Events That Happened on March 21

China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 crashes in Guangxi, China, killing 132 people.

The 2019 Xiangshui chemical plant explosion occurs, killing at least 47 people and injuring 640 others.

The social media site Twitter (now officially named X) is founded.

Pope John Paul II makes his first ever pontifical visit to Israel.

Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change enters into force.

Namibia becomes independent after 75 years of South African rule.

Transbrasil Flight 801 crashes into a slum near São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport, killing 25 people.

Debi Thomas became the first African American to win the World Figure Skating Championships.

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.

The first cases of the 1983 West Bank fainting epidemic begin; Israelis and Palestinians accuse each other of poison gas, but the cause is later determined mostly to be psychosomatic.

Cold War: American President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet–Afghan War.

The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by Joseph Alioto, Mayor of San Francisco.

San Diego Comic-Con, the largest pop and culture festival in the world, hosts its inaugural event.

Battle of Karameh in Jordan between the Israel Defense Forces and the combined forces of the Jordanian Armed Forces and PLO.

Ranger program: NASA launches Ranger 9, the last in a series of uncrewed lunar space probes.

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.

Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closes.

Apartheid: Sharpeville massacre, South Africa: Police open fire on a group of black South African demonstrators, killing 69 and wounding 180.

Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Los Angeles Rams sign Kenny Washington, making him the first African American player in professional American football since 1933.

World War II: British troops liberate Mandalay, Burma.

World War II: Operation Carthage: Royal Air Force planes bomb Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. They also accidentally hit a school, killing 125 civilians.

World War II: Bulgaria and the Soviet Union successfully complete their defense of the north bank of the Drava River as the Battle of the Transdanubian Hills concludes.

Wehrmacht officer Rudolf von Gersdorff plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler by using a suicide bomb, but the plan falls through; von Gersdorff is able to defuse the bomb in time and avoid suspicion.

Ponce massacre: Nineteen unarmed civilians in Ponce, Puerto Rico are gunned down by police in a terrorist attack ordered by the US-appointed Governor, Blanton Winship.

Shah of Iran Reza Shah Pahlavi formally asks the international community to call Persia by its native name, Iran.

The landmark Australian Eastern Mission led by John Latham departs on its three-month tour of East and South-East Asia.

Charles Lindbergh is presented with the Medal of Honor for the first solo trans-Atlantic flight.

The Butler Act prohibits the teaching of human evolution in Tennessee.

Syngman Rhee is removed from office after being impeached as the President of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.

Ravel's opera L'enfant et les sortilèges, to a libretto by Colette, is premiered at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo.

The New Economic Policy is implemented by the Bolshevik Party in response to the economic failure as a result of war communism.

The Hungarian Soviet Republic is established becoming the first Communist government to be formed in Europe after the October Revolution in Russia.

World War I: The first phase of the German spring offensive, Operation Michael, begins.

Otto von Bismarck is appointed as the first Chancellor of the German Empire.

Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone.

Alexander H. Stephens gives the Cornerstone Speech.

The Baháʼí calendar begins. This is the first day of the first year of the Baháʼí calendar. It is annually celebrated by members of the Baháʼí Faith as the Baháʼí New Year or Náw-Rúz.

The Wellington–Winchilsea duel takes place in London involving the Prime Minister the Duke of Wellington.

Greek War of Independence: Greek revolutionaries seize Kalavryta.

Napoleonic Wars: Austrian forces repel French troops in the Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube.

Code Napoléon is adopted as French civil law.

The Battle of Alexandria is fought between British and French forces near the ruins of Nicopolis near Alexandria in Egypt.

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.

A fire in New Orleans leaves most of the town in ruins.

On the day of his execution in Oxford, former archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer deviates from the scripted sermon by renouncing the recantations he has made and adds, "And as for the pope, I refuse him, as Christ's enemy, and Antichrist with all his false doctrine."

Emperor Antoku accedes to the throne of Japan.

Annulment of the marriage of King Louis VII of France and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Battle of Vincy between Charles Martel and Ragenfrid.

Emperor Heraclius returns the True Cross, one of the holiest Christian relics, to Jerusalem.

Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the Vivarium, by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas and Peranius.

Ethan Nwaneri, English footballer

Abbi Pulling, English racing driver

Jace Norman, American actor

Yoon San-ha, South Korean singer and actor

Miles Bridges, American basketball player

Nat Phillips, English footballer

Martina Stoessel, Argentine singer and actress

Aurora Mikalsen, Norwegian footballer

RJ Cyler, American actor

Nick Mullens, American football player

Mirco Müller, Swiss ice hockey player

Jasmin Savoy Brown, American actress

Sven Andrighetto, Swiss ice hockey player

Jake Bidwell, English footballer

Jesse Joronen, Finnish footballer

Frankie Montas, Dominican baseball player

Lehlogonolo Masalesa, South African footballer

Chiney Ogwumike, American basketball player

Karolína Plíšková, Czech tennis player

Kristýna Plíšková, Czech tennis player

Luke Chapman, English footballer

Antoine Griezmann, French footballer

Mandy Capristo, German singer-songwriter and dancer

Ryann Krais, American runner and heptathlete

Darius Miller, American basketball player

Alex Nimo, Liberian-American soccer player

Jordi Alba, Spanish footballer

Nicolás Lodeiro, Uruguayan footballer

Takeru Satoh, Japanese actor

Solomon Alabi, Nigerian basketball player

Kateřina Čechová, Czech sprinter

Erik Johnson, American ice hockey player

Eric Krüger, German sprinter

Michael Madl, Austrian footballer

Carlos Carrasco, Venezuelan baseball pitcher

Romanos Alyfantis, Greek swimmer

Scott Eastwood, American actor

Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou, Greek pole vaulter

Michu, Spanish footballer

Ryan Callahan, American ice hockey player

Sonequa Martin-Green, American actress

Adrian Peterson, American football player

Tarence Kinsey, American basketball player

Guillermo Daniel Rodríguez, Uruguayan footballer

Jean Ondoa, Cameroonian footballer

Lucila Pascua, Spanish basketball player

Maria Elena Camerin, Italian tennis player

Ejegayehu Dibaba, Ethiopian runner

Aaron Hill, American baseball player

Colin Turkington, Northern Irish race car driver

Sébastien Chavanel, French cyclist

Germano, Brazilian footballer

Goran Bezina, Swiss ice hockey player

Marit Bjørgen, Norwegian skier

Lee Jin, South Korean singer and actress

Ronaldinho, Brazilian footballer

Deryck Whibley, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Sally Barsosio, Kenyan runner

Charmaine Dragun, Australian journalist (died 2007)

Kevin Federline, American dancer and television personality

Cristian Guzmán, Dominican baseball player

Joyce Jimenez, Filipino movie and TV actress

Mohammad Rezaei, Iranian wrestler

Bruno Cirillo, Italian footballer

Jamie Delgado, English tennis player

Rachael MacFarlane, American voice actress and singer

Bamboo Mañalac, Filipino singer-songwriter and guitarist

Tekin Sazlog, German-Turkish footballer

Michale Graves, American singer-songwriter

Corné Krige, South African rugby player

Fabricio Oberto, Argentinian-Italian basketball player

Vitaly Potapenko, Ukrainian basketball player and coach

Mark Williams, Welsh snooker player

Laura Allen, American actress

Rhys Darby, New Zealand comedian and actor

Dejima Takeharu, Japanese sumo wrestler

Ananda Lewis, American television host

Stuart Nethercott, English footballer and manager

Large Professor, American rapper and producer

Chris Candido, American wrestler (died 2005)

Balázs Kiss, Hungarian hammer thrower

Boris Mironov, Russian ice hockey player

Derartu Tulu, Ethiopian runner

Graeme Welch, English cricketer

Zsolt Kürtösi, Hungarian decathlete

Shiho Niiyama, Japanese voice actress (died 2000)

Cenk Uygur, Turkish-American political activist

Jonah Goldberg, American journalist and author

Cameron Clyne, Australian businessman

Andrew Copeland, American singer and musician

Greg Ellis, English actor, producer, and screenwriter

Johan Garpenlöv, Swedish ice hockey player

Tolunay Kafkas, Turkish footballer and manager

Gary Walsh, English footballer and coach

Scott Williams, American basketball player and sportscaster

Jonas Berggren, Swedish singer-songwriter, musician, and producer

Carwyn Jones, Welsh lawyer and politician, First Minister of Wales

Maxim, English musician and songwriter

Mirela Rupic, American costume and fashion designer

Benito Archundia, Mexican footballer, referee, lawyer, and economist

Hauke Fuhlbrügge, German runner

Al Iafrate, American ice hockey player

Moa Matthis, Swedish author

Matthew Maynard, English cricketer and coach

DJ Premier, American DJ and producer

Xavier Bertrand, French businessman and politician, French Minister of Social Affairs

Thomas Frank, American author, historian and political analyst

Cynthia Geary, American actress

Ieuan Evans, Welsh rugby player

Jesper Skibby, Danish cyclist

Shawon Dunston, American baseball player

Ronald Koeman, Dutch footballer and manager

Shawn Lane, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (died 2003)

Share Pedersen, American bass player

Matthew Broderick, American actor

Kathy Greenwood, Canadian actress and screenwriter

Rosie O'Donnell, American actress, producer, and talk show host

Mark Waid, American author

Kassie DePaiva, American actress

Lothar Matthäus, German footballer and manager

Gary O'Reilly, English footballer

Kim Turner, American hurdler

Benito T. de Leon, Filipino general

Marwan Farhat, Syrian actor and voice actor

Raivo Puusepp, Estonian architect

Ayrton Senna, Brazilian race car driver (died 1994)

Robert Sweet, American drummer and producer

Sarah Jane Morris, English singer-songwriter

Yuval Rotem, Israeli diplomat

Nobuo Uematsu, Japanese keyboard player and composer

Marlies Göhr, German sprinter

Brad Hall, American comedian, director, and screenwriter

Gary Oldman, English actor, filmmaker, musician, and author

Dick Beardsley, American runner

Guy Chadwick, German-English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Richard H. Kirk, English guitarist, keyboard player, composer, and producer (died 2021)

Ingrid Kristiansen, Norwegian runner

Fadi Abboud, Lebanese economist and politician

Bob Bennett, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Jair Bolsonaro, Brazilian politician and retired military officer, 38th President of Brazil

Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Greek politician

Bärbel Wöckel, German sprinter

Prayut Chan-o-cha, Thai politician, Prime Minister of Thailand

Mike Dunleavy Sr., American basketball player, coach, and executive

Steve Sheppard, American basketball player

Steve Furber, English computer scientist and academic

Paul Martin Lester, American photographer, author, and educator (died 2023)

David Wisniewski, English-American author and illustrator (died 2002)

Conrad Lozano, American bass player

Russell Thompkins Jr., American singer-songwriter

Roger Hodgson, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player

Sergey Lavrov, Russian politician and diplomat, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs

Ron Oden, American minister and politician, 19th Mayor of Palm Springs

Alvin Kallicharran, Guyanese cricketer and coach

Andy Love, Scottish-English politician

Eddie Money, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2019)

Slavoj Žižek, Slovenian sociologist, philosopher, and academic

Scott Fahlman, American computer scientist and academic

George Johnston, Scottish footballer

Timothy Dalton, Welsh-English actor

Ray Dorset, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Joseph Mitsuaki Takami, Japanese cardinal

Anthony Grabiner, Baron Grabiner, English lawyer

Charles Greene, American sprinter and coach (died 2022)

Rose Stone, American singer-songwriter and keyboard player

Marie-Christine Barrault, French actress

Janet Daley, American-English journalist and author

Hideki Ishima, Japanese guitarist

Mike Jackson, English general (died 2024)

David Lindley, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (died 2023)

István Gyulai, Hungarian sprinter and sportscaster (died 2006)

Hartmut Haenchen, German conductor

Vivian Stanshall, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter (died 1995)

Françoise Dorléac, French actress (died 1967)

Amina Claudine Myers, American singer-songwriter and pianist

Kostas Politis, Greek basketball player and coach (died 2018)

Patcha Ramachandra Rao, Indian metallurgist, educator and administrator (died 2010)

Solomon Burke, American singer-songwriter (died 2010)

Andrea Elle, German bicyclist

Kathleen Widdoes, American actress

Michael Foreman, English author and illustrator

Grahame Thomas, Australian cricketer

Ann Clwyd, Welsh journalist and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Wales (died 2023)

Tom Flores, American football player and coach

Pierre-Jean Rémy, French diplomat and author (died 2010)

Ed Broadbent, Canadian pilot and politician (died 2024)

Mike Westbrook, English pianist and composer

Brian Clough, English footballer and manager (died 2004)

Al Freeman, Jr., American actor and director (died 2012)

John Hall, English businessman

Michael Heseltine, Welsh businessman and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Walter Gilbert, American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate

Joseph Silverstein, American violinist and conductor (died 2015)

Clark L. Brundin, American-English engineer and academic (died 2021)

Catherine Gibson, Scottish swimmer (died 2013)

Toyonobori, Japanese sumo wrestler (died 1998)

Al Williamson, American illustrator (died 2010)

James Coco, American actor (died 1987)

Otis Spann, American blues pianist, singer and composer (died 1970)

Maurice Catarcio, American wrestler (died 2005)

Surya Bahadur Thapa, Nepalese politician, 24th Prime Minister of Nepal (died 2015)

Halton Arp, American-German astronomer and critic (died 2013)

Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German soldier and politician, Vice-Chancellor of Germany (died 2016)

André Delvaux, Belgian director and screenwriter (died 2002)

Harold Ashby, American saxophonist (died 2003)

Peter Brook, English-French director and producer (died 2022)

Hugo Koblet, Swiss cyclist (died 1964)

Philip Abbott, American actor (died 1998)

Dov Shilansky, Lithuanian-Israeli lawyer and politician (died 2010)

Louis-Edmond Hamelin, Canadian geographer, author, and academic (died 2020)

Rezső Nyers, Hungarian politician (died 2018)

Nizar Qabbani, Syrian poet, publisher, and diplomat (died 1998)

Nirmala Srivastava, Indian religious leader, founded Sahaja Yoga (died 2011)

Russ Meyer, American director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2004)

Arthur Grumiaux, Belgian violinist and pianist (died 1986)

Antony Hopkins, English pianist, composer, and conductor (died 2014)

Manolis Chiotis, Greek singer-songwriter and bouzouki player (died 1970)

Éric Rohmer, French director, film critic, journalist, novelist and screenwriter (died 2010)

Douglas Warren, Australian bishop (died 2013)

Patrick Lucey, American captain and politician, 38th Governor of Wisconsin (died 2014)

Charles Thompson, American pianist and composer (died 2016)

Frank Hardy, Australian journalist, author, and playwright (died 1994)

Bismillah Khan, Indian shehnai player (died 2006)

Ken Wharton, English race car driver (died 1957)

Paul Tortelier, French cellist and composer (died 1990)

George Abecassis, English race car driver and pilot (died 1991)

Guillermo Haro, Mexican astronomer (died 1988)

André Laurendeau, Canadian journalist, playwright, and politician (died 1968)

Walter Lincoln Hawkins, American scientist and inventor (died 1992)

Julio Gallo, American businessman, co-founded E & J Gallo Winery (died 1993)

Muhammad Siddiq Khan, Bangladeshi librarian and educator (died 1978)

Harry Lane, English footballer (died 1977)

Zoltán Kemény, Hungarian sculptor (died 1965)

André Filho, Brazilian musician and songwriter (died 1974)

John D. Rockefeller III, American philanthropist (died 1978)

Jim Thompson, American businessman (died 1967)

Phyllis McGinley, American author and poet (died 1978)

Jehane Benoît, Canadian journalist and author (died 1987)

Forrest Mars, Sr., American candy maker, created M&M's and Mars bar (died 1999)

Nikos Skalkottas, Greek violinist and composer (died 1949)

Son House, American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1988)

Karl Arnold, German businessman and politician, President of the German Bundesrat (died 1958)

Panagiotis Pipinelis, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (died 1970)

Sim Gokkes, Dutch composer and conductor (died 1943)

Salvador Lutteroth, Mexican wrestling promoter, founded Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (died 1987)

Friedrich Waismann, Austrian mathematician, physicist, and philosopher from the Vienna Circle (died 1959)

Hannah Ryggen, Norwegian textile artist (died 1970)

Jock Sutherland, American football player and coach (died 1948)

Clarice Beckett, Australian painter (died 1935)

Lajos Kassák, Hungarian poet, novelist and painter (died 1967)

M. N. Roy, Indian philosopher and politician (died 1954)

Walter Dray, American pole vaulter (died 1973)

Pierre Renoir, French actor and director (died 1952)

George David Birkhoff, American mathematician (died 1944)

Aleksander Kesküla, Estonian politician (died 1963)

Broncho Billy Anderson, American actor, director, and producer (died 1971)

Hans Hofmann, German-American painter and academic (died 1966)

Morris H. Whitehouse, American architect (died 1944)

Maurice Farman, French race car driver and pilot (died 1964)

Walter Tewksbury, American runner and hurdler (died 1968)

Alfred Tysoe, English runner (died 1901)

David Robertson, Scottish-English golfer and rugby player (died 1937)

Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., American director and producer (died 1932)

Antonia Maury, American astronomer and astrophysicist (died 1952)

George Owen Squier, American general and inventor of Musak (died 1934)

Daria Pratt, American golfer (died 1938)

Alice Henry, Australian journalist and activist (died 1943)

Alick Bannerman, Australian cricketer and coach (died 1924)

Modest Mussorgsky, Russian pianist and composer (died 1881)

Thomas Hayward, English cricketer (died 1876)

Dorothea Beale, English suffragist, educational reformer and author (died 1906)

Alexander Mozhaysky, Russian soldier and engineer (died 1890)

Nathaniel Woodard, English priest and educator (died 1891)

Benito Juárez, Mexican lawyer and politician, 25th President of Mexico (died 1872)

Augusta Waddington, Welsh writer and patron of the arts (died 1896)

José Bernardo de Tagle y Portocarrero, Marquis of Torre Tagle, Peruvian soldier and politician, 2nd President of Peru (died 1825)

Joseph Fourier, French mathematician and physicist (died 1830)

Jean Paul, German journalist and author (died 1825)

Mary Dixon Kies, American inventor (died 1837)

Josef Seger, Bohemian organist, composer, and educator (died 1782)

Francis Lewis, Welsh-American merchant and politician (died 1803)

Johann Sebastian Bach, German Baroque composer and musician (died 1750)

Stefano Benedetto Pallavicino, Italian poet and translator (died 1742)

Peter of Saint Joseph Betancur, Spanish saint and missionary (died 1667)

Anne Howard, Countess of Arundel, English countess and poet (died 1630)

John Leveson, English politician (died 1615)

Hermann Finck, German composer and educator (died 1558)

Maurice, Elector of Saxony (died 1553)

Anne Brooke, Baroness Cobham, English noble (died 1558)

Angela Merici, Italian educator and saint (died 1540)

Emperor Taizu of Song (died 976)

Kitty Dukakis, American author, First Lady of Massachusetts (born 1936)

George Foreman, American boxer, actor, and businessman (born 1949)

Willis Reed, American basketball player (born 1942)

Nawal El Saadawi, Egyptian secularist, feminist (born 1931)

Victor Hochhauser CBE, British music promoter (born 1923)

Gonzalo Portocarrero, Peruvian sociologist (born 1949)

Chuck Barris, American game show host and producer (born 1929)

Colin Dexter, English author (born 1930)

Martin McGuinness, Irish republican and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland (born 1950)

Mike Hall, British cyclist (born 1981)

Ishaya Bakut, Nigerian general and politician, Governor of Benue State (born 1947)

Chuck Bednarik, American lieutenant and football player (born 1925)

James C. Binnicker, American sergeant (born 1938)

Hans Erni, Swiss painter, sculptor, and illustrator (born 1909)

Jørgen Ingmann, Danish singer and guitarist (born 1925)

Alberta Watson, Canadian actress (born 1955)

Qoriniasi Bale, Fijian lawyer and politician, 25th Attorney-General of Fiji (born 1929)

Bill Boedeker, American football player and soldier (born 1924)

Jack Fleck, American golfer (born 1921)

Simeon Oduoye, Nigerian police officer and politician (born 1945)

James Rebhorn, American actor (born 1948)

Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Iraqi patriarch (born 1933)

Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic (born 1930)

Rick Hautala, American author and screenwriter (born 1949)

Harlon Hill, American football player and coach (born 1932)

Pietro Mennea, Italian sprinter and politician (born 1952)

Giancarlo Zagni, Italian director and screenwriter (born 1926)

Albrecht Dietz, German economist and businessman (born 1926)

Ron Erhardt, American football player and coach (born 1931)

Robert Fuest, English director, screenwriter, and production designer (born 1927)

Tonino Guerra, Italian poet and screenwriter (born 1920)

Irving Louis Horowitz, American sociologist, author, and academic (born 1929)

Yuri Razuvaev, Russian chess player and trainer (born 1945)

Marina Salye, Russian geologist and politician (born 1934)

Loleatta Holloway, American singer-songwriter (born 1946)

Gerd Klier, German footballer (born 1944)

Ladislav Novák, Czech footballer and manager (born 1931)

Pinetop Perkins, American singer and pianist (born 1913)

Wolfgang Wagner, German director and manager (born 1919)

Mohit Sharma, Indian army officer (born 1978)

Walt Poddubny, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1960)

Denis Cosgrove, English-American geographer and academic (born 1948)

Guillermo Jullian de la Fuente, Chilean architect and academic (born 1931)

John List, American murderer (born 1925)

Drew Hayes, American author and illustrator (born 1969)

Sven O. Høiby, Norwegian hurdler and journalist (born 1936)

Barney Martin, American police officer and actor (born 1923)

Bobby Short, American singer and pianist (born 1924)

Ludmilla Tchérina, French actress, dancer, and choreographer (born 1924)

Shivani, Indian author (born 1923)

Umar Wirahadikusumah, Indonesian general and politician, 4th Vice President of Indonesia (born 1924)

Herman Talmadge, American lieutenant, lawyer, and politician, 70th Governor of Georgia (born 1913)

Chung Ju-yung, South Korean businessman, founded Hyundai (born 1915)

Anthony Steel, English actor and singer (born 1920)

Jean Guitton, French philosopher and author (born 1905)

Ernie Wise, English comedian and actor (born 1925)

Galina Ulanova, Russian ballerina (born 1910)

Wilbert Awdry, English cleric and author, created The Railway Series, the basis for Thomas the Tank Engine (born 1911)

Macdonald Carey, American actor (born 1913)

Lili Damita, French-American actress and singer (born 1904)

Aleksandrs Laime, Latvian-born explorer (born 1911)

John Ireland, Canadian-American actor and director (born 1914)

Natalie Sleeth, American pianist and composer (born 1930)

Vedat Dalokay, Turkish architect and politician, Mayor of Ankara (born 1927)

Leo Fender, American businessman, founded Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (born 1909)

Walter L. Gordon, Canadian accountant, lawyer, and politician, 22nd Canadian Minister of Finance (born 1906)

Robert Preston, American captain, actor, and singer (born 1918)

Michael Redgrave, English actor, director, and manager (born 1908)

Peter Stoner, American mathematician and astronomer (born 1888)

Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh, President of Ireland (born 1911)

Joe Medwick, American baseball player and coach (born 1911)

Manolis Chiotis, Greek singer-songwriter and bouzouki player (born 1920)

Cyril M. Kornbluth, American soldier and author (born 1923)

Hatı Çırpan, Turkish politician (born 1890)

Ed Voss, American basketball player (born 1922)

Willem Mengelberg, Dutch conductor and composer (born 1871)

Henry Hanna, Irish Judge, photographer and author (born 1871)

Arthur Nebe, German SS officer (born 1894)

Cornelia Fort, American soldier and pilot (born 1919)

Evald Aav, Estonian composer and conductor (born 1900)

Ali Hikmet Ayerdem, Turkish general and politician (born 1877)

Alexander Glazunov, Russian composer and conductor (born 1865)

Franz Schreker, Austrian composer and conductor (born 1878)

Lilyan Tashman, American actress (born 1896)

Enrico D'Ovidio, Italian mathematician (born 1842)

Thomas Oikonomou, Greek actor (born 1864)

Evelina Haverfield, British suffragette and aid worker (born 1867)

Frederick Winslow Taylor, American golfer, tennis player, and engineer (born 1856)

Annibale de Gasparis, Italian astronomer (born 1819)[citation needed]

Joseph E. Johnston, American general (born 1807)

Ezra Abbot, American scholar and academic (born 1819)

Juan Almonte, son of José María Morelos, was a Mexican soldier and diplomat who served as a regent in the Second Mexican Empire (1863-1864) (born 1803)

Edwin Vose Sumner, American general (born 1797)

Pedro María de Anaya, Mexican soldier. President (1847-1848) (born 1795)

Robert Southey, English poet, historian, and translator (born 1774)

Guadalupe Victoria, Mexican general and politician, 1st President of Mexico (born 1786)

Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien (born 1772)

Andrea Luchesi, Italian composer and educator (born 1741)

Giovanni Arduino, Italian miner and geologist (born 1714)

Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, French geographer and cartographer (born 1703)

Nicolas Louis de Lacaille, French priest, astronomer, and academic (born 1713)

Gio Nicola Buhagiar, Maltese painter (born 1698)

Johann Heinrich Zedler, German publisher (born 1706)

Robert Wodrow, Scottish historian and author (born 1679)

John Law, Scottish-French economist and politician, Controller-General of Finances (born 1671)

Elżbieta Sieniawska, politically influential Polish magnate (born 1669)

Henri Sauval, French historian and author (born 1623)

James Ussher, Irish archbishop (born 1581)

Tarhoncu Ahmed Pasha, Albanian politician, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire

Pocahontas, Algonquian Indigenous woman (born c. 1595)

Odet de Coligny, French cardinal and Protestant (born 1517)

Thomas Cranmer, English archbishop (born 1489)

John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford, English peer and courtier (born c. 1482)

Nicholas of Flüe, Swiss monk and saint (born 1417)

Rudolf VI, Margrave of Baden

Robert II, Duke of Burgundy (born 1248)

Absalon, Danish archbishop (born c. 1128)

Robert I, Duke of Burgundy (born 1011)

Richeza of Lotharingia (born 995)

Ezzo, Count Palatine of Lotharingia (born 955)

Ælla, king of Northumbria

Osberht, king of Northumbria

Arbor Day (Lesotho)

Arbor Day (Portugal)

Christian feast day: Benedetta Cambiagio Frassinello

Christian feast day: Passing of Saint Benedict (Order of Saint Benedict, pre-1970 Calendar)

Christian feast day: Birillus

Christian feast day: Enda of Aran

Christian feast day: Nicholas of Flüe

Christian feast day: Serapion of Thmuis

Christian feast day: Thomas Cranmer (Anglicanism)

Christian feast day: March 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Early music

Education Freedom Day

Harmony Day (Australia)

Human Rights Day (South Africa)

Independence Day (Namibia)

International Colour Day (International)

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (International)

International Day of Forests (International), by proclamation of the United Nations General Assembly

Mother's Day (most of the Arab world)

Natalicio de Benito Juárez, one of Fiestas Patrias (Mexico)

Oltenia Day (Romania)

Rosie the Riveter Day (United States)

Truant's Day (Poland, Faroe Islands)

Vernal equinox related observances (see also March 20)

World Day for Glaciers (International)

World Down Syndrome Day (International)

World Poetry Day (International)

World Puppetry Day (International)

Youth Day (Tunisia)