A Brief History
This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on March 15th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event.
Digging Deeper
On March 15, 44 BC, the Dictator of the Roman Republic (contrary to popular belief, he was not the Emperor, as that post did not exist at this time), Gaius Julius Caesar, was assassinated by Roman senators and political rivals (as many as 60 of them!), brutally stabbed to death.
On March 15, 493, Ravenna, Italy was a scene right out of the HBO cable television series Game of Thrones when King Theodoric the Great of the Ostrogoths invited his defeated enemy, King Odoacer of Italy to a great banquet marking the “end” of hostilities.
On March 15, 1493, Christopher Columbus made his triumphant return from his first voyage to the New World, a momentous occasion in human history and especially noteworthy for the Spanish Crown that he sailed for.
On March 15, 1906, a name synonymous with the finest was created with the founding of Rolls-Royce Ltd.!
On March 15, 1939, German ambitions and lies combined with lack of British resolve pushed Europe to the brink of war when Germany occupied what was left of Czechoslovakia.
On March 15 and 16, 1952, over a 24 hour period the most rain ever recorded in a 24 hour period fell on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, on the area known as Cilaos.
On March 15, 1986, the Hotel New World in Singapore arguably became the worst hotel in the world in moments when the six story building suddenly collapsed, burying 50 people under the rubble.
On March 15, 1991, The Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany became effective, effectively reuniting a German nation that had been divided since the end of World War II into an “East Germany” and a “West Germany,” a product of the suspicion and distrust between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies after the defeat of Germany (and their allies) in 1945.
On March 15, 2016, EA Sports UFC 2 was released in North America.
On March 15, 2016, American voters in the Presidential nomination process had a huge (“yoooooge!”) day on March 15th when voters went to the polls in extremely important states such as Ohio, Florida, and Illinois (as well as Missouri and North Carolina, which are also important states).
On March 15, 2017, one of the hotly debated subjects in the news was a video released by an amateur film maker made from edited surveillance tapes of the store allegedly robbed by 18 year old Black man Michael Brown shortly before Brown was shot and killed by a Ferguson, Missouri police officer.
On March 15, 2019, the early afternoon in Christchurch, New Zealand was shattered by scores of bullets being fired by an anti-immigrant domestic terrorist with an arsenal of guns.
Question for students (and subscribers): Which event that occurred on today’s date would you like to learn more about? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Andrews, John and Matt Baker. Timeline of World History. Thunder Bay Press, 2020.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.