🗓️ On This Day - March 21st
Are you celebrating a birthday today? If not, there are still plenty of great reasons why March 21st is well worth marking in your calendar. Let’s take a look at some of the most important events to have fallen on this date in years gone by.
On this day
New Orleans fell to fire.
On March 21st, 1788, the City of New Orleans in Louisiana succumbed to a devastating fire. Of 1,100 buildings, 856 fell completely. These included the Town Hall, a church, army barracks and jail. Records state it only took five hours for the city to be almost completely destroyed.
Long live rock and roll!
Rock and roll’s origins are fairly disparate, but the first-ever rock concert took place on March 21st all the way back in 1952. The event, hosted by legendary DJ and radio host Alan Freed, was eventually evacuated after a single performance - as the crowds got too heavy!
Alcatraz closed its doors for good.
While it's still a popular tourist attraction for history buffs today, Alcatraz - the infamous prison island - was officially shut down on March 21st, 1963. Robert Kennedy, then-Attorney General in the US, gave the order for the prison to cease. Alcatraz was well-known for being one of the US' most secure prisons.
Who shot JR?
For TV viewers across the US and even elsewhere, time stood still between seasons of popular soap Dallas - as the infamous JR Ewing, portrayed by Larry Hagman, was shot. But who was the assailant? The gap between seasons three and four led to a nationwide sleuthing - who shot JR?
Special Days Falling on March 21st
Not got much to celebrate or shout about today? Here are a few special events unfolding on March 21st you may wish to pay attention to.
California Strawberry Day
Traditionally, as the first day of spring, March 21st also marks the start of the highly popular strawberry season in California. Believe it or not, CA is responsible for the production of up to a billion pounds of the fruit each and every year - it really is the US’ strawberry capital!
National Big Bang Day
March 21st is a great day for looking up to the skies! Today we celebrate the creation of the all-sky map, on behalf of the Planck Collaboration. This map has helped us to understand the finer points of cosmology, and how our complex and mysterious universe may have come into being.
International Day of Forests
This global holiday, again falling on the first day of spring, gives us all pause to think about how important our global greenery is to the continued survival of species. The day was first set up and celebrated back in 2012, as a result of a UN initiative. Now’s the time to plant your own tree, perhaps, to mark the occasion.
This page was last modified on August 4, 2024. Suggest an edit
This month in history
King Kong made his debut on the big screen. It was back in March 1933 that the famous ape scaled the Manhattan skyline for the first time, revolutionizing cinema history. Not only was King Kong a massive first for monster movies, it was the first blockbuster of its kind - and cinema history has never looked the same since. Of course, the big ape has made a few comebacks since then!
Famous Birthdays on March 21st
If you were born on March 21st…
You’re an Aries, which is represented by a ram! This makes you a fire sign. Aries make great leaders as they are passionate and strong-willed. However, they may be brusque with people sometimes!
However, in some cases, you may be a Pisces – today is considered a “cusp.” That means you may also be highly creative, empathetic, and sensitive.
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