Holidays Calendar for March 22, 2017

Emancipation Day is an official holiday in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It commemorates the abolition of slavery in the Spanish colony of Puerto Rico on March 22, 1873.

International Day of the Seal, also known as International Seal Day, is observed annually on March 22. It was created to celebrate one of the cutest marine mammals and raise awareness of the importance of seal conservation.

World Doula Day is celebrated annually on March 22, kicking off World Doula Week. It was created to recognize professionals who assist women during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.

March 22 is annual observance of Baltic Sea Day. This ecological observance was created to acknowledge the preservation of the Baltic Sea marine environment.

The Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin annually celebrated National Tree Day on March 22. This holiday was officially declared by the governmental decree in 2008.

Day of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party is an observance in Laos held on March 22. It marks the anniversary of the founding of the party that has governed the country since 1975.

Bihar Day (Bihar Diwas or Bihar Sthapana Diwas) is celebrated in the Indian state of Bihar on March 22. On this day in 1912, the province of Bihar and Orissa was formally separated from the Bengal Presidency.

On March 22, Filipinos celebrate two important occasions: the birthday of Emilio Aguinaldo, a renowned Filipino revolutionary and the country’s first president, and the founding anniversary of the Philippine Army.

Malaybalay City Charter Day (Araw ng Pribilehiyo ng Lungsod ng Malaybalay) is a special non-working holiday in Malaybalay, Philippines. It is celebrated on March 22 to commemorate the day when Malaybalay was granted cityhood.

March 22 is National Bavarian Crepes Day. Bavarian crepes are not the same as pancakes, that is why they have their own holiday.

World Water Day is observed annually on March 22. It is a United Nations observance that has been held since 1993.

The Day of the Berlin Bear (der Tag des Berliner Bären) is celebrated in the German capital on March 22. It was created to honor the heraldic beast of Berlin and one of its most recognizable symbols. Such a date was chosen to commemorate the first recorded use of a bear as a symbol of Berlin.


This Day in History

  • 2017 A terrorist attack took place outside the Palace of Westminster in London. The perpetrator drove his car into pedestrians, injuring more than 50 people, four of them fatally.
  • 2016 Three coordinated suicide bombings occurred in Belgium: two at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, and one at Maalbeek metro station in central Brussels. 32 civilians and 3 perpetrators were killed.
  • 2014 35 people were killed in Baluchistan, Pakistan, when a petrol tanker collided with two buses.
  • 2013 A fire destroyed a Burmese refugee camp near Ban Mae, Thailand. At least 37 died people and 200 were injured.
  • 2010 Died: James Black, Scottish biologist and pharmacologist, Nobel Prize laureate for the development of propranolol and cimetidine.
  • 2005 Died: Kenzō Tange, Japanese architect, winner of the 1987 Pritzker Prize for architecture. He was one of the most significant architects of the 20th century.
  • 2001 Died: William Hanna, American animator, director, producer, and voice actor, co-founder of Hanna-Barbera.
  • 1997 Tara Lapinski became the youngest women's World figure skating champion at the age of 14 years and nine months.
  • 1995 Born: Nick Robinson, American actor known for his roles in the films Jurassic World, The Kings of Summer, The 5th Wave, Everything, Everything, and Love, Simon.
  • 1995 Cosmonaut Valeriy Polyakov returned to Earth after 438 days in space, thus setting a new record of the longest single spaceflight in human history.
  • 1994 Died: Walter Lantz, American animator, director, and producer, best known as the founder of Walter Lantz Productions and creation of Woody Woodpecker.
  • 1993 The first Pentium chips were shipped by the Intel Corporation. They featured a 60 MHz clock speed, 100+ MIPS and a 64 bit data pass.
  • 1984 Teachers at the McMartin preschool in Manhattan Beach, California, were charged with satanic ritual abuse of the children in the school. The charges were later dropped as completely unfounded.
  • 1982 Born: Constance Wu, American actress best known for starring as Jessica Huang on Fresh Off the Boat and playing Rachel Chu in Crazy Rich Asians.
  • 1978 Died: Karl Wallenda, German-American acrobat, founder of The Flying Wallendas, a daredevil circus act with dangerous stunts performed without a safety net.
  • 1976 Born: Reese Witherspoon, American actress and producer, who became popular after her breakthrough role in Legally Blonde. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award for her role in Walk the Line.
  • 1975 Born: Anne Dudek, American actress known for her roles as Danielle Brooks on Covert Affairs, Dr. Amber Volakis on House, and Francine Hanson on Mad Men.
  • 1972 Born: Elvis Stojko, Canadian figure skater. He was a three-time World champion, two-time Olympic silver medalist, and seven-time Canadian champion.
  • 1971 Born: Keegan-Michael Key, American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. His notable TV credits include Key & Peele, Playing House, Friends from College, and Schmigadoon!
  • 1949 Born: Fanny Ardant, French actress, who appeared in more than 50 films. She is best known for roles as Maria Callas in Callas Forever and as Elizabeth in Mary of Guise.
  • 1948 Born: Andrew Lloyd Webber, English director and composer, impresario of musical theater. His best known musicals include Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and many more.
  • 1945 The Arab League was founded following the adoption of acharter in Cairo, Egypt. The original League consisted of the Kingdom of Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Saudi Arabia.
  • 1931 Born: William Shatner, Canadian-American actor, singer, director, and producer, best known for his role as Captain James T. Kirk of the United Federation of Planets starship USS Enterprise in the Star Trek franchise.
  • 1924 Died: William Macewen, Scottish surgeon, a pioneer in modern brain surgery. He contributed to the development of bone graft surgery, surgical treatment of hernia, and pneumonectomy.
  • 1924 Born: Al Neuharth, American journalist and author, founder of USA Today.
  • 1923 Born: Marcel Marceau, French mime and actor, who became famous for his stage persona Bip the Clown. He performed worldwide for over 60 years.
  • 1916 Yuan Shikai, the last Emperor of China, abdicated the throne resulting in the restoration of the Republic of China.
  • 1913 Died: Song Jiaoren, Chinese republican revolutionary, political leader and a founder of the Kuomintang. It's strongly implied that Yuan Shikai, Chinese provisional president, was responsible for his assassination.
  • 1873 Slavery was abolished in Puerto Rico by a law approved by the Spanish National Assembly.
  • 1868 Born: Robert Andrews Millikan, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate for his measurement of the elementary electronic charge and his work on the photoelectric effect.
  • 1849 The Battle of Novara of the First Italian War of Independence began between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The Austrians defeated the Piedmontese.
  • 1832 Died: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German author and politician, the author of Faust, The Sorrows of Young Werther, and Reineke Fuchs.
  • 1814 Born: Thomas Crawford, American sculptor, best known for his numerous contribution to the U.S. Capitol.
  • 1720 Born: Nicolas-Henri Jardin, French architect, best remembered for introducing neoclassicism to Denmark. His most prominent works are Yellow Mansion in Copenhagen and Bernstroff Palace in Gentofte, Denmark.
  • 1687 Died: Jean-Baptiste Lully, Italian-French composer, one of the chief masters of the French baroque style.
  • 1602 Died: Agostino Carracci, Italian painter, the founder of Accademia degli Incamminati in Bologna. His academy helped propel painters of the School of Bologna to prominence.
  • 1599 Born: Anthony van Dyck, Flemish painter, leading court painter in England. Van Dyck is famous for his portraits of Charles I of England, his family and court. He was also an important innovator in watercolor and etching.