March 1, 2012
March Dates and Facts
By Eloise Graham
The modern birthstone of March is the aquamarine however, bloodstone, rock crystal and jade are also stones designated to the month of March. The flowers for March are the jonquil, the daffodil and the chrysanthemum.
March is the third month of our calendar year. It is a transitional month, going from winter into spring. The weather can be very unpredictable. We call this month “March” taken from the Roman calendar and named for Mars, the god of war. The Anglo-Saxons called the month Hlyd monath, which means Stormy month, and Hraed monath, which means Rugged month. Both stormy and rugged could describe March.
Interesting dates in March
3-1-1780 Pennsylvania becomes the first U.S. state to abolish slavery
3-2-1836 Texas declares independence from Mexico on Sam Houston’s 43rd birthday
3-4-1791 Vermont is admitted as the 14th state. It is the first addition to the original 13 colonies.
3-6-1521 Ferdinand Magellan discovers Guam
3-10-1776 “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine is published.
3-12-1789 The United States Post Office is established.
3-12-1947 Radar is first used in Washington, D.C. to track weather and storms
3-13-1793 Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin
3-15-1820 Maine is admitted as the 23rd state.
3-17-1958 Second U.S. satellite is launched from Cape Canaveral
3-19-1589 William Bradford was born. He was the governor of Plymouth colony for 30 years.
3-20-1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt names William O. Douglas to the U.S. Supreme Court.
3-21-1617 Rebecca Rolfe (Pocahontas) died while in England with her husband, John Rolfe.
3-21-1806 Lewis and Clark begin their trip home after an 8,000 mile trek of the Mississippi basin and the Pacific Coast.
3-25-1807 British Parliament abolishes the slave trade.
3-28-1885 The Salvation Army is officially organized in the United States.
3-28-1930 Sandra Day O’Connor, member of U.S. Supreme Court, was born.
3-29-1638 The first Swedish colonists in America established a Lutheran settlement in the Colony of Delaware.
3-30-1885 Texas is the last Confederate state to be re-admitted to the Union.
3-30-1981 President Ronald Reagan is shot and wounded in Washington, D.C. by John W. Hinkley, Jr.
3-31-1865 The House of Representatives approves a constitutional amendment abolishing slavery.
Tags: 14th State, Anglo Saxons, British Parliament, Common Sense By Thomas Paine, Cotton Gin, Ferdinand Magellan, Franklin D Roosevelt, Mars The God Of War, Mississippi Basin, Original 13 Colonies, Plymouth Colony, President Franklin D Roosevelt, Rebecca Rolfe, Roman Calendar, Sandra Day O Connor, States Post Office, Swedish Colonists, Thomas Paine, United States Post Office, Winter Into Spring
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