March 21
March 21 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 285 days remain until the year's end. It falls in spring (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Aries.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On March 21 the Sun's declination is approximately +0.0°. At this latitude the Sun is north of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere longer days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a March 21.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UN)
- World Poetry Day (UNESCO)
- Human Rights Day (South Africa)
- Nowruz (Persian New Year, observed since the spring equinox)
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
1685 — Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany. ↗(341 years ago)more
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the orchestral Brandenburg Concertos; solo instrumental works such as the Cello Suites and Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin; keyboard works such as the Goldberg Variations and The...
1804 — The Napoleonic Code was adopted as French civil law. ↗(222 years ago)more
The Napoleonic Code, officially the Civil Code of the French, is the French civil code established during the French Consulate in 1804 and still in force in France, although heavily and frequently amended since its inception.
1925 — The U.S. state of Tennessee enacted the Butler Act, prohibiting the teaching of evolution. ↗(101 years ago)more
The Butler Act was a 1925 Tennessee law prohibiting public school teachers from denying the book of Genesis account of humankind's origin. The law also prevented the teaching of the evolution of humans from what it referred to as lower orders of animals in place of the Biblical account.
1960 — Sharpeville massacre: South African police killed 69 unarmed protesters demonstrating against pass laws. ↗(66 years ago)more
The Sharpeville massacre occurred on 21 March 1960, when police opened fire on a crowd of people who had assembled outside the police station in the township of Sharpeville in the then Transvaal Province of the then Union of South Africa to protest against the apartheid system and its pass laws.
2006 — The first message was posted on Twitter ("just setting up my twttr") by Jack Dorsey. ↗(20 years ago)more
X, formerly known as Twitter, is an American microblogging and social networking service, headquartered in Bastrop, Texas. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, images, and videos in short posts and like other users' content.
Notable births
- 1685 — Johann Sebastian Bach. ↗(341 years ago)
more
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the orchestral Brandenburg Concertos; solo instrumental works such as the Cello Suites and Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin; keyboard works such as the Goldberg Variations and The...
1962 — Matthew Broderick, American actor. ↗(64 years ago)more
Matthew Broderick is an American actor. He starred in WarGames (1983) as a teen government hacker, and Ladyhawke (1985), a medieval fantasy alongside Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. He played the title role in the Golden Globe–nominated Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), the voice of adult Simba in Disney's The Lion King (1994), and Leo Bloom in both th...
Notable deaths
1843 — Robert Southey, English Romantic poet. ↗(183 years ago)more
Robert Southey was an English poet of the Romantic school, and Poet Laureate from 1813 until his death. Like the other Lake Poets, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Southey began as a radical but became steadily more conservative as he gained respect for Britain and its institutions.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (81) | 3^4 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (285) | 3 × 5 × 19 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 21032026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +0.00° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 91 days |