Come discover some amazing fun facts of March!
Happy New Year! It’s March! What!? March is here! Yes, yes, I know, I know… it’s really the 3rd month of the year. But if you were born before 450 B.C., it really would be the first! Don’t believe me?! Then read on…
March Fun Facts
See, according to the oldest Roman calendars, one year was ten months long, beginning in March and ending in December. It may sound crazy, but you can still see traces of this old system in our modern calendar: because December was the tenth month, it was named for the number ten in Latin (decem), just like September was named for seven (septem).
So what about January and February you say? Well, they were just two nameless months called “winter.” Taken further, January was named as ‘Winter’ while February was otherwise known as ‘Post-Winter’.
This is just one fun fact about March. In this article, you shall discover more fabulous fun facts about the month of March. From the largest Easter Egg to the most famous birthday, we’ve got you covered! Get ready for a fun read!
The Origin and History for the Month of March
March is the year’s third month of the modern calendar. According to the Farmers’ Almanac, March (Martius) was named for Mars, the god of war, because this was the month when active military campaigns resumed.
As mentioned earlier, in the old calendar of the Romans, the first month of the year began with March. Since spring’s first day starts with March, along with the vernal equinox, the month has been considered the commencement of new beginnings.
The months, January and February, were added in and turned out to be the first and second months in 450 BCE. It was at this time, that March turned into the third-month calendar of the Romans.
Today, in both the Gregorian and Julian Calendars, March is the year’s third month and the second month out of seven months of the calendar to have 31 days.
Happy March Birthday Everyone!
It’s true, we often say ‘happy birthday’ to people on their birthdays but we rarely use that phrase for our birthday months. So let’s change this, shall we… so ‘Happy March Birthday’ to those of you blessed to have been born in this fabulous month!
March Birthstones
And yes! Did you know that March doesn’t have just one birthstone, but actually two?! Aquamarine and another gemstone known as the ‘bloodstone.’
Undeniably, the more popular birthstone for March is the Aquamarine. Yes! The Aquamarine birthstone is a beautiful stone that symbolizes the sea and water. It is associated with protection, prosperity, and growth.
March’s two birthstones, are very different when it comes to appearance, but they share a similar reputation for protecting one’s well-being. As mentioned above, the aquamarine birthstone evokes the colors of the sea.
The aquamarine is a very beautiful stone as it is often free from any inclusions and as clear as a drop of water. This stone symbolizes purity of spirit and soul.
On the other end of the spectrum, the bloodstone birthstone is typically a dark-green cabochon that contains red spots of iron oxide. The “blood”, characterized by the red spots and is known to bring good health and strength to the wearer.
So go ahead, get your precious Aquamarine and/or Bloodstone gemstones for your birthstone jewelry!
Other Fun Facts About March Birthdays
In addition to March’s birthstones, here are some more fun facts to enjoy if you are March ‘baby’:
— Daffodils has been designated as March’s birth flower. They are generally the very first flowers that appear to start Spring. They represent new beginnings and rebirth.
— March has two astrological zodiac signs. The first is Pisces which starts in the month of February on the 18th thru the 20th of March. It is represented by the ‘fish’ symbol. The other is Aries, starting from 21st of March whose zodiac symbol is the ‘ram.’
— Did you know each calendar month has their own designated ‘birth animal? Who knew, right? In my research, I learned that the ‘rabbit’ is March’s birth animal.
Famous March Birthdays
Are you curious to find out who else celebrates their birthdays in March? Here are some famous people’s March birthdays and an interesting fact or two about them. Were you born on the same day as one of them?!
March 1, 1904 — Dr. Seuss (a.k.a Theodor Geisel)
Theodor Geisel with the ‘ghost name’ of Dr. Seuss is well known for the whimsical children’s book known as ‘Cat In The Hat.’ A fun fact to note is Geisel was initially rejected 27 times from publishers before his manuscript was finally published by Vanguard Press.
March 6, 1806 — Elizabeth Barrett Browning
English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning began writing poetry as soon as she learned to write, at age 4. Browning’s most familiar poem is Sonnet 43, also known as “How Do I Love Thee?”
March 6, 1972 — Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal, also known simply as ‘Shaq’, is known as one of NBA’s top 50 Basketball players of all time.
March 12, 1968 — Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Eckhart, a television and movie actor, is well known for his unforgettable part in the recent ‘Batman’ crime epic, The Dark Knight, as Harvey Dent/Two-Face.
March 14, 1879 — Albert Einstein
If you’re also born on March 14th, perhaps you have a streak of ‘genuis’ in you as well! In fact, March 14th is celebrated as ‘International Pi Day’ as March 14th is also known as 3/14 in honor of the great ‘Albert Einstein’.
March 20, 1928 — Fred Rogers
Fred Rogers, also known as ‘Mr. Rogers’, was the host of the popular children’s program, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, for over 30 years. This means that more than one generation of children grew up knowing this gentle and generous TV host.
March 24, 1874 — Harry Houdini (a.k.a. Erik Weisz)
Who among you considers yourself to be somewhat magical? Or an ‘illusionist’! If so, you may share the same birthday as the world’s greatest escape artist, illusionist, and stunt performer, Harry Houdini!
March 28, 1986 — Lady Gaga (a.k.a. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta)
If your birthday happens to fall on March 28th, perhaps you have an ‘entertainment’ side you need to pursue! Lady Gaga is known professionally as an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is also well-known for her image reinventions and musical versatility.
March 31, 1929 — Liz Claiborne
Liz Claiborne’s ‘claim to fame’ was becoming the first company founded by a woman to be ranked on the Fortune 500 list in 1986. She was an American Fashion Designer and astute female business owner. So… for those of you born this last day of March... do YOU have ‘entrepreneurial’ goals as well?!?
Fun March Holidays
Here’s what’s going on in March, from silly to serious and everything in between.
- March 1: National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day
- March 5: National Day of Unplugging* (first Friday of every March)
- March 6: National Oreo Cookie Day
- March 8: International Women’s Day
- March 9: National Meatball Day
- March 11: Johnny Appleseed Day
- March 12: Plant a Flower Day
- March 14: National Pi Day & Learn About Butterflies Day & National Potato Chip Day
- March 15: The Ides of March
- March 16: National Artichoke Day & National Panda Day
- March 17: St. Patrick’s Day
- March 19: National Poultry Day
- March 20: Equinox Earth Day & First Day of Spring & International Day of Happiness
- March 21: National Teenager Day & World Down Syndrome Day & World Poetry Day
- March 22: World Water Day
- March 23: National Puppy Day
- March 24: National Cocktail Day
- March 25: International Waffle Day
- March 26: National Spinach Day
- March 28: Respect Your Cat Day
- March 29: National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day
- March 30: National Doctors’ Day
- March 31: World Backup Day
March Madness Days
Who loves basketball? If you do, then March is definitely one of your favorite months! For this is the month when productivity in the workplace is at a noticeable decline! Why? Because who doesn’t want to be part of the action of the iconic ‘office NCAA March Madness tournament pool’!
Yes, indeed, there has been research done showing that the average U.S. workplace experiences up to a 25% decrease in employee productivity. It’s no surprise that there seems to be a noticeable increase of ‘gathering at the water fountain’ with everyone giving their opinion of whose going to win and who is not!
For those who are not in the know, college basketball is a favorite sport in certain parts of the U.S. The game also boasts one of the most popular tournaments in sports. The March Madness Championship is known as the NCAA Tournament.
Per Wikipedia, the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament involves 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the men’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men’s basketball season. The 83rd annual edition of the tournament is scheduled to begin on March 12, 2022, and will conclude with the championship game on April 3rd in Houston, Texas. So! Who do YOU think is going to take home the coveted NCAA tournament trophy for 2023?!?
Let’s Celebrate International Happiness Day!
Made You Smile Back is thrilled to share with you ‘International Happiness Day,’ celebrated worldwide on March 20th each year! This year March 20, 2022 falls on a Sunday.
The ‘International Day of Happiness’ was officially designated by the United Nations and as stated earlier, is celebrated every year on March 20th. It’s a great way to get motivated to make your world a happier place. This global event is arranged by the United Nations annually in which countries all over the world participate in elevating the level of happiness internationally with one another.
It serves to remind us that being happy is a human right and worth celebrating.
A report known as ‘The World Happiness Report’, is launched each year by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. It is a leading indicator of the progress towards a more peaceful and sustainable world, and has been cited as an example of the use of positive psychology.
This year, for 2022, the World Happiness Report released the ranking of countries based upon the overall happiness and well-being of their citizens. Per the official website, world happiness.report, happy countries tend to have higher GDP per capita, but other factors such as health care, crime rates and corruption rates also play a role.
The United States ranks 12th in the world and is among the happiest countries in the world. The top ten top-ranking countries include:
1. Finland
2. Denmark
3. Switzerland
4. Iceland
5. Netherlands
6. Norway
7. Sweden
8. Luxenberg
9. New Zealand
10. Austria
10 More Fascinating Fun Facts of March
The following are ten more fun and interesting facts about March you may not be aware of.
1) International Women’s Day – Gloria Steinem is known to be the founder of this celebrated day, held each year on March 8th. This day celebrates the social, economic, and political achievements of women around the world.
2) March is the equivalent of September in the Southern Hemisphere.
3) Hibernation Month – March is the time of year when animals around the world begin waking up from winter hibernation.
4) Every year, March and June finish on the same day of the week.
5) Twitter – Twitter was founded on March 21, 2006 and the first tweet went out at 12:45 PM EST. It was the founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, who tweeted the following: “just setting up my twttr…
6) Invention of the Telephone – 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.”
7) Peace Corps – On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy founded the successful nonprofit, volunteer organization known as the Peace Corps.
8) The Eiffel Tower – The Eiffel Tower was ascended for the first time. Gustave Eiffel himself led a group of government officials and members of the press to the top. The journey had to be made by foot as the elevators were not in operation yet and took over an hour to reach the top on March 31, 1889.
9) Beware of the Ides of March – 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.
10) The World’s Largest Chocolate Easter Egg – March usually brings in the annual ‘Easter Egg Hunts’ where children around the world dress up and with their decorated easter egg baskets, hunt and gather candied easter eggs. One obscure fact is on March 20, 2012, the world’s largest chocolate Easter egg was auctioned off for an egg-travagant £7,000 or $11,107.
March is Indeed a Very Special & Fun Month
So, in summary, I have just one suggestion for you in order to celebrate this special month of March! Now that you know how truly special March is, be sure to plan accordingly! I know for myself, I am planning a special ‘March Madness’ treat for my husband as he LOVES his basketball!
I plan to provide him and his brothers a bountiful buffet spread of March goodies… Let’s see, we shall have a jar of ‘chunky peanut butter,’ plenty of ‘spicy meatballs’, an ‘artichoke and spinach’ dip, served with his favorite Lebanese ‘poultry’ dish.
Not to be outdone, for dessert, there shall be plenty of ‘Oreo Cookies’ and ‘Chocolate Easter Eggs!’ And I almost forgot! I shall toast him with a ‘cold glass of water’, in celebration of World Water Day as well since it falls right into the ‘March Madness’ tournament week!
Now that sounds like fun, fun, fun!
