March 12
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Arbor Day (China)
National Tree Planting Day in China, also known as Arbor Day, is observed annually on March 12 to honor Dr. Sun Yat-sen and promote afforestation.
Arbor Day (Taiwan)
Annual Arbor Day in Taiwan, observed on March 12 to promote tree planting and commemorate Dr. Sun Yat-sen's legacy.
Aztec New Year
Traditional celebration marking the beginning of the year in the ancient Aztec calendar cycle.
Christianfeast day:
Alphege, Bernard of Carinola (or of Capua), Gorgonius, Peter Cubicularius and Dorotheus of Nicomedia, Mura (McFeredach), Fina, Maximilian of Tebessa, Paul Aurelian, Pope Gregory I(Eastern Orthodox Church,Eastern Catholic Church, andAnglican Communion), Theophanes the Confessor, March 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Christian churches commemorate several saints on March 12, including Alphege, Pope Gregory I, and Theophanes the Confessor, through liturgical services.
National Day (Mauritius)
National Day of Mauritius, observed on March 12, celebrates the country's transition to a republic in 1992.
World Day Against Cyber Censorship
Global awareness day promoting freedom of expression online and opposing internet censorship.
Youth Day (Zambia)
Youth Day in Zambia, celebrated on March 12, honors the role of young people in national development.
Alphege
Feast day of Saint Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury and martyr of the early 11th century.
Bernard of Carinola (or of Capua)
Feast day of Saint Bernard of Carinola, an early medieval bishop celebrated for his pastoral care in southern Italy.
Events
Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
In AD 538, Ostrogothic King Vitiges abandons the siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, conceding victory to Byzantine General Belisarius.
Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Catholic Church. He is best known for initiating the Crusades.
In 1088, Urban II is elected the 159th Pope, later inspiring the First Crusade that would reshape medieval Christendom.
German city Munich (München) is first mentioned as forum apud Munichen in the Augsburg arbitration by Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I.
The German city of Munich receives its earliest known mention in an imperial document from 1158, recorded as forum apud Munichen.
Start of the Siege of Maastricht, part of the Eighty Years' War.
The Siege of Maastricht begins in 1579 during the Eighty Years’ War as Dutch rebels confront Spanish imperial forces.
Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, founders of the Society of Jesus, are canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.
In 1622, the Catholic Church canonizes Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, the pioneering founders of the Jesuit order.
James II of England landed at Kinsale, starting the Williamite War in Ireland.
In 1689, the deposed King James II lands in Kinsale, igniting the Williamite War in Ireland between Jacobites and Williamites.
Peninsular War: A day after a successful rearguard action, French Marshal Michel Ney once again successfully delays the pursuing Anglo-Portuguese force at the Battle of Redinha.
On March 12, 1811, French Marshal Michel Ney successfully delays Anglo-Portuguese forces at the Battle of Redinha during the Peninsular War.
The Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA) are founded in the United States.
The Girl Guides, later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA, are founded in the United States in 1912 to empower young girls.
The future capital of Australia is officially named Canberra.
Australia’s future capital is officially named Canberra in 1913, resolving a long-standing rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne.
Births
Charles
French prince and Count of Valois, founder of the House of Valois line in medieval France.
Caspar Othmayr
German Lutheran pastor and early Baroque composer known for his prolific hymn-writing.
Paul Gerhardt
German hymn poet and composer whose Lutheran hymns remain staples of Protestant worship.
André Le Nôtre
French landscape architect famed for designing the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.
John Aubrey
English antiquary, folklorist, and philosopher, best known for his biographical sketches in 'Brief Lives.'
Anne Hyde
English duchess, first wife of James, Duke of York, and mother of Queens Mary II and Anne.
Richard Steele
Irish-Welsh politician and essayist, co-founder of the influential periodical 'The Spectator.'
George Berkeley
Irish philosopher and Anglican bishop best known for his theory of immaterialism in metaphysics.
Thomas Arne
English composer renowned for patriotic songs like 'Rule, Britannia!' and contributions to theatre music.
Deaths
Innocent I
Pope from 401 to 417 who steered the Western Church through doctrinal controversies and growing Roman turmoil.
Gregory I
Pope from 590 to 604 famed for liturgical reform, missionary leadership, and influential writings.
Byzantine monk and mystic whose visionary theology profoundly influenced Eastern Orthodox spirituality.
Al-Muqtafi
Abbasid caliph from 1136 to 1160 who preserved the spiritual authority of Baghdad amid Seljuk rivalries.
King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282 who later governed the Hungarian vassal state of Syrmia.
Humphrey de Bohun
English noble and military leader who served as 4th Earl of Hereford and Lord High Constable in the early 14th century.
Thomas Boleyn
English diplomat and courtier who served as 1st Earl of Wiltshire and was the father of Anne Boleyn.
Peder Griffenfeld
Danish statesman who rose to chancellor under Christian V before his dramatic fall and imprisonment.
Zachris Topelius
Prominent Finnish-Swedish author, journalist, and historian whose works shaped Nordic identity.