimathon '96
- Mar 18 A nightclub fire in Quezon City, Philippines kills 162.
Anthology 2
Mar 18 Apple Records releases The Beatles "Anthology 2" (double CD/triple LP)", the second of 3-part series of rare recordings and outtakes by the Beatles; set covers the years 1965-68, as well as new collaboration "Real Love" - a John Lennon demo augmented by additional lyrics and performances by the surviving three; album tops record charts in US and UK
- Mar 20 "Love Thy Neighbor" opens at Booth Theater NYC
- Mar 20 Erik & Lyle Menendez found guilty of killing their parents
- Mar 20 UK admits humans can catch CJD (Mad Cow Disease)
Music History
Mar 21 Revival of Tennessee Williams' stage drama "Night of the Iguana", starring William Petersen and Marsha Mason, opens at Criterion Theater, NYC; runs for 68 performances
- Mar 22 Cheryl Depew of Florida crowned 13th Miss Hawaiian Tropic International
- Mar 22 STS 76 (Atlantis 16), launches into orbit
- Mar 23 Taiwan holds its first direct elections and chooses Lee Teng-hui as President.
- Mar 24 16th Golden Raspberry Awards: "Showgirls" wins
- Mar 24 MTA raises NYC bridge tolls to $3.50 each way
Academy Awards
Mar 25 68th Academy Awards: "Braveheart", Nicolas Cage & Susan Sarandon win
- Mar 25 Comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) approaches within 0.1018 AUs of Earth
- Mar 25 Freedom Shoemakers on Maryport's Solway Estate closes
- Mar 25 Ice Dance Championship at Edmonton won by Gritshuk & Platov (RUS)
- Mar 25 Ice Pairs Championship at Edmonton won by Eltsova & Bushkov (RUS)
- Mar 25 Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Edmonton won by Michelle Kwan (USA)
Sports History
Mar 25 Men's Figure Skating Championship in Edmonton won by Todd Eldredge (USA)
- Mar 25 The European Union's Veterinarian Committee bans the export of British beef and its by-products as a result of "mad cow disease" (BSE).
- Mar 25 US issues newly-redesigned $100 bill
Cricket History
Mar 26 Last day of 1st-class cricket for Allan Border (Qld v Vic)
- Mar 26 The International Monetary Fund approves a $10.2 billion loan for Russia
- Mar 27 Stage adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein's 1945 film musical "State Fair" opens at Music Box Theater, New York City; runs for 118 performances
- Mar 28 "Seven Guitars" opens at Walter Kerr Theater NYC
- Mar 29 10th Soul Train Music Awards: Patti Labelle, Boyz II Men win
- Mar 29 Cleveland Browns choose new name for their relocated team - Baltimore Ravens
- Mar 29 NY Yankees beats NY Mets 7-3 in an exhibition game
- Mar 30 149th Grand National: 7/1 favourite Rough Quest, ridden by Irish jockey Mick Fitzgerald wins by 1¼ lengths from Encore Un Peu
- Mar 30 NY Mets beats NY Yankees 5-3 in an exhibition game
Event of Interest
Mar 30 Prince Edward & girl-friend Sophie Rhys-Jones visit Greystoke Castle
- Mar 31 "A Midsummer Night's Dream" opens at Lunt-Fontanne NYC for 66 performances
- Mar 31 "Getting Away With Murder" closes at Broadhurst NYC after 17 performances
- Mar 31 15th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Tennessee beats Georgia, 83-65; 3 Volunteers in All-Tournament team: Michelle Marciniak, Chamique Holdsclaw, Tiffani Johnson
- Mar 31 First time in MLB history, the regular season opens in March with Seattle Mariners beating Chicago White Sox, 3-2 in 12 innings at the Kingdome, Seattle
Golf Major
Mar 31 Nabisco Dinah Shore Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Patty Sheehan wIns by 1 stroke ahead of runners-up Meg Mallon, Kelly Robbins and Annika Sörenstam
PGA Players Championship
Mar 31 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Fred Couples shoots a final round 64 to win his 2nd PC title, 4 strokes ahead of runners-up Colin Montgomerie and Tommy Tolles
- Mar 31 Radio Canada International's final shortwave broadcast
- Mar 31 Ranji Trophy Cricket Final, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Madras: Karnataka (Vijay Bharadwaj 146 of 8/620) beats Tamil Nadu (370) on 1st innings
- Mar 31 Space Shuttle STS 76 (Atlantis 16), lands
WrestleMania
Mar 31 WrestleMania XII, Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, CA - Shawn Michaels beats Bret Hart for WWF Heavyweight title
1996 History
Famous Birthdays
- Mar 1 Ye Shiwen, Chinese swimmer (Olympic gold 400m [WR 4:28.43] & 200m individual medley 2012; World C'ships gold 200m medley 2011, 19), born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Mar 5 Taylor Hill, American model (Victoria's Secret), born in Palatine, Illinois
- Mar 6 Savanah Stehlin, American actress
- Mar 8 Lorna Fitzgerald, English actress
- Mar 9 Darsheel Safary, Youngest Indian actor to win filmfare award for best performance (Taare Zameen Par), born in Mumbai, India
- Mar 18 Madeline Carroll, American actress
- Mar 20 Charley Hull, British golfer (ANA Inspiration 2016, British Open & US Open 2023 runner-up), born in Kettering, England
- Mar 23 Alexander Albon, Thai-British Formula One racing driver (Red Bull Racing), born in London
- Mar 26 Kathryn Bernardo, Filipina actress (Hello, Love, Goodby), born in Cabanatuan, Philippines
- Mar 29 Juanpa Zurita, Mexican social media personality (Vine, YouTube), actor and model, born in Mexico City
- Mar 31 Liza Koshy, American internet personality and actress (Lisa on Demand), born in Houston, Texas
Famous Weddings
Pat Summerall
Mar 16 Sportscaster Pat Summerall (65) weds Cherilyn Burns in Florida
- Mar 24 Former Atlanta mayor and UN ambassador Andrew Young (64) weds Carolyn Watson (49) in South Africa
Angelina Jolie
Mar 28 Actress Angelina Jolie (20) weds actor Jonny Lee Miller (23)
Clint Eastwood
Mar 31 Actor and director Clint Eastwood (65) weds news anchor Dina Ruiz (30) in Las Vegas
Famous Divorces
Winnie & Nelson Mandela
Mar 19 Winnie Madikizela-Mandela divorces Nelson Mandela after 38 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Mar 1 (Elijah) Doug Quattlebaum, American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter (Softee Man Blues), dies at 67
- Mar 1 Margaret McKay, British politician, dies at 85
- Mar 2 Jacobo Majluta Azar, 47th President of the Dominican Republic (1978-82), dies at 61
- Mar 2 Lyle Talbot [Lysle Henderson], American stage and screen actor (The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - "Joe"), dies of congestive heart failure at 94
- Mar 2 Yrrah [Harry Lammertink], Dutch cartoonist (Vrij Netherland), dies at 63
- Mar 3 David Bowman, Scottish trade unionist (National Union of Railwaymen), dies at 82
- Mar 3 John Joseph Krol, American clergyman (Roman Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia, 1961-88), dies at 85
- Mar 3 Leo Malet, French crime novelist, dies at 86
- Mar 3 Ludwig Freiherr von Hammerstein-Equord, German journalist, dies at 76
- Mar 3 Marguerite Duras, French novelist and playwright (Sea Wall), dies at 81
- Mar 3 Meyer Schapiro, Lithuanian-born American art historian, dies at 91
- Mar 4 Barbara Lewis, British obituarist, dies at 55
- Mar 4 Minnie Pearl [Sarah Ophelia Colley], American country comedienne (Grand Ole Opry, Hee-Haw), dies at 84
- Mar 5 Joshua Compston, English art impresario, dies at 26
- Mar 5 Khundaqar Mushtaq Amhed, president of Bangladesh (1975), dies
- Mar 5 Nicolás Cotoner, 23rd Marquess of Mondéjar, Spanish nobleman and military officer, dies at 90
- Mar 5 Whitner "Whit" Bissell, American actor (Time Machine, Soylent Green, The Magnificent Seven), dies at 86
- Mar 6 Herb Hall, American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, dies at 88
- Mar 6 Simon Cadell, English actor (Enemy at the Door), dies at 45
- Mar 6 Stanley Booth-Clibborn, British Anglican Bishop of Manchester, dies at 71
- Mar 7 Aled Eames, Welsh maritime historian, dies at 74
- Mar 8 Alison McCartney, pathologist/Breast Cancer campaigner, dies at 45
- Mar 8 Jack Churchill, British Army commando, dies at 89
- Mar 8 Paul Harrhy, actor and opera singer (Intelligence Park), dies at 38
- Mar 9 Elman Ali Ahmed, Somali peace campaigner, dies at 42
- Mar 9 George Burns [Nathan Birnbaum], American actor, comedian and singer (Oh God; Burns and Allen), dies at 100
- Mar 9 Peter Mansfield, British political journalist and author, dies at 67
- Mar 10 Lucius E. Burch Jr, US civil rights leader, dies at 84
- Mar 10 Ross Hunter, American film producer (Airport, Madame X, Pillow Talk), dies at about 75 (date of birth disputed)
- Mar 11 Barry Appleby, British cartoonist (The Gambols), dies at 86
- Mar 11 Charles Oatley, English electrical engineer (developed scanning electron microscope), dies at 92
- Mar 11 John Henry Pyle Pafford, librarian, dies at 96
- Mar 11 Vince Edwards, American actor, director, and singer (Ben Casey, The Devil's Brigade, Matt Lincoln, Firehouse), dies of cancer at 67
- Mar 12 Charles Bruce Perry, English physician (rheumatism and cardiac disease), dies at 92
- Mar 12 Gyula Kallai, Prime Minister of Hungry (1965-67), dies at 85
- Mar 12 J. A. Cuddon, English dictionary writer (Dictionary of Literary Terms), dies at 67
- Mar 12 Larry Osborne, Trinidadian-British army officer and navigator air traffic controller (1st black man to reach rank of Group Captain rank), dies at 73
- Mar 13 Brian Hulls, British TV news cameraman, dies at 48
- Mar 13 Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish film director (The Double Life of Veronique), dies of a heart attack at 54
- Mar 13 Lucio Fulci, Italian film director "Godfather of Gore", dies at 68
- Mar 13 Lucy Faithfull, British children's campaigner, dies at 85
- Mar 14 Dewi Bebb, Welsh rugby union winger (34 Tests Wales, 8 British & Irish Lions; Swansea RFC) and journalist, dies at 57
- Mar 15 Bob Pearce, American wrestler (Olympic gold bantamweight freestyle 1932), dies at 88
- Mar 15 Helen Chadwick, British artist, dies at 42
- Mar 15 Olga Rudge, American concert violinist, dies at 100
- Mar 15 Roswell Leavitt Gilpatric, American lawyer and diplomat, dies at 89
- Mar 16 Charlie Barnett, American actor and comedian, dies of AIDS at 41
- Mar 16 Joseph Lee Pope, singer, dies at 62
- Mar 16 Olive Netta Parsons, co-founder (Collet's bookshop), dies at 104
- Mar 16 Peter Clemoes, Anglo-Saxon scholar, dies at 76
- Mar 17 Bela Szigeti, Hungarian theoretical physicist, dies at 83
- Mar 17 Rene Clement, French film director (Forbidden Games), dies at 83
- Mar 17 Terry Stafford, American singer (b. 1941)
- Mar 17 Thomas Enders, American diplomat, dies at 64
- Mar 18 Jacquetta Hawkes, English archaeologist, dies at 85
- Mar 18 Odysseas Elytis, Greek poet (Nobel Prize 1979), dies at 84
- Mar 19 Christopher Headington, English composer, musicologist and pianist, dies at 65
- Mar 19 Frank Wigglesworth, American composer (The Willowdale Handcar), dies at 78
- Mar 19 William Hutchinson Murray, Scottish mountaineer and author, dies at 83
- Mar 20 Alan Ridout, English composer, dies at 61
- Mar 20 Claude Bourdet, French human rights activist and journalist, dies at 86
- Mar 20 Victor Zorza, Polish journalist and specialist on the Soviet Union, dies at 71
- Mar 21 Frank Murray, Northern Ireland police officer and superintendent (RUC Special Branch), known as the "Bionic Man", dies at 51 [1]
- Mar 22 (William Famous) Billy Williamson, American steel guitar player (Bill Haley and His Saddlemen; Bill Haley & His Comets), dies at 71
- Mar 22 Claude Mauriac, French writer (Le Temps immobile), dies at 81
- Mar 22 Don Murray, American drummer (The Turtles), dies from post-operative complications at 50
- Mar 22 Robert F Overmyer, American USMC Colonel, and NASA astronaut (STS-5; STS- 51-B), dies in plane crash while test flying an aircraft at 59 [1]
- Mar 22 Ron Hayward, English politician, General Secretary of the Labour Party, dies at 78
- Mar 22 Václav Nelhýbel, Czech-American composer (Everyman), dies at 76
- Mar 23 J. D. "Jay" Miller, American record producer, dies at 73
- Mar 23 Peter Baer, German-British artist and printmaker, dies at 72
- Mar 24 Maria Lucia Beltran Alcayaga, singer, dies at 66
- Mar 25 John Snagge, British newsreader and commentator for the BBC (Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race), dies at 91
- Mar 26 Cissie Charlton, English football matriarch (mother of Bobby Carlton), dies at 83
- Mar 26 David Packard, American electronic engineer and businessman, dies at 83
- Mar 26 Edmund Muskie, American politician (Sen-D-Me) and US Secretary of State (1980-81), dies at 81
- Mar 26 Tom Wakefield, British writer, dies at 60
- Mar 27 Howie Wyeth, American drummer and pianist (Bob Dylan; Robert Gordon; Christine Lavin), dies of cardiac arrest at 51
- Mar 28 Barbara McLean, film Editor, dies at 86
- Mar 28 David Band, British banker (BZW), dies at 53
- Mar 28 Edith Fowke, Canadian folklorist, dies at 82
- Mar 28 Hans Blumenberg, philosopher, dies at 75
- Mar 28 Ken Dibbs, Lebanese actor (Suddenly, Party Girl, High Society), dies at 78
- Mar 28 Roscoe [Charles Barnet] Harvey, British soldier, dies at 95
- Mar 28 Shin Kanemaru, Japanese politician (Deputy Prime Minister 1986-87), dies at 81
- Mar 28 Simon Harcourt Nowell-Smith, British bibliophile, dies at 87
- Mar 29 Maggie Donnelly, bag lady, dies at 46
- Mar 29 William I. Martin, American pilot (early testing of all-weather and night flying techniques WWII) and vice-admiral, dies at 85 [1]
- Mar 30 Hugh Falkus, British filmmaker and naturalist, dies at 78
- Mar 30 Ryoei Saito, Japanese businessman (Daishowa Paper Manufacturing), dies at 79
- Mar 31 Dante Giacosa, Italian engineer and automobile designer (Fiat), dies at 91
- Mar 31 Dario Bellezza, Italian poet, dies of AIDS at 51
- Mar 31 Jeffrey Lee Pierce, American singer and songwriter (The Gun Club), dies at 37
- Mar 31 Julius Young, fast food entrepreneur, dies at 73
