The precession of the equinoxes has moved the astronomical beginning of spring back four days to March 21, but its previous date of March 25 became identified with the Virgin Mary, who was told by the angel Gabriel on that day that she would become the mother of Christ. Lady Day, as this day was commonly called, was one of the great quarterly dividing points of the year (the others being Midsummer Day, Michaelmas, and Christmas). It was traditionally the day for paying rents, signing or vacating leases, and hiring farm laborers for the year. The flower cardamine, or lady’s-smock, with its milky white flowers, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and appears about this time. For a discussion about this plant’s significance, go to this site.
Viscountess Dilhorne(trained pigeons to carry secret communications in Europe during WWII)–
Buck Owens(singer)–
Herb Peterson(invented McDonald’s Egg McMuffin)–
Events
Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazano arrived off Outer Banks of North Carolina –
George Washington planted pecans at Mount Vernon –
Congress authorized first U.S. medal for Gen. George Washington, for forcing British army to evacuate Boston –
First U.S. public demonstration of pancake making, NYC –
Jacob S. Coxey’s army of jobless men began march from Ohio to Washington, D.C., to demand relief measures from Congress –
Socialist Party of the United States organized at Indianapolis, Indiana –
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in NYC killed 148 women trapped by locked fire escape doors –
Washington D.C.’s Daily News was the first U.S. newspaper to have a perfumed ad –
The Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore Show premiered on the radio. The duo replaced the popular Abbott and Costello –
Sugar Ray Robinson won world’s middleweight boxing championship by defeating Carmen Basilio, in Chicago –
About 25,000 civil rights demonstrators ended a five-day march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, with a rally demanding equal rights for blacks –
U.S. Supreme Court declared the poll tax to be unconstitutional for all elections –
Multinational agreement to coordinate efforts to control trade in narcotic drugs signed in Geneva –
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an employer may voluntarily act to redress imbalances in the workforce through affirmative action programs for women. It was the first time that the court specifically addressed such programs for women –
Residents of Innisfail, Australia, set a new Guinness record for longest banana split. It was 26,377 feet 11.4 inches long and included 40,000 bananas, more than 2,000 gallons of ice cream and 528 gallons of toppings. –
Weather
Seven inches of rain fell at Columbus, Indiana –
Mar. 25-26: Amarillo, Texas, had 20.6 inches of snow in 24 hours –
Fourth day (March 22 to 25) of blizzard weather affecting the Oklahoma/Texas panhandles –
This day brought Florida “the most economically destructive force ever to hit the Orlando area,” as thunderstorms dropped hailstones up to four inches in diameter. Literally millions of panes of glass were broken during the storm, with damages totaling $60 million. –
