The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Irish Brigade

The brigade recuperated somewhat from its ordeal while encamped on Bolivar Heights at Harper's Ferry after the battle. Here the 116th Pennsylvania joined them. Before they were again committed, the electrifying news reached them that McClellan had been relieved of command of the army. Many of the angered officers of the Irish Brigade, nearly all of them Democrats, resigned on the spot. Only Meagher's persuasiveness kept them with the army. As it was, at McClellan's final review of the Army of the Potomac, the brigade broke ranks to swarm around their departing hero.

An unusual incident is reported to have occurred as the Irish Brigade was enroute to Fredericksburg. As the men passed the house of the slain Confederate General Turner Ashby's mother, a disheveled-looking woman rushed into the midst of the marching soldiers, shrillingly invoking the curse of God upon those who had taken her son's life. To some of the more superstitious Irish her cries must surely have seemed akin to the dreaded wail of the feared banshee (signifying in Celtic lore a death to come).

Prior to crossing a pontoon bridge into Fredericksburg that bleak December day, the command shook out its colors. The nearby 14th Brooklyn (84th N.Y.) cheered the marching Irishmen, as the band of Hawkins' Zouaves (9th N.Y.) struck up the brigade's marching tune, Garry Owen. Less cheering was the presence of professional embalmers who passed out cards advertising their "patriotic services." One brigade member refused with a scathing "be damned to yez."

Once in town some of the "byes" joined in the plundering. One Irishman staggered under the weight of a huge feather bed, while two others sported women's bonnets and a more practical fellow carted off a ten-gallon coffeepot. The men of the 116th amused themselves by fishing up the contents of some sunken tobacco barges.

Despite the tragic outcome of the battle of Fredericksburg, a previously planned banquet to receive new colors for the New York regiments was held in a Fredericksburg theater. The Irish colors (the regiments carried no state flags) had been donated by an appreciative citizens' committee of native Americans. About 300 officers, including twenty-two generals, attended the "Irish wake." The bereaved Meagher made an unfortunate reference to political generals" (after all, he was one himself) in a speech which was held against this Democrat in his later efforts to gain permission to recruit his brigade.

Colonel Patrick Kelly

It was, incidentally, at Fredericksburg that the 69th thought they had lost their national standard. The next day the color-sergeant was found dead, sitting up against a tree with this hands clasped upon his chest. Further examination revealed the Stars and Stripes wrapped around his body. The regiment and the Irish Brigade could still maintain their claim to Appomattox that they had never lost a flag.

After Fredericksburg the contending forces settled down in winter quarters. As usual, the Irish Brigade believed it incumbent upon them to enliven things a bit. The day chosen was, naturally, St. Patrick's Day, March 17. As was customary, the day began with church services. Shortly afterwards about 30,000 gathered to watch the "Grand Irish Brigade Steeple-Chase." General Hooker, the new army commander, was given wine with which he proposed "The Irish Brigade--God bless them!" which was followed by three resounding cheers. After two races Meagher invited his guests to partake of sandwiches, wine, and spiced whiskey punch. The main feast of thirty-five hams, a side of roasted ox, roasted pig stuffed with boiled turkey, chickens, ducks, and small game, washed down by eight baskets of champagne, ten gallons of rum, and twenty-two gallons of whisky would come later, just before the evening's theatricals and excitations. Nor were the enlisted men forgotten. Their events included a half-mile run, half-mile hurdles, weight throw, greased-pig contest (winner got the victim), sack race, blindfolded wheelbarrow race, and Irish dance contests. At one point Meagher chased onlookers from beneath the grandstand with the exhortation that they stood in danger of being crushed "by four tones of major generals."

There was also a good deal of plotting being carried on within the Irish units of the army. Logically it centered in the Irish Brigade. Many of the men were members of the Fenian Brotherhood and thus were dedicated to the overthrow of the British in Ireland. Doctor Reynolds, the surgeon of the 63d New York, was Head Center of the Army of the Potomac Fenian Circle. Meetings were held regularly on the first Sunday of every month in the brigade's hospital tent. Contributions were sent to the Head Center of the Brotherhood in New York.

Despite the heavy losses, the men of the brigade always tried to maintain friendly relations with the enemy pickets. Sugar, coffee, whisky, and tobacco were freely bartered. In one instance some brigade pickets gave their Confederate counterparts a gift of several "captured sheep."

Then in the Chancellorsville Campaign the brigade helped round up the XI Corps fugitives after Stonewall Jackson's famous flank attack, and on May 3 it marched from Scott's Mills to near the Chancellor House to support the 5th Marine Battery, dragging it off when its gunners were rendered hors de combat.

Meagher by now however, had made himself unpopular with the other high-ranking officers in the army by his constant political speeches and activities. It was also generally believed that he regarded the brigade more as an independent symbol of Irish glory than an effective unit of the army. Consequently, his request to recruit replacements was refused, and instead it was proposed to abolish the brigade by distributing its units among other commands. Highly indignant at this proposal, Meagher resigned his commission May 14, 1863 and went home in disgust. His resignation was accepted. However, he was re-commissioned, commanded the District of Etowah, but again resigned in early 1865.

The reduced brigade was then led into battle at Gettysburg by Colonel Kelly. By this time the three New York regiments had been formed in battalions of two companies each, while the 116th Pennsylvania was one battalion of four companies. During the famous Confederate charge of July 3, one thought kept recurring to the commanding officer of the 116th. "It was Fredericksburg reversed." A more profound thought, perhaps, occurred to a private when he was informed his regiment would be held in reserve. "In resarve, yis," he muttered, "resarved for the heavy fightin'."

There was more "heavy fightin'" and "heavy marchin',"ahead for the brigade. In the withdrawal from Cedar Run it fought two major engagements and marched seventy-six miles in fifty-six hours, capturing two stands of colors, five guns, and 450 prisoners.

Then on May 3, 1864 the Irish Brigade moved out of its winter encampment with ten field officers. Within six weeks six of these would be dead and the other four seriously wounded. Its losses were so great that it finally disappeared into the so-called Consolidated Brigade (2d and 3d Brigades joined together). But as II Corps historian Walker later wrote, "The Irish Brigade...was to the close of the war one of the most picturesque features of the Second Corps, whether in fight, on the march or in camp."

Irish Units in the American Civil War

There were roughly 185,000 Irish-American immigrants who fought on both sides of the American Civil War. Of that number all but about 40,000 were in the Union forces. (The large total does also not include descendants of earlier immigrants who may have still held some affinity to their Irish heritage.) The bulk of the immigrants served in largely Irish units, though the organizational placement of those Irish units in the Union and Confederate armies was considerably different.

Why separate Irish units? It helps to understand how the armies were formed but it is also impossible to ignore that there was a certain amount of distrust and discrimination against the Irish in the United States at the time the war broke out.

The Confederates, of course, had to start from scratch and since they considered them selves a union of almost sovereign states, turned to those states to raise military forces. As for the Union, Lincoln had only a small standing army at his disposal when it became obvious that the Southern states were going to secede and that war was inevitable. That army was further reduced in size by the resignation of officers and men who felt their primary loyalties lay with the Southern states they called home and accepted positions in the Confederate forces.

In 1861, Lincoln also lacked the authority to raise a federal army or to institute a draft. (The draft didn't come until 1863.) Rather, he had to call upon the States that remained loyal to the Union to raise units that would in turn support the cause of preserving the Union by swearing allegiance to one of the Union's armies, such as the Army of the Potomac.

On both sides, states raised forces by recruiting for specific units. Each unit raised carried its state's name and was raised in the neighborhoods of large northern cities, or in the towns and rural communities across all of the States. Brothers, cousins, fathers, and uncles signed on together and went to battle side-by-side. Since the largely Catholic Irish were not completely trusted by their Protestant neighbors, particularly in the North, they generally joined separate units. These units, of company strength, were roughly 80-100 men, including about 65-80 privates. Many communities, of course, felt the price for this as the war progressed if the unit(s) they sent off suffered heavy casualties. (It was not unusual for individual units to experience 50 percent casualties in some Civil War battles.)

Once they joined the Union or Confederate armies, the Irish units faced different experiences. In the Union forces, where numbers of everything, including Irish units, were quite large, the Irish companies were joined together as Irish regiments (10 companies) and even Irish brigades (4-5 regiments). One of the more famous of these was Meagher's Irish Brigade that carried a battle flag boasting its heritage: an emerald green flag with a golden harp.

For years conventional thought about the Irish in the Confederate States Army (CSA) has been that they were largely native-born Protestants who were descendants of Scots-Irish Presbyterians or Anglo-Irish Episcopalians. More recent research published by Kelly O'Grady in his book Clear the Confederate Way! reports that there were close to 40,000 Irish Catholics in the units of the CSA, as mentioned above. His contention is that these were Irish who, true to their agricultural roots, had made their homes in the rural South rather than in large Northern cities. Catholic parishes in the South raised Hibernian units but there were not enough to organize them into separate regiments and brigades. Instead, they were integrated into other Confederate units.

Colonel Richard Byrnes

Whether they were Union soldiers, who often signed up to prove their loyalty to their adopted country, or Confederates who felt the Union a threat to their chosen way of life (much as the agricultural Irish resented the industrial English), the Irish were renowned for their bravery and success on the battlefield. On both sides the Gaelic war cry "Faugh A Ballaugh!" (meaning "Clear the Way!") rang out as the Irish units often led the charge.

The spirit of the Irish units survives, in their songs survive, too, as discussed in my article, Irish-American Patriotic Music, and through reenactment groups across the United States. They still carry the distinctive Irish battle colors and keep the memory of these Irish-American patriots alive.

Pat Friend

****************************************************

While most Irish immigrants in the U.S. fought for the Union during the Civil War, others sided with the Confederacy, seeing the secession of Southern states as a reflection of Ireland´s efforts to win independence from English dominance. Nativist sentiments in Missouri, and the anti-Catholic mood of a number of Unionist German immigrants in St. Louis also contributed to Irish pro-Southern sympathies.

Capt. Joseph Kelly, an Irish immigrant and a grocer in St. Louis in the years before the war, organized the Washington Blues in 1857, the city's finest militia unit, closely tied to Fr. John Bannon´s Catholic Total Abstinence and Benevolence Society. In fact, a drill performance by the Blues helped raise money for Bannon to build St. John the Apostle and Evangelist Church, which stands today.

Rebel Sons of Erin

They too fought for the Cause. America's Irish community - like so many other Americans - was divided by the War Between the States. Irish volunteers in the North achieved fame through the battlefield exploits of units like "Meagher's Irish Brigade." Less known, but no less fervent in their patriotism, were Southern Irishmen - who promptly took up arms in defense of the South and Southern Independence.

Most prominent among Irish Confederate commanders was General Patrick R. Cleburne, and among the best-known Irish Confederates were the troops of the 10th Tennessee, C.S.A.

At 1:25 p.m., on Thursday, February 13, 1862, the 10th TN engaged the enemy at Erin Hollow near Dover, Tennessee. It was the only combat the troops would experience as a full regiment.

In November 1860, Kelly´s men went to western Missouri to repel Kansas invaders, and were among the earliest volunteers in Sterling Price´s Missouri State Guard. In 1861, as a regiment in the 6th Division of the Missouri State Guard, Kelly´s men participated in the battles at Carthage, Wilson´s Creek (where Kelly was wounded) and Lexington; in 1862 they were at the Battle of Pea Ridge. Later, most of the regiment joined the 5th Missouri (CSA), which fought in Mississippi and other western battles, including the Atlanta campaign. St. Louis researcher Doug Harding, who has traced much of the history of “Kelly´s Boys,” says that only 23 of the 125 men who enlisted in Kelly´s regiment in 1861 returned to St. Louis at the end of the war.

Kelly´s fate is uncertain. He commanded a regiment in 1861 and was appointed to Gen. Mosby M. Parsons´ staff, in 1862. We do not know what happened to him after this point in time, but he apparently did not return to St. Louis after the war, nor did he accompany Parsons to Mexico at the end of the war to join Price and Shelby in their ill-fated attempt to offer themselves as mercenaries to Maximillian.

Additional Sources:

www.allaboutirish.com
www.civilwarhome.com
www.oldgloryprints.com
www.28thmass.org
www.anyflag.com
www2.smumn.edu
www.thewildgeese.com
www.militaryartshop.com
www.hauntedfieldmusic.com
www.dentistry.com

IRISH BRIGADE

The Irish Brigade was, probably, the best known of any brigade organization, it having made an unusual reputation for dash and gallantry. The remarkable precision of its evolutions under fire ; its desperate attack on the impregnable wall at Marye's Heights; its never failing promptness on every field; and its long continuous service, made for it a name inseparable from the history of the war. It belonged to the First Division of the Second Corps, and was numbered as the Second Brigade. The regiments which properly belonged to the Irish Brigade, together with their losses, were :

Killed and Died of Wounds

63rd New York Infantry 156
69th New York Infantry 259
88th New York Infantry 151
28th Massachusetts Infantry 250
116th Pennsylvania Infantry 145
Total (during the war) 961

The Irish Brigade lost over 4,000 men in killed and wounded; it being more men than ever belonged to the brigade at any one time. With the exception of the Twenty-eighth Massachusetts, the regiments were small. At the start they were not recruited to the maximum, but left New York with about 800 men each. The three New York regiments became so reduced in numbers that, at Gettysburg, they were consolidated into two companies each; the One Hundred and Sixteenth Pennsylvania had been consolidated into four companies.

The brigade, which was organized in 1861, consisted originally of three New York regiments, which selected numbers corresponding to those of certain famous Irish regiments in the British Army. The One Hundred and Sixteenth Pennsylvania and Twenty-eighth Massachusetts were added in the fall of 1862. Each of the five regiments carried green flags, in addition to the national colors.

While on the Peninsular and Antietam campaigns, the Twenty-Ninth Massachusetts was attached to the brigade, but after Antietam it was detached and its place was taken by the Twenty-eighth Massachusetts. In September, 1864, the remnant of the Seventh New York Heavy Artillery was added; but it was detached in February, 1865, and the Fourth New York Heavy Artillery took its place. In July, 1864, the One Hundred and Sixteenth Pennsylvania was transferred to the Fourth Brigade.

But the Irish Brigade was composed, substantially, as above; and, each of the regiments having reenlisted, its service was continuous and unbroken. It was commanded, in turn, by General Thomas Francis Meagher, Colonel Patrick Kelly (killed), General Thos. A. Smyth (killed), Colonel Richard Byrnes (killed), and General Robert Nugent.

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Today,s classic warship, USS Wabash

Colorado class screw frigate
Displacement. 4,808 t.
Lenght. 301'6"
Beam. 51'4"
Draft. 23'
Speed. 9 k.
Armament. 2 10" D. sb., 14 8" D. sb., 24 9" D. sb.

The USS Wabash was laid down on 16 May 1854 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard; launched on 24 October 1855, sponsored by Miss Pennsylvania Grice; and commissioned there on 18 August 1856, Capt. Frederick K. Engle in command.

Wabash departed Philadelphia on 7 September 1856, stopping at Portsmouth, N.H., to embark President Franklin Pierce for passage to Annapolis, Md. She arrived at New York on 23 October 1856, sailing on 28 November 1856 to become flagship of Commodore Hiram Paulding's Home Squadron. The squadron was instrumental in foiling the expedition against Nicaragua underway by American filibusterer, William Walker, who had dreamed of uniting the nations of Central America into a vast military empire led by him self. Through insurrection, he became president of Nicaragua in 1855 only to have Cornelius Vanderbilt-who controlled the country's shipping lifelines-shut off supplies and aid. A revolt toppled Walker from power, and he was trying for a military comeback before he was captured in 1857 by the Home Squadron. Stateside controversy over the questionable legality of seizing American nationals in foreign, neutral lands prompted President James Buchanan to relieve Commodore Paulding of his command. Wabash was decommissioned on 1 March 1858 at the New York Navy Yard.

Wabash was recommissioned on 25 May 1858, Capt. Samuel Barron in command, and became the flagship of Commodore E. A. F. La Vallette's Mediterranean Squadron. The future naval hero of the Spanish-American War, George Dewey-then a midshipman-served in Wabash when she touched at her first port of call, Gibraltar, on 17 August 1858. Wabash returned to the New York Navy Yard on 16 December 1859 and decommissioned there on 20 December 1859.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Wabash was recommissioned on 16 May 1861, Capt. Samuel Mercer in command, and departed New York on 30 May 1861 as flagship of the Atlantic Blockading Squadron under Rear Admiral Silas H. Stringham.

Wabash captured the brigantine Sarah Starr off Charleston, S.C., on 3 August 1861, and recaptured the American schooner Mary Alice taken earlier by the CSS Dixie. By this date, she had also captured the brigantines Hannah, Balch, and Solferino, along with 22 Confederate prisoners from the four vessels.

On 26 August 1861, Wabash departed Hampton Roads, bound for Hatteras Inlet, N.C., to take part in the first combined amphibious assault of the war. Wabash accompanied Monticello, Pawnee, revenue cutter Harriet Lane, the tug Fanny, and two transports, carrying over 900 troops under Major General Butler. Union forces secured Hatteras Inlet with the capture of Forts Hatteras and Clark on 29 August 1861. The attack force suffered no casualties and took over 700 prisoners. Among these was Capt. Samuel Barron, CSN, the former commander in the United States Navy of Wabash when she served under Rear Admiral La Vallette. Wabash was later designated the flagship of Flag Officer Samuel F. DuPont, the new commander of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, and was sent to the New York Navy Yard for repairs on 21 September 1861.

After refit, Wabash departed Fort Monroe on 29 October 1861 to spearhead the Federal assault on Port Royal, S.C. The assembled invasion fleet was the largest yet organized by the Navy, containing 77 vessels and 16,000 Army troops under Brigadier General Thomas W. Sherman. The combined force secured Port Royal Sound on 7 November 1861 after a furious four-hour battle. Wabash led the battle line in this major strategic Union victory.

Wabash now took up permanent station on the Charleston blockade operating out of Port Royal. On 11 March 1862, a landing party led by ship's commanding officer, Comdr. C. R. P. Rodgers, occupied St. Augustine, Fla. A detachment of seamen and officers from Wabash landed and manned a battery which bombarded Fort Pulaski, Ga., on 10 and 11 April 1862 and was instrumental in forcing that Southern fort to surrender. A naval battery of three 12-pounder boat howitzers from Wabash supported Union troops at the Battle of Pocotaligo, S.C., on 22 October 1862.

Confederate vessels twice harassed Wabash while on duty in Port Royal Sound. On 5 August 1863, CSS Juno, a small steamer on picket duty below Fort Sumter, fired upon and ran down a launch from Wabash capturing 10 sailors and drowning two. A "David" submarine torpedo boat also attacked Wabash on 18 April 1864. Ensign Charles H. Craven, officer of the deck, spotted the cigar-shaped vessel in time for Wabash to get underway. The "David" disengaged from the attack in the face of musket fire and round shot discharged from Wabash.

Wabash departed her station on 1 October, bound for the Norfolk Navy Yard and an overhaul. En route, she grounded briefly on Frying Pan Shoals, suffering minor damage to her rudder. Repairs and overhaul were completed by 16 December, in time for Wabash to join the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and to participate in the first attack on Fort Fisher, N.C., on 24 and 25 December 1864. The failure of this initial attempt to take the fort necessitated a second, successful combined operation between 13 and 15 January 1865.

Wabash returned to Hampton Roads on 17 January 1865, receiving orders on 25 January 1865 to proceed to the Boston Navy Yard. Wabash was decommissioned at Boston on 14 February 1865. She was placed in ordinary from 1866 to 1869; overhauled during 1870 to 1871, and recommissioned on 24 October 1871, Capt. Robert W. Shufeldt commanding.

Wabash departed the Boston Navy Yard on 17 November 1871 and served as the flagship of Rear Admiral James Alden, commanding the Mediterranean Squadron. She arrived at Cadiz, Spain, on 14 December 1871 and cruised throughout the Mediterranean until 30 November 1873 when she departed Gibraltar, bound for Key West, Fla. Wabash arrived in Key West on 3 January 1874. She was decommissioned on 25 April 1874 at the Boston Navy Yard. In 1875, she was placed in ordinary and served as a housed-over receiving ship from 1876 to 1912. Wabash was struck from the Navy list on 15 November 1912 and sold that same day to the Boston Iron and Metal Co., Boston, Mass. The following year, she was burned to facilitate salvage of her metal parts.

Great thread Sam.

Happy Saint Patrick's day, everyone.

Saint Patrick

Did you know that St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, wasn't Irish? He was born in Roman Britain and his real name was Maewyn Succat. His parents belonged to a high ranking Roman family.

He was a pagan until he was sold into slavery at 16 by Irish marauders to a Druid chieftain named Milchu. While in captivity in Ireland, he learned the Irish language and converted to Christianity.

After enduring six years of slavery and being forced to work as a shepherd, he escaped and went back to the continent. He then became determined to convert the Irish to Christianity and this led him to Gaul, where he studied in the church of Auxerre.

Although he wished to return to Ireland to begin his work, he was transferred to Scotland instead. During this time period, he was given the name of Patrick by Pope Celestine. His first nomination as bishop to the Irish was rejected because of a sin in his youth. In 432 AD, he was finally ordained and then appointed second bishop to Ireland.

He was quite successful at converting many of the pagans, which upset the Druids and was arrested many times, but always managed to escape. He worked for 30 years and then retired in Ireland where he died on March 17 in AD 461. The day of his death is the day we all celebrate as St. Patrick's Day.

Many myths surround the story of Saint Patrick. Among those are the stories that he raised the dead and drove all the snakes from Ireland. Of course, there were never any snakes in Ireland to begin with. Some say that this probably refers to his conversion of the pagans, and not actual snakes.

The shamrock is also associated with this holiday. It is a traditional symbol of Saint Patrick's Day because he used the three-leafed clover or shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity, father, son, and Holy Spirit to the Irish people.

In 1737, the custom of celebrating St. Patrick's Day came to America and was first celebrated in Boston.

Here's to you and here's to me
I pray that friends we'll always be,
But if by chance we disagree,
The heck with you and here's to me!

Top 'o the morning to you bump

Are you wearing green?

St. Patrick was a Roman?

I should have known that you of all people would try to turn him into an "Italian"!

LOL.

(P.S. -- I do remember reading about his real roots once before. Happy St. Patrick's Day to ya!)

I should have known that you of all people would try to turn him into an "Italian"!

What's wrong with that?!
My dad was Italian :>)

Top of the morning to ya all!

Click on the pic

On this Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on March 17:
1473 James IV king of Scotland (1488-1513)
1578 Francesco Albana Italian painter (Mary's Ascension)
1628 Daniel van Papenbroeck [Papebrochius], Flemish historian
1664 Georg Osterreich composer
1675 Petrus Laurentius Wockenfuss composer
1685 Jean-Marc Nattier French portrait painter
1746 Jan David Holland composer
1777 Roger Brooke Taney Calvert MD, 5th Chief Justice (Dred Scott decision)
1780 Thomas Chalmers 1st moderator (Free Church of Scotland 1843-47)
1781 Dominique J de Eerens Governor-General of Netherland Indies
1787 George Simon Ohm physicist (discovered Ohm's Law)
1789 Edmund Kean London England, tragic actor (Shylock)
1804 James Bridger scout/fur trader/mountain man par excellence
1820 Patrick Edward Connor Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
1825 Rodolphe Bresdin French cartoonist/lithographer (Le Bon Samaritain)
1826 Oskar Peschel German journalist/geography (Völkerkunder)
1828 Patrick Ronayne Cleburne the "Stonewall" of the West (Major General-Confederate Army)
1832 Moncure Daniel Conway US, clergyman/author/abolitionist (Life of Thomas Paine)
1832 Walter Quintin Gresham Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
1834 Gottlieb Daimler Germany, engineer/inventor/auto pioneer-designed 1st motorcycle
1839 Josef Rheinberger Vaduz Liechtenstein, opera composer (Munich Conser)
1846 Kate Greenaway England, artist/book illustrator (Under the Window)
1848 Horace Wadham Nicholl composer
1872 Billy Quaife cricketer (England batsman 1899-1902)
1873 Chard Somerset 1st woman Cabinet minister (1929-31)
1873 Margaret Bondfield British Labour leader/1st woman cabinet member
1874 Kincsem horse that never lost a race
1874 Stephen Samuel Wise US, president of Zionist Organization of America
1876 Frederic Ayers composer
1877 Albert P Hahn Dutch political cartoonist (People/Nutcracker)
1880 Guillermo Uribe Holguin composer
1881 Kristian Elster Norwegian author (Less bror Harris)
1887 Ben Sajet Dutch physician/politician
1888 Frank Buck actor (Africa Screams, Tiger Queen, Tiger Fangs)
1890 Harold Morris composer
1892 Sayed Darwish composer
1894 Paul Green US, novelist/playwright (In Abraham's Bosom)
1895 Shemp Howard [Samuel Horwitz] Brooklyn NY, comedian/actor (3 Stooges, Bank Dick)
1899 Gloria Swanson Chicago IL, actress (Sadie Thompson, Killer Bees)
1900 Alfred Newman New Haven, composer (Love is a Many Splendored Thing)
1901 Eisaku Sato premier of Japan (Nobel 1974)
1902 Bobby Jones Jr Atlanta GA, PGA golfer (Grand Slam 1930)
1906 Brigitte Helm [Gisele Eve von Kuenheim] Berlin, actress (Gloria, Gold)
1906 Michael O'Shea Hartford CT, actor (Denny-It's a Great Life)
1906 Tamara Geva dancer
1907 Jan M J van Houtte premier Belgium (1952-54)
1908 Boris N Poveloi [Kampov], Russian journalist/writer
1908 Radie Britain composer
1909 Patrick Reilly British diplomat
1910 Bayard Rustin civil rights leader
1911 Raffaele d' Alessandro composer
1914 Sammy Baugh Temple TX, NFL hall of famer QB (Washington Redskins)
1915 Hans Namuth German/US photographer (Todos Santos, Guatemala)
1915 William Roycroft Austria, equestrian 3 day (Olympics-bronze-1976)
1917 Arthur Basil Cotle medievalist
1917 Brian Boydell composer
1918 D Arendo [Arend Honhoff] Dutch pianist/composer (Eleonora)
1918 Mercedes McCambridge Joliet IL, actress (Exorcist, All the King's Men)
1918 Wilhelmus M J Russell Dutch attorney/Member of 1st chamber (KVP/CDA)
1919 Hank Sauer baseball player (National League MVP 1952)
1919 Nat "King" Cole Montgomery AL, singer (Unforgettable, Mona Lisa)
1920 John La Montaine Oak Park IL, composer (Pulitzer 1959)
1921 Mick Harvey cricketer (in Newcastle Brother of Neil Test umpire)
1922 Megan Bull British head mistress (Holloway Jail)
1923 Margaret Bondfield 1st woman chairman (Trades Union Congress)
1924 Stephen Dodgson composer
1925 G M Hughes British zoologist
1925 Jerome Lejeune physiologist
1926 Siegfried Lenz German writer (Ein Kriegsende)
1927 Kenneth S Goldstein folklorist/enthomusicologist
1927 Maurice Ingvar Karkoff composer
1927 Nancy Sheehan writer
1927 Patrick Allen Malawi, actor (Roman Holiday, Dial "M" for Murder)
1927 Sulkhan Ivanovich Nasidze composer
1928 Edino Krieger composer
1930 James Benson Irwin Pittsburgh PA, Colonel USAF/astronaut (Apollo 15)
1931 Eunice Gayson London England, actress (Dr No, From Russia With Love)
1932 Dick Curless singer/songwriter
1934 Erhard Grosskopf composer
1934 Q T Macon blues vocal/guitar
1935 Adam Wade Pittsburgh PA, singer (Tony Orlando & Dawn)
1935 H Wollschläger writer
1935 Renee Taylor actress/comedian (Last of the Red Hot Lovers)
1936 Ladislaw Kupkovic composer
1936 Thomas K Mattingly II Chicago IL, Captain USN/astronaut (Apollo 16, STS-4, 51C)
1937 Adam Wade actor (Kiss Me Goodbye, Crazy Joe)
1937 Galina Samsova ballerina
1938 Rudolf Nureyev Russia, ballet dancer/choreographer (Kirov)
1939 Shahid Mahmoud cricketer (opener scored 16 & 9 in only Pakistan Test)
1940 Vito Picone rocker (Elegants)
1941 Clarence Collins US singer (Imperials-Tears on my pillow)
1941 Edward Harper composer
1941 Gene Pitney Hartford CT, rock singer (Town without Pity)
1942 John Wayne Gacy Jr Chicago IL, serial killer (32 boys)
1942 Paul Kantner rock guitarist (Jefferson Starship-White Rabbit)
1942 Sidney K Barthelmy US politician(?)
1943 Don Mitchell Houston TX, actor (Mark-Ironside)
1944 Cito Gaston MLB manager (Toronto Blue Jays)
1944 Danny DeVito Neptune NJ, actor (Louie-Taxi, Twins)
1944 John Sebastian New York NY, singer (Loving Spoonful, Welcome Back Kotter)
1944 Pat McCauley N Ireland, rock drummer (Them)
1944 Patti Boyd Somerset England, (Mrs George Harrison/Mrs Eric Clapton)
1945 Paco Gonzalez race horse trainer
1946 Harold Brown Long Beach CA, rock drummer (War-Summer, Galaxy)
1946 Michael Peter Finnissey composer
1947 Ian Gomm rock guitarist
1948 Fran Byrne rocker
1948 Pat Lloyd rocker
1948 Robert Braunwart who added thousands of dates to this database
1948 William [Ford] Gibson Canada, sci-fi author (Neuromancer, Count Zero)
1949 Patrick Duffy Townsend MT, actor (Bobby-Dallas, Man from Atlantis)
1951 Kurt Russell Springfeild MA, actor (Thing, Overboard, Mean Seasons)
1951 Scott Gorham Irish hard rock guitarist (Thin Lizzy-21 Guns, Jailbreak)
1954 Lesley-Anne Down London, actress (A Little Night Music, Moonraker)
1954 Rena Jones rock vocalist
1954 Wally Stocker London England, rock vocalist/guitarist (Babys-Missing You)
1955 Bill Beyers actor (Wally McCandless-Capitol)
1955 Cynthia McKinney (Representative-Democrat-GA)
1955 Gary Sinise actor (Apollo 13, Forrest Gump)
1955 Paul Overstreet Van Cleave MS, country singer (Daddy's Come Around)
1956 Will Rigby rock percussionist (Amy Rigby Diary of a Mad Housewife)
1957 Robin Cousins Bristol England, figure skater (Olympics-gold-1980)
1959 Brian Douglas Jones Auckland New Zealand, tornado class yachter (Olympics-96)
1959 Danny Ainge NBA coach (Phoenix Suns)
1959 Mike Lindup British rock keyboardist/singer (Level 42-Hot Water)
1959 Terry Hall (Specials Fun Boy 3)
1960 Lee Ann Michelle Surrey England, playmate (February 1979)
1960 Vicki Lewis Cincinnati OH, actress (Beth-Newsradio)
1961 Casey Siemaszko Chicago IL, actor (Biloxi Blues, 3 O'Clock High)
1962 Clare Grogan rocker (Altered Images-Happy Birthday)
1962 Janet Patricia Gardner Juneau AK, rocker (Vixen-Rev It Up)
1962 Patrick Thomas Burke Hollywood FL, PGA golfer (1992 BellSouth-6th)
1962 Roxy Dora Petrucci Rochester MN, rock drummer (Vixen-Rev It Up)
1963 Rebeca Arthur actress (Mary Anne-Perfect Strangers, Opposites Attract)
1963 Roger Harper cricketer (Guyana & West Indies off-spinner Extraordinary field)
1964 Alex Shoumidoub NHL goaltender (Belarus, Olympics-98)
1964 Don Griffin NFL cornerback (Cleveland Browns)
1964 Rob Lowe Charlottesville VA, actor (St Elmo's Fire, West Wing, Wayne's World, Class)
1964 Ron Warren Jr jockey (Bay Meadows)
1965 Caitlin Bilodeaux Boston MA, US fencer (Olympics-92)
1965 John Smiley Phoenixville PA, pitcher (Cincinnati Reds)
1966 Andrew Hudson cricketer (South Africa, 163 on debut vs West Indies 1992)
1967 Chris Luongo Detroit MI, NHL defenseman (New York Islanders)
1967 Kim Cathrein Salinas CA, LPGA golfer (1994 Rochester International-24th)
1967 Melissa Allen Portland OR, WPVA volleyballer (Reebok National-13th-1994)
1967 Van Conner rocker (Screaming Trees)
1968 Judy Mosley McAfee WNBA forward (Sacramento Monarchs)
1968 Tyrone Hill NBA forward (Cleveland Cavaliers)
1969 Andrew McMarlin Vienna VA, rower (Olympics-1996)
1969 Domenic "Filane" Figliomeni Terrace Bay Ontario, boxer (Olympics-96)
1969 Gilbert Schaller Bruck Austria, tennis star
1970 Shannan Mitchem Decatur GA, female infielder (Colorado Silver Bullets)
1971 Katrina Colleton WNBA guard/forward (Los Angeles Sparks)
1971 Tommy Thigpen WLAF linebacker (Barcelona Dragons)
1972 Mia Hamm Selma AL, soccer forward (Olympics-96, US Women's World Cup-99)
1973 Amelia Weatherly actress (Stephanie Brewster-Loving/The City)
1973 Jerome Woods safety (Kansas City Chiefs)
1974 Eric Lane running back (New York Giants)
1974 John Hall kicker (New York Jets)
1976 Stephen Gately Dublin Ireland, Irish singer (Boyzone)
1977 Hadeel Abol-Naga Miss Egypt-Universe (1996)
1977 Iveta Jankularova Miss Slovak Republic-Universe (1996)

Deaths which occurred on March 17:
0180 Antonius Marcus Aurelius [Marcus Verus], Emperor of Rome, dies at 58
0461 St Patrick patron St of Ireland, dies in Saul (according to legend)
0659 Gertrudis van Nijvel saint/patron of travellers, dies at about 32
1040 Harold British King (1035-40), dies
1516 Giuliano de' Medici monarch of Florence, dies at 37
1565 Alexander Alesius [Aless/Alane], theologist/physician, dies at 64
1588 Petrus Dathenus Flemish minister/physician (Psalms of David), dies
1605 Pieter Bast [Bastius], Dutch engraver/cartographer, dies at about 34
1640 Philip Massinger dramatist, dies
1649 Gerardus Johannis Vossius [Gerrit Vos], Dutch regent, dies at 71
1653 Johan van Galen Admiral (battle of Livorno), dies in battle at 48
1680 François Duc de La Rochefoucauld writer, dies
1704 Menno baron van Coehoorn fort builder/Coevorden/howitzer, dies at 63
1764 George Parker English astronomer, dies
1796 Pieter Paulus lawyer/Dutch CEO (National Convention), dies at 41
1801 Juan de Sesse y Balaguer composer, dies at 64
1803 Candido Jose Ruano composer, dies at 42
1806 David Dale industrialist & philanthropist, dies
1846 Friedrich W Bessel German astronomer (Bessel Functions), dies at 61
1849 Willem II Frederik GL King of Netherlands (1840-49), dies at 56
1853 Christian Doppler physicist, dies
1855 Ramon Carnicer y Batlle composer, dies at 65
1857 Adolph Trube composer, dies at 42
1861 Petter Conrad Boman composer, dies at 56
1862 Fromental Halevy [Elie Levy], French opera composer, dies at 62
1863 John Pelham US Confederate artillery major, dies in battle at 24
1864 Alexandre Calamo Swiss painter/etcher/lithographer, dies at 53
1889 Joseph A Alberdingk Thijm [Pauwels Foreestier], poet, dies at 68
1891 Napoleon JKP Bonaparte Fren prince/member National Convention, dies at 68
1898 Blanche Kelso Bruce (Senator-MS, 1875-1881), dies in Washington DC at 57
1901 Franz Melde German physicist (Melde Test), dies at 69
1902 George William Warren composer, dies at 73
1906 Carlos Calvo Argentina diplomat (Calvo Clause), dies at 82
1910 Joaquin Valverde composer, dies at 64
1915 Walter Crane English painter/cartoonist/illustrator, dies at 69
1927 James Scott Skinner composer, dies at 83
1933 Ferdinand Von Alten actor (Champagne), dies at 48
1941 Isaak Emmanuilovich Babel Russian writer (Crvena Konjica), executed at 46
1941 Joachim Schepke German commandant (U-100), dies in battle
1949 Felix Bressart actor (Escape, Ninotchka, Iceland), dies at 54
1953 Conrado del Campo y Zabaleta composer, dies at 73
1954 Victor Rousseau Belgian sculptor, dies at 88
1956 Fred Allen comedian (Colgate Comedy Hour, Fred Allen Radio Show), dies at 61
1959 Raffaele d' Alessandro composer, dies on 48th birthday
1961 Suzanna Salter 1st US female mayor/temperance leader, dies at 101
1962 Frank Orth actor (Boston Blackie, The Brothers), dies at 82
1963 William Henry Squire composer, dies at 91
1965 Almos Alonzo Stagg football coach (University of Chicago), dies in California at 102
1965 Quentin Reynolds newscaster (Its News to Me)/author (FBI), dies at 62
1966 Walter Lang composer, dies at 69
1967 Frank Wisbar director (Fireside Theater), dies at 67
1967 Richard Reeves actor (Murph-Date With an Angel), dies at 54
1970 Fernand Crommelynck Belgian playwright (Chaud et Frois), dies at 83
1971 Ernst Bachmeister writer, dies
1972 Manny Martindale cricketer (10 Tests for West Indies, 34 wickets), dies
1973 Geertruida M W "Truus" Bakker Dutch actress (2 Orphans), dies at 81
1974 Carroll Nye actress (Lawless Woman), dies at 72
1974 Louis I Kahn Estonia/US architect, dies at about 73
1976 Luchino Visconti di Modrone It director (Terra Diaeresis), dies at 69
1978 George Dickinson cricketer (8 wickets in 3 Tests for New Zealand), dies
1979 Merv Inverarity cricketer (father of John WA player 1925-40), dies
1980 Rudolf G Escher Dutch composer (Vrai Visage de la Paix), dies at 68
1982 Hans ter Laag Dutch sound technician, murdered in El Salvador
1982 Jan Kuiper Dutch news editor (IKON), murdered in El Salvador
1982 Joop Willemsen Dutch cameraman, murdered in El Salvador
1982 Koos Koster Dutch newscaster (IKON), murdered in El Salvador
1985 Dattu Phadkar cricketer (Indian all-rounder, 31 Tests 1947-58), dies
1986 Hal Buckley actor (John Quincy-OK Crackerby), dies at 49
1988 Reg Sinfield cricketer (one Test for England vs Australia 1938), dies
1989 Merritt Butrick actor (Shy People, Wired to Kill), dies of AIDS at 29
1990 Capucine [Germaine Lefebvre] actress (Rendez-Vous de Juillet, Curse of the Pink Panther), commits suicide in Lausanne Switzerland at 57
1990 Marí Mejía Guatemalian feminist, murdered
1990 Rick Grech rocker (Blind Faith, Traffic), dies at 44
1992 Charles Rea British actor (Ipcress File), dies at 69
1992 George Lovi US columnist (Sky & Telescope's "Ramblings"), dies
1992 Grace Stafford Lantz cartoon voice (Woody Woodpecker), dies at 87
1992 Jack Arnold actor/director (Sid Caeser Special, Emmy 1967), dies at 75
1993 Helen Hayes actress (Airport), dies of congestive heart failure at 92
1993 Laadi Flici Algerian MP, murdered
1993 Skip Young actor (Smokey & Hotwire Gang), dies at 62
1994 Arthur C Jacobs poet, dies at 57
1994 Harold Myers film journalist, dies at 81
1994 Mai Zetterling actress (Night is My Future), dies of cancer at 68
1994 Walter Janka German writer (Troubles with Truth), dies at 79
1995 Ahmad Khomeini youngest son of Iran ayatollah Khomeini, dies at 48
1995 Donald Baverstock television Producer, dies at 71
1995 Marcus Jan Adriani biologist/director (Weevers' Duin), dies at 56
1995 Rick Aviles US comic/actor (Ghost), dies of AIDS
1995 Ronnie Kray English gangster (The Firm), dies at 61
1995 Sunnyland Smart jazz/blues singer/pianist (Delta Blues), dies at 87
1996 Bela Szigeti theoretical physicist, dies at 83
1996 Kenneth Jameson art educationalist, dies at 83
1996 Rene Clement film director, dies at 83
1996 Thomas Enders diplomat, dies at 64
1997 Gail Davis actress (Annie Oakley), dies at 71

On this day...
0432 St Patrick, a bishop, is carried off to Ireland as a slave
0455 Roman senator Petronius Maximus becomes Emperor
1521 Ferdinand Magellan discovers the Philippines
1521 Magelhaes lands on Homohon
1526 French king François I freed from Spain
1537 French troops invade Flanders
1580 Prince Willem of Orange welcomed in Amsterdam
1658 Pro-Charles II plot in England discovered
1672 England declares war on Netherlands
1722 Willem KH Friso appointed mayor of Drente
1753 1st official St Patrick's Day
1755 Transylvania Land Co buys Kentucky for $50,000 from a Cherokee chief
1756 St Patrick's Day 1st celebrated in NYC at Crown & Thistle Tavern
1757 Prince Mas Saïd of Mataram surrenders to Mangkubumi in Java
1762 1st St Patrick's Day parade in NYC
1766 Britain repeals Stamp Act
1776 British forces evacuate Boston to Nova Scotia during Revolutionary War
1800 English warship Queen Charlotte catches fire; 700 die
1804 Johann von Schiller's "Wilhelm Tell" premieres
1824 England & Netherlands sign a trade agreement
1833 Phoenix Society forms (New York)
1836 Texas abolishes slavery
1842 Indians land in Ohio, a 12²-mile area in Upper Sandusky
1845 Bristol man, Henry Jones, patents self-raising flour
1845 Rubber band patented by Stephen Perry of London
1847 Dmitri Shostakovich's opera "Macbeth" is produced (Florence)
1854 1st park land purchased by a US city, Worcester MA
1860 Japanese embassy arrives aboard Candinmarruh [sic]
1861 Italy declares independence; Kingdom of Italy proclaimed
1863 Battle of Kelly's Ford, Virginia (211 casualities)
1868 Postage stamp canceling machine patent issued
1870 Massachusetts legislature authorizes incorporation of Wellesley Female Seminary
1871 National Association of Professional Base-Ball players organized
1876 1st record high jump over 6' (Marshall Jones Brooks)
1876 General Crook destroy Cheyennes & Oglala-Sioux Indian camps
1877 Bill Midwinter completes Test Crickets' 1st 5-wkt haul, 5-78 vs England
1884 John Joseph Montgomery makes 1st glider flight, Otay CA
1886 Carrollton Massacre, (Mississippi) 20 blacks killed
1891 British Steamer "Utopia" sinks off Gibraltar killing 574
1894 US & China sign treaty preventing Chinese laborers from entering US
1897 Robert Fitzsimmons KOs James J Corbett in 14 for heavyweight boxing title
1898 1st practical submarine 1st submerges, New York NY (for 1 hour 40 minutes)
1899 Windsor luxury hotel in NYC catches fire, 92 die
1900 Stanley Cup: Montréal Shamrocks sweep Halifax Crescents in 2
1901 Free thinking-Democratic Union forms in Netherlands
1902 Stanley Cup: Montréal AAA beat Winnipeg Victorias, 2 games to 1
1905 Eleanor Roosevelt marries FDR in New York
1906 President Theodore Roosevelt uses term "muckraker"
1906 Stanley Cup: Montréal Wanderers beat Ottawa Silver 7, although both winning a game, Montréal outscores Ottawa 12-10
1908 Quickest world heavyweight title fight (Tommy Burns KOs Jem Roche in 88 seconds)
1910 DHC soccer team forms in Delft Netherlands
1912 Camp Fire Girls organization announced by Mrs Luther Halsey Gulick
1917 1st exclusively women's bowling tournament begins in St Louis
1917 Tsar Nicolas II of Russia abdicates the throne
1918 US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Rosemary Beresford
1918 US Men's Figure Skating Championship won by Nathaniel Niles
1919 Dutch steel workers strike for 8 hour day & minimum wages
1921 Dr Marie Stopes opens Britain's 1st birth control clinic (London)
1921 Lenin proclaims New Economic Politics
1921 Sailors revolt in Kronstadt (thousands die)
1924 Eugene O'Neill's "Welded" premieres in New York NY
1924 Netherlands & USSR begin talks over USSR recognition
1924 Sweden & USSR exchange diplomats
1926 Dutch Calvinists oust Reverend J G Geelkerken over Genesis 3
1926 Richard Rodgers & L Hart's musical "Girl Friend" premieres in New York NY
1926 Spain & Brazil prevent Germany joining League of Nations
1927 US government doesn't sign league of Nations disarmament treaty
1929 General Motors acquires German auto manufacturer Adam Opel
1929 Spanish dictator Primo de Rivera closes university of Madrid
1931 Stalin throws Krupskaya Lenin out of Central Committee
1932 German police raid Hitler's Nazi-headquarter
1934 Dollfuss, Mussolini & Gömbös sign Donau Pact (protocols of Rome)
1935 KSO-AM in Des Moines IA call sign is given to KWCR
1941 National Gallery of Art, Washington DC opens
1942 Belzec Concentration Camp opens-30,000 Lublin Polish Jews transported
1942 General Doug MacArthur arrives in Australia to become supreme commander
1943 Aldemarin (Ned) & Fort Cedar Lake (US) torpedoed & sinks
1943 F Hugh Herbert's "Kiss & Tell" premieres in New York NY
1944 Actor Charlton Heston weds Lydia Clarke
1945 Allied ships bomb North-Sumatra
1950 Belgian government of Eyskens resigns
1950 Element 98 (Californium) announced
1951 Government of Drees takes power
1951 Test Cricket debut of Brian Statham, England vs New Zealand Christchurch
1953 Bill Veeck says he will sell his 80% of St Louis Browns for $2,475M
1953 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1953 WBAY TV channel 2 in Green Bay WI (CBS) begins broadcasting
1953 WWLP TV channel 22 in Springfield MA (NBC) begins broadcasting
1955 Maurice "Rocket" Richard suspended, sparks 7 hour riot in Montréal
1956 8th Emmy Awards: Ed Sullivan Show, Phil Silvers Show & Lucy Ball
1957 Dutch ban on Sunday driving lifted
1957 Ramon Magsaysay, President of Philippines dies in a plane crash
1958 Navy launches Vanguard 1 into orbit (2nd US), measures Earth shape
1959 Australia & USSR restore diplomatic relations
1959 Dalai Lama flees Tibet for India
1960 Eisenhower forms anti-Castro-exile army under the CIA
1960 WSLA (now WAKA) TV channel 8 in Selma AL (CBS) begins broadcasting
1961 New York DA arrests professional gamblers who implicate Seton Hall players
1961 South Africa leaves British Commonwealth
1963 Bob Cousy plays his last NBA game
1963 Elizabeth Ann Seton of New York beatified (canonized in 1975)
1963 Eruptions of Mount Agung Bali, kills 1,500 Balinese
1965 Beatles announce their film is named "8 Arms to Hold on to You" (Help)
1966 South Africa government bans Defense & Aid Fund
1966 US sub locates missing H-bomb in Mediterranean
1968 2-tiered gold price negotiated in Washington DC by US & 6 European nations
1968 Kathie Whitworth wins LPGA St Petersburg Orange Blossom Golf Open
1969 Golda Meir becomes Israel's 4th Prime Minister
1969 Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Orange Blossom Golf Open
1970 Peter O'Malley becomes CEO of Los Angeles Dodgers
1970 US casts their 1st UN Security Council veto (Support England)
1972 Ringo releases "Back off Bugaloo" in UK
1973 Queen Elizabeth II opens new London Bridge
1973 St Patrick's Day marchers carry 14 coffins commemorating Bloody Sunday
1974 Jane Blalock wins LPGA Bing Crosby Golf Classic International
1975 Valeri Muratov skates world record 1000 meter (1:16.92)
1976 Malikov skates world record 1000 meter (1:15.76)
1976 Rubin "Hurricane" Carter is retried
1976 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1977 Australia wins cricket Centenary Test by 45 runs, same result as 1877
1978 Ligeti's opera "Le Grand Macabre" premieres in Stockholm
1978 Reds don green uniforms for St Patricks Day
1979 World Ice Dance Championship at Vienna won by N Linichuk & G Karponosov USSR
1979 World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship at Vienna won by Tai Babilonia & R Gardner (USA)
1979 World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Vienna won by Linda Fratianne (USA)
1979 World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Vienna won by Vladimir Kovalev (USSR)
1981 FC Lisse, Dutch soccer team forms
1982 4 Dutch TV crew members shot dead in El Salvador
1983 70th hat trick in Islander history-Mike Bossy
1983 9th People's Choice Awards
1985 Jane Blalock wins LPGA Women's Kemper Golf Open
1985 Matti Nykanen of Finland set a world ski jump record of 623'
1986 Haemers gang robs gold transport in Belgium of 35 million BF
1987 IBM releases PC-DOS version 3.3
1987 Sunil Gavaskar ends his Test career with an inning of 96 vs Pakistan
1988 "Les Miserables" opens at Det Norske Teatret, Oslo Norway
1988 Highest scoring NCAA basketball game: Loyola-Marymnt 119, Wyoming 115
1988 Iran says Iraq uses poison gas
1989 "Chu Chem" opens at Ritz Theater NYC for 44 performances
1989 Dorothy Cudahy is 1st female grand marshal of St Patrick Day Parade
1990 PBA National Championship Won by Jim Pencak
1991 Irish Lesbians & Gays march in St Patrick Day parade
1991 John Robin Baitz' "Substance of Fire" premieres in New York NY
1991 New Jersey raises turnpike tolls 70%
1991 Penny Hammel wins Desert Inn LPGA Golf International
1991 USSR holds a referendum to determine if they should stay together; 9 of 15 Soviet representatives officially approve new union treaty
1992 "Death & the Maiden" opens at Brooks Atkinson NYC for 159 performances
1992 18th People's Choice Awards: Garth Brooks & Reba McEntire
1992 De Klerk wins a white only referendum
1992 Islamic Jihad truck bombs Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires Argentina killing 29
1992 Russian manned space craft TM-14, launches into orbit
1993 86 killed by bomb attack in Calcutta
1994 "Little More Magic" opens at Belasco Theater NYC for 30 performances
1994 Iran transport aircraft crashes in Azerbaijan (32 killed)
1994 It is announced there is no smoking in Cleveland Indians new ballpark
1995 British £ hits 2.4545 to Dutch guilder (record)
1995 Sinn-Fein leader Gerry Adams visits White House
1995 US approves 1st chicken pox vaccine, Varivax by Merck & Co
1996 "Bus Stop" closes at Circle in Square Theater NYC after 29 performances
1996 "Getting Away With Murder" opens at Broadhurst NYC for 17 performances
1996 Aravinda De Silva gets 107 & 3-42 in cricket World Cup victory
1996 Liselotte Neumann wins LPGA Ping/Welch's Golf Championship
1996 Mike Tyson beat Frank Bruno in 3rd round to gain Heavyweight title
1996 Montréal Canadien's 1st game in their new arena
1996 Sri Lanka beat Australia by 7 wickets to win the World Cup
1997 CNN begins Spanish broadcasts
1998 USA Women's Hockey Team beats Canada for 1st Olympics Gold medal

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Boston MA : Evacuation Day (1776)
Ireland : St Patrick's Day/Irish National Day (461, 493)
World : World Maritime Day

Religious Observances
Ancient Rome : Liberalia; honoring Liber, Libera; a d xvj Kal Apr
Christian : Commemoration of St Gertrude of Nivelles & Joseph of Arimathea
Roman Catholic, Anglican : Memorial of St Patrick, bishop, missionary to Ireland (optional)

Religious History
1734 Forty-two families of German Protestant refugees landed in the American colonies. Sponsored by the British Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK), the 78 religious pilgrims soon founded the town of Ebenezer, 30 miles from Savannah, Georgia.
1789 Birth of Charlotte Elliott, English devotional writer. An illness at age 33 left her an invalid her remaining 50 years, during which she devoted herself to religious writing. Of her 150 hymns, "Just As I Am" remains popular today.
1841 Birth of James R. Murray, American sacred music editor. A veteran of the American Civil War, Murray is better remembered today as composer of the hymn tune MUELLER, to which we sing the Christmas carol, "Away in a Manger."
1890 Birth of Julius R. Mantey, co-author (with H. E. Dana) of a popular intermediate biblical language grammar. Originally published in 1927, the "Dana & Mantey" New Testament Greek Grammar is still popular, and still in print!
1897 Emilie Grace Briggs became the first woman in America to graduate from a Presbyterian theological school, when she received her Bachelor of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary, in New York City.

Thought for the day :
" He is no lawyer who cannot take two sides. "

Good Morning, aomagrat. Thanks for opening the Foxhole this St. Patrick's Day.

Happy St.Patrick's Day Victoria. Thanks for the biography of Saint Patrick.

Good Morning apackof2. No, don't have any Irish in me.

Tip 'o the hat to you, Feather.

Morning, Happy ST. Patricks Day.