March is known for two major holidays – one to find candy and the other to drink lots of beer!
Certainly, you can guess which events those are, but there are a lot of other happenings going on in March. That, along with a rich history, of course!
Well, here are 20 marvelous facts about March that you won’t believe!
In old Roman calendars, one year used to be ten months long, starting in March and ending in December.
The “Ides of March” was a day in the Roman calendar equivalent to March 15th. It was considered a deadline for settling debts. It was also the day Julius Caesar was assassinated.
If you were born in March, you have two birth flowers: daffodils and jonquils.
March babies are spoiled with two birthstones: aquamarine and bloodstone, which symbolize courage.
There are two zodiac signs in March. Pisces, which is until March 20, and Aries, which is from the 21st.
The first month of spring is March, which starts between the 19th and the 21st.
March is the equivalent of September in the Southern Hemisphere.
Every year, March and June finish on the same day of the week.
March is the time of year when animals start waking up from hibernation.
The name for March comes from Mars, the Roman god of war. It was named as such in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars.
The Vernal Equinox occurs around March 20 or 21st in the northern hemisphere. This is when the sun is directly above the equator, making the day and night equal in length.
The Anglo-Saxons called March “Hlyd monath,” meaning “Stormy month,” or “Hraed monath,” meaning “Rugged month.”
The popular social media outlet Twitter was launched on March 21, 2006, with the first tweet going out the same day. It was posted by the founder, Jack Dorsey, which read, “just setting up my twttr.”
Saint Patrick’s Day occurs every March 17th, celebrated in many western countries to commemorate the day Saint Patrick died.
Easter Sunday is another popular holiday this month. Initially observed by Christians to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, it has now become a holiday involving egg hunting, candy, and the Easter bunny.
Statistically, March is the most unproductive month of the year in the U.S. This is the result of “March Madness,” which is the season of the NCAA. Some companies lose up to $1.9 billion in wages paid to workers who were not productive and instead spent company time betting on the NCAA tournament.
Back in the older days, March was when military campaigns would resume that had previously been put on hold for winter.
On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell made the first-ever phone call. It was to his assistant, and he said, “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.”
The Eiffel Tower was ascended for the first time. Eiffel himself led a group of government officials and members of the press to the top. The elevators were not in operation yet, so the journey was made on foot and took over an hour.
President John F. Kennedy founded the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961. It is a successful volunteer organization that has since sent at least 235,000 Americans abroad to developing countries to help with health care, education, and other human needs.
Finally, after a long cold winter, March promises those in the northern hemisphere longer and warmer days.
Spring has arrived, and people are starting to enjoy the outdoors more often.
With Saint Patrick’s Day, Easter (sometimes), International Women’s Day, and many more holidays all falling in the month of March, there are so many reasons to celebrate.
