Happy March, Everyone!
Here are some interesting tidbits about our new Month:
- “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” This means that the first day of March is often stormy, and the last day is mild and warm (Silver Lining).
- March is named after the Roman God of War, Mars. Most people know this one; I just had to start from the obvious. But did you know March was originally the first month of the Roman calendar until Julius Caesar changed it to number 3?
- The first St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held in New York City on March 17th, 1762.
- The flower for March is a violet.
- The US Presidential Inauguration took place in March until 1937, when it was changed to January.
- In the month of March we experience an equinox. This is when day and night are the same length of time and in the northern hemisphere the vernal equinox occurs in March; in the southern hemisphere it is the autumnal equinox. It happens on March 19, 20, or 21.
- A very common superstition held by many farmers about March is if there is rain for the first 3 days of the month this predicts a bad harvest later in the year.
- Purim is a Jewish festival usually celebrated in March in remembrance of the time the Jews escaped destruction during the reign of the Persian king Xerxes.
- In March of 1925 the first Transatlantic Radio Broadcast took place.
- March 1st is National Pig Day! This was started in Texas in 1972. Gotta love the Texans!
- The third week in March is National Brain Awareness Week in the USA.
- March is also considered National Umbrella Month. Really.
- March is National Peanut Month and celebrations are held the entire month across America (it all began in 1941).
- Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone in March 7th, 1876.
- March 1st, 1803 was the day Ohio was admitted to the Union as the 17th state and on March 1st, 1867 Nebraska became the 37th state to enter the union.
- Yellowstone became the world’s first National Park on March 1st 1872.
- In March of 1949 Newfoundland became the 10th province of Canada.