March 21
March 21 is the 81st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 285 days remain until the year's end. It falls in spring (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Aries.
Day of year
81
Days remaining
285
ISO week
12
Zodiac
Aries
Season
Spring
Sun declination
+0.0°
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Wikipedia: this day →Britannica: this day →LoC: Today in History →History.com: this day →On-This-Day.com →BBC: On This Day →NYT: this day →Time and Date →NASA APOD archive →U.S. Naval Observatory →Wolfram|Alpha →Wikidata →Google Books →JSTOR →Internet Archive →
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Astronomy
Computed via Cooper's formula. Positive declination = Sun north of the celestial equator (Northern Hemisphere summer).
On March 21 the Sun's declination is approximately +0.0°. At this latitude the Sun is north of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere longer days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a March 21.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UN)
- World Poetry Day (UNESCO)
- Human Rights Day (South Africa)
- Nowruz (Persian New Year, observed since the spring equinox)
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
- 1685 — Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach, Germany. ↗(341 years ago)
- 1804 — The Napoleonic Code was adopted as French civil law. ↗(222 years ago)
- 1925 — The U.S. state of Tennessee enacted the Butler Act, prohibiting the teaching of evolution. ↗(101 years ago)
- 1960 — Sharpeville massacre: South African police killed 69 unarmed protesters demonstrating against pass laws. ↗(66 years ago)
- 2006 — The first message was posted on Twitter ("just setting up my twttr") by Jack Dorsey. ↗(20 years ago)
Notable births
Notable deaths
- 1843 — Robert Southey, English Romantic poet. ↗(183 years ago)
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (81) | 3^4 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (285) | 3 × 5 × 19 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 21032026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +0.00° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 91 days |