So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.
March 21st - holidays
- Earliest day on which Holy Saturday can fall, while April 24 is the latest; celebrated on Saturday before Easter. (Christianity)
- Birth of Benito Juárez, a Fiestas Patrias (Mexico)
- Christian Feast Day:
- Harmony Day (Australia)
- Human Rights Day (South Africa)
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Namibia from South African mandate in 1990.
- International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (International)
- Mother's Day (most of the Arab World)
- The first day of Bahá, the first month in Bahá'í calendar (Bahá'í Faith)
- The third day of Quinquatria, in honor of Minerva. (Roman Empire)
- Truant's Day (Poland)
- Vernal Equinox (see March 20)
- World Down Syndrome Day (International)
- World Poetry Day (International)
- Youth Day (Tunisia)
March 21st - events
- 2006 - Immigrant workers constructing the Burj Khalifa and a new terminal of Dubai International Airport riot causing $1M in damage.
- 2002 - In Pakistan, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh along with three other suspects are charged with murder for their part in the kidnapping and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
- 1999 - Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon.
- 1997 - In a Tel Aviv, Israel coffee shop, a suicide bomber kills 3 and injures 49.
- 1990 - Namibia becomes independent after 75 years of South African rule.
- 1989 - Sports Illustrated reports allegations tying baseball player Pete Rose to baseball gambling.
- 1985 - Canadian paraplegic athlete and humanitarian Rick Hansen begins his circumnavigation of the globe in a wheelchair in the name of spinal cord injury medical research.
- 1980 - US President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.
- 1980 - On the season finale of the soap opera Dallas, the infamous character J.R. Ewing is shot by an unseen assailant, leading to the catchphrase "Who shot J.R.?"
- 1970 - The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto.
- 1970 - Vinko Bogataj crashes during a ski-jumping championship in Germany; his image becomes that of the "agony of defeat guy" in the opening credits of ABC's Wide World of Sports.
- 1968 - Battle of Karameh in Jordan between Israeli Defense Forces and Fatah.
- 1965 - Ranger program: NASA launches Ranger 9 which is the last in a series of unmanned lunar space probes.
- 1965 - Martin Luther King Jr. leads 3,200 people on the start of the third and finally successful civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
- 1964 - In Copenhagen, Denmark, Gigliola Cinquetti wins the ninth Eurovision Song Contest for Italy singing "Non ho l'età" ("I'm not old enough").
- 1963 - Alcatraz, a federal penitentiary on an island in San Francisco Bay, closes.
- 1960 - Apartheid: Massacre in Sharpeville, South Africa: Police open fire on a group of unarmed black South African demonstrators, killing 69 and wounding 180.
- 1952 - Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio.
- 1945 - World War II: British troops liberate Mandalay, Burma.
- 1945 - World War II: Operation Carthage – British planes bomb Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. They also hit a school; 125 civilians are killed.
- 1937 - Ponce Massacre: 18 people and a 7-year-old girl in Ponce, Puerto Rico, are gunned down by a police squad acting under orders of US-appointed PR Governor, Blanton C. Winship.
- 1935 - Shah Reza Pahlavi formally asks the international community to call Persia by its native name, Iran, which means 'Land of the Aryans.'
- 1933 - Construction of Dachau, the first Nazi Germany concentration camp, is completed.
- 1928 - Charles Lindbergh is presented the Medal of Honor for the first solo trans-Atlantic flight.
- 1919 - The Hungarian Soviet Republic is established becoming the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia.
- 1918 - World War I: The first phase of the German Spring Offensive, Operation Michael, begins.
- 1913 - Over 360 are killed and 20,000 homes destroyed in the Great Dayton Flood in Dayton, Ohio.
- 1871 - Otto von Bismarck is appointed Chancellor of the German Empire.
- 1871 - Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone.
- 1859 - Zoological Society of Philadelphia, 1st in US, incorporated
- 1857 - An earthquake in Tokyo, Japan kills over 100,000.
- 1844 - The Bahá'í calendar begins. This is the first day of the first year of the Bahá'í calendar. It is annually celebrated by members of the Bahá'í Faith as the Bahá'í New Year or Náw-Rúz.
- 1844 - The original date predicted by William Miller for the return of Christ.
- 1821 - First revolutionary act in Monastery of Agia Lavra, Kalavryta, Greek War of Independence.
- 1804 - Code Napoléon is adopted as French civil law.
- 1801 - The Battle of Alexandria is fought between British and French forces near the ruins of Nicopolis in Egypt.
- 1800 - With the church leadership driven out of Rome during an armed conflict, Pius VII is crowned Pope in Venice with a temporary papal tiara made of papier-mâché.
- 1788 - A fire in New Orleans leaves most of the town in ruins.
- 1556 - In Oxford, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is burned at the stake.
- 1413 - Henry V becomes King of England.
- 1188 - Accession to the throne of Japan by emperor Antoku.
- 1152 - Annulment of the marriage of King Louis VII of France and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.
- 717 - Battle of Vincy between Charles Martel and Ragenfrid.
March 21st - births
- 2004 - Count Claus-Casimir of Orange-Nassau, Jonkheer van Amsberg
- 1995 - Diggy Simmons, American Rapper
- 1991 - Luke Chapman, English footballer
- 1990 - Mandy Capristo, German singer (Monrose)
- 1989 - Takeru Satoh, Japanese actor
- 1989 - Rochelle Wiseman, British singer (The Saturdays)
- 1989 - Nicolas Lodeiro, Uruguayan footballer
- 1988 - Lee Cattermole, English footballer
- 1988 - Erik Johnson, American ice hockey player
- 1985 - Ryan Callahan, American hockey player
- 1985 - Adrian Peterson, American football player
- 1984 - Tiago, Brazilian footballer
- 1983 - Jean Ondoa, Cameroonian footballer
- 1982 - Aaron Hill, American baseball player
- 1982 - Colin Turkington, British racing driver
- 1982 - Jocie Kok, Chinese-Singaporean female singer
- 1980 - Marit Bjørgen, Norwegian cross-country skier
- 1980 - Ronaldinho Gaucho, Brazilian international footballer
- 1980 - Deryck Whibley, Canadian guitarist and singer (Sum41)
- 1980 - Lee Jin, South Korean actress
- 1978 - Nick Baines, English keyboardist (Kaiser Chiefs)
- 1978 - Charmaine Dragun, Australian news anchor (d. 2007)
- 1978 - Kevin Federline, American dancer/hip hop artist
- 1978 - Cristian Guzmán, Dominican baseball player
- 1978 - Rani Mukherjee, Indian actress
- 1977 - Charles Blackstone, American author
- 1975 - Fabricio Oberto, Argentine basketball player
- 1975 - Justin Pierce, British actor (d. 2000)
- 1975 - Vitaly Potapenko, Ukrainian basketball player
- 1975 - Mark Williams, Welsh snooker player
- 1975 - Yacoub Al-Mohana, Kuwaiti Film Director
- 1974 - Laura Allen, American actress
- 1974 - Jose Clayton, Tunisian footballer
- 1974 - Rhys Darby, New Zealand comedian
- 1974 - Edsel Dope, American singer (Dope)
- 1973 - Vanessa Branch, British-American actress and model.
- 1973 - Ananda Lewis, American model and television personality
- 1973 - Stuart Nethercott, English footballer
- 1973 - Jerry Supiran, American actor
- 1972 - Large Professor, American hip hop artist
- 1972 - Chris Candido, American professional wrestler (d. 2005)
- 1970 - Shiho Niiyama, Japanese voice actress
- 1970 - Cenk Uygur, American radio talk show host
- 1969 - Jonah Goldberg, American author and pundit
- 1969 - Ali Daei, Iranian footballer
- 1968 - Cameron Clyne, Australian businessman
- 1968 - DJ Premier, (Preemo), hip hop producer
- 1968 - Greg Ellis, English actor
- 1968 - Shin Seung Hun, South Korean ballad singer
- 1968 - Scott Williams, American basketball player
- 1968 - Samantha Dorman, American model
- 1967 - Jonas "Joker" Berggren, Swedish musician (Ace of Base)
- 1967 - Adrian Chiles, British television and radio presenter
- 1967 - Maxim Reality, British MC (The Prodigy)
- 1965 - Xavier Bertrand, French politician
- 1964 - Ahmed Radhi, Iraqi international football star
- 1964 - Jesper Skibby, Danish professional cyclist
- 1963 - Shawn Lane, American guitar virtuoso (d. 2003)
- 1963 - Shawon Dunston, American baseball player
- 1963 - Ronald Koeman, Dutch footballer and football manager
- 1962 - Matthew Broderick, American actor
- 1962 - Kathy Greenwood, Canadian actress
- 1962 - Rosie O'Donnell, American comedian, actress, talk show host, and publisher
- 1962 - Mark Waid, American comic book writer
- 1961 - Lothar Matthäus, German footballer
- 1960 - Benito de Leon, Filipino military officer
- 1960 - Ayrton Senna, Brazilian race car driver and three-time F1 World Champion (d. 1994)
- 1960 - Robert Sweet, American drummer
- 1959 - Sarah Jane Morris, English singer
- 1959 - Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese composer
- 1959 - Yuval Rotem, Israeli Ambassador
- 1958 - Sabrina Le Beauf, American actress
- 1958 - Gary Oldman, English actor
- 1956 - Guy Chadwick, English guitarist, vocalist and songwriter (The House of Love)
- 1956 - Ingrid Kristiansen, Norwegian runner
- 1955 - Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Greek politician
- 1953 - Paul Martin Lester, American educator, author, and photographer
- 1951 - Russell Thompkins Jr, American singer (The Stylistics)
- 1950 - Roger Hodgson, English musician, former member of Supertramp
- 1949 - Slavoj Žižek, Slovenian sociologist, philosopher and cultural critic
- 1949 - Eddie Money, American musician
- 1948 - Scott Fahlman, American computer scientist
- 1946 - Ray Dorset, English musician (Mungo Jerry)
- 1946 - Timothy Dalton, British actor
- 1945 - Rose Stone, American musician (Sly & the Family Stone)
- 1944 - Marie-Christine Barrault, French actress
- 1943 - István Gyulai, Hungarian General Secretary of the IAAF (d. 2006)
- 1943 - Hartmut Haenchen, German conductor
- 1943 - Vivian Stanshall, English musician, artist, actor, writer, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (d. 1995)
- 1942 - Françoise Dorléac, French actress (d. 1967)
- 1940 - Solomon Burke, American singer
- 1936 - Ed Broadbent, Canadian politician
- 1936 - Mike Westbrook, British jazz composer, bandleader and pianist
- 1935 - Brian Clough, English footballer and football manager (d. 2004)
- 1934 - Al Freeman, Jr., American actor
- 1933 - Michael Heseltine, English politician
- 1932 - Walter Gilbert, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1932 - Joseph Silverstein, American violinist and conductor
- 1930 - James Coco, actor (d. 1987)
- 1929 - Maurice Catarcio, wrestler (d. 2005)
- 1927 - Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German politician
- 1925 - Peter Brook, British stage director and producer
- 1925 - Hugo Koblet, Swiss cyclist (d. 1964)
- 1923 - Philip Abbott, American actor (d. 1998)
- 1923 - Shri Mataji Nirmala Srivastava, Founder of Sahaja Yogav
- 1922 - Russ Meyer, American film director and producer (d. 2004)
- 1921 - Arthur Grumiaux, Belgian violinist (d. 1986)
- 1920 - Manolis Chiotis, Greek bouzouki virtuoso and song writer (d. 1970)
- 1920 - Georg Ots, Estonian singer (d. 1975)
- 1918 - Patrick J. Lucey, American politician, Wisconsin governor 1971-1977
- 1917 - Frank Hardy, Australian author (d. 1994)
- 1917 - Yigael Yadin, Israeli archeologist, politician, and Military Chief of Staff (d. 1984)
- 1914 - Paul Tortelier, French cellist (d. 1990)
- 1913 - George Abecassis, English race car driver (d. 1991)
- 1913 - Heinz "Pritzl" Bär, German fighter pilot (d. 1957)
- 1910 - M S Khan, Bangladeshi intellectual (d. 1978)
- 1906 - Jim Thompson, American designer and businessman
- 1904 - Forrest Mars Sr., American candymaker (d. 1999)
- 1904 - Nikolaos Skalkottas, Greek composer (d. 1949)
- 1902 - Son House, American musician (d. 1988)
- 1901 - Karl Arnold, German politician (d. 1958)
- 1895 - Zlatko Balokovi?, Croatian violinist (d. 1955)
- 1885 - Pierre Renoir, French stage and film actor and director (d. 1952)
- 1882 - Aleksander Kesküla, Estonian politician and nationalist (d. 1963)
- 1880 - Gilbert M. 'Broncho Billy' Anderson, American actor (d. 1971)
- 1876 - John Tewksbury, American athlete (d. 1968)
- 1869 - Florenz Ziegfeld, theater producer (d. 1932)
- 1863 - George Owen Squier, American inventor and Major General in U.S. Signal Corp (d. 1934)
- 1854 - Alick Bannerman, Australian cricketer (d. 1924)
- 1839 - Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky, Russian composer (d. 1881)
- 1835 - Thomas Hayward, English cricketer (d. 1876)
- 1811 - Nathaniel Woodard, English educationalist (d. 1891)
- 1806 - Benito Juárez, Mexican statesman and national hero (d. 1872)
- 1801 - Maria Theresa of Tuscany, Queen of Sardinia (d. 1855)
- 1768 - Joseph Fourier, French mathematician (d. 1830)
- 1763 - Jean Paul, German writer (d. 1825)
- 1713 - Francis Lewis, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1803)
- 1527 - Hermann Finck, German composer (d. 1558)
- 1521 - Maurice, Elector of Saxony (d. 1553)