March 6 facts for kids

2025 Calendar

March 6 in recent years

March 6 is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 300 days remain until the end of the year.

Historical Events on March 6th
Famous Births on March 6th
Notable Deaths on March 6th
Holidays and Observances
See also

March 6th is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from ancient times to the present day. It's a day when important leaders gained power, major battles were fought, and new discoveries were made. Many famous people, like artists, scientists, and athletes, were also born or passed away on this date.

Historical Events on March 6th

Ancient Times and Middle Ages

In 12 BCE, Augustus, the powerful Roman emperor, was given the important religious title of Pontifex Maximus. This made him both the political and religious leader of Rome.
In 632, the Islamic prophet Muhammad delivered his famous Farewell Sermon. This was a very important speech for his followers.
In 961, the Byzantine Empire took control of Heraklion (then called Chandax), which ended the Emirate of Crete. This was a big victory for the Byzantine forces led by Nikephoros II Phokas.
In 1204, the Siege of Château Gaillard ended with a French victory. King Philip II of France took control of Normandy from King John of England.
The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1323. This agreement helped settle disputes between different groups.
In 1454, during the Thirteen Years' War, leaders from the Prussian Confederation promised their loyalty to King Casimir IV of Poland. He agreed to help them fight for their independence from the Teutonic Knights.
The explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived at Guam in 1521 during his famous journey around the world.

From the 1600s to the 1900s

In 1665, Henry Oldenburg, a secretary of the Royal Society, published the very first issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. This is the world's longest-running science journal.
The First Fleet arrived at Norfolk Island in 1788 to start a new settlement for convicts.
In 1820, the Missouri Compromise became law in the United States. This agreement allowed Missouri to join the country as a state where slavery was allowed, and Maine joined as a state where it was not. It also decided the rules for slavery in other new territories.
York, Upper Canada, was officially renamed Toronto in 1834.
The famous Battle of the Alamo took place in 1836 during the Texas Revolution. After a 13-day siege, 187 Texas volunteers, including famous frontiersmen Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, were killed by a much larger Mexican army.
In 1857, the Supreme Court of the United States made a ruling in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case. They decided that black people were not considered citizens under the Constitution.
Dmitri Mendeleev presented the first version of the periodic table to the Russian Chemical Society in 1869. This was a huge step forward in understanding chemistry.
The Kingdom of Serbia was re-established in 1882.
The company Bayer officially registered "Aspirin" as a trademark in 1899.

The 20th and 21st Centuries

In 1901, an attempt was made on the life of German Emperor Wilhelm II.
During the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition in 1904, the Antarctic region of Coats Land was discovered by William Speirs Bruce from the ship Scotia.
In 1912, during the Italo-Turkish War, Italian forces were the first to use airships in war. They dropped bombs on Turkish troops from high above.
International Unemployment Day demonstrations were held around the world in 1930.
During the Great Depression in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared a "bank holiday". This closed all U.S. banks to help stabilize the financial system.
In 1943, Norman Rockwell published his famous painting Freedom from Want in The Saturday Evening Post. This was part of his Four Freedoms series.
Also in 1943, during World War II, German General Erwin Rommel launched the Battle of Medenine in Africa, but it was unsuccessful.
The Battle of Fardykambos in 1943 was a major battle between the Greek resistance and the Italian army. The Greek resistance won, leading to the liberation of the town of Grevena.
In 1944, during World War II, Soviet Air Forces bombed the town of Narva in German-occupied Estonia, destroying its historic areas.
Cologne was captured by American troops in 1945 during World War II. On the same day, the last major German attack of the war, Operation Spring Awakening, began.
In 1946, Ho Chi Minh signed an agreement with France that recognized Vietnam as an independent state within the Indochinese Federation.
The trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg began in 1951 during the Cold War.
Georgy Malenkov took over from Joseph Stalin as the leader of the Soviet Union in 1953.
Ghana became the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence from British rule in 1957.
In 1964, Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad officially gave the boxing champion Cassius Clay the new name Muhammad Ali.
Also in 1964, Constantine II became the last King of Greece.
In 1967, Joseph Stalin's daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva, moved to the United States.
Three rebels were executed in Rhodesia in 1968, which caused international criticism.
An explosion at a Weather Underground safe house in Greenwich Village killed three people in 1970.
The Zapruder film, which shows the assassination of John F. Kennedy, was shown on national TV for the first time in 1975.
The Algiers Accord was signed in 1975, settling a border dispute between Iran and Iraq.
In 1984, a walkout at a coal mine in the United Kingdom marked the start of a strike that lasted almost a year.
The British ferry MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsized in 1987, tragically killing 193 people.
In 1988, three Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers were shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar.
The Michelangelo computer virus began to affect computers around the world in 1992.
Air Algérie Flight 6289 crashed in Algeria in 2003, killing 102 out of 103 people on board.
In 2018, Forbes magazine named Jeff Bezos as the world's richest person for the first time.

Famous Births on March 6th

Many notable people were born on this day throughout history.

Born Before 1600

1475 – Michelangelo, a famous Italian painter and sculptor.
1493 – Juan Luis Vives, an important Spanish scholar.

Born Between 1601 and 1900

1619 – Cyrano de Bergerac, a French author and playwright.
1787 – Joseph von Fraunhofer, a German physicist and astronomer.
1806 – Elizabeth Barrett Browning, a well-known English-Italian poet.
1834 – George du Maurier, a French-English author and illustrator.
1869 – Georg Luger, an Austrian gun designer, who designed the Luger pistol.
1885 – Ring Lardner, an American journalist and author.
1900 – Lefty Grove, a famous American baseball player.

Born After 1900

1906 – Lou Costello, a popular American actor and comedian.
1909 – Obafemi Awolowo, an important Nigerian lawyer and politician.
1917 – Will Eisner, a famous American illustrator and publisher.
1923 – Ed McMahon, an American comedian and TV host.
1927 – Gabriel García Márquez, a Colombian journalist and author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
1937 – Valentina Tereshkova, a Russian astronaut and the first woman in space.
1946 – David Gilmour, an English singer-songwriter and guitarist, famous for being in Pink Floyd.
1947 – Rob Reiner, an American actor, director, and producer.
1972 – Shaquille O'Neal, a legendary American basketball player and actor.
1991 – Tyler, the Creator, an American rapper, songwriter, and producer.
1996 – Christian Coleman, an American sprinter.

Notable Deaths on March 6th

This day also marks the passing of many influential people.

Died Before 1600

1447 – Colette of Corbie, a French abbess and saint.
1490 – Ivan the Young, a ruler of Tver.

Died Between 1601 and 1900

1616 – Francis Beaumont, an English playwright.
1754 – Henry Pelham, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
1836 – Several heroes of the Battle of the Alamo died on this day, including James Bowie, Davy Crockett, and William B. Travis.
1888 – Louisa May Alcott, a beloved American novelist and poet, known for Little Women.
1900 – Gottlieb Daimler, a German engineer who co-founded Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, a pioneering car company.

Died After 1900

1932 – John Philip Sousa, a famous American conductor and composer, known as "The March King."
1941 – Gutzon Borglum, the American sculptor who designed Mount Rushmore.
1950 – Albert François Lebrun, a former President of France.
1961 – George Formby, a popular English singer and actor.
1964 – Paul of Greece, the King of Greece.
1967 – Zoltán Kodály, a Hungarian composer.
1973 – Pearl S. Buck, an American novelist and Nobel Prize winner.
1982 – Ayn Rand, a Russian-American philosopher and author.
1986 – Georgia O'Keeffe, a famous American painter.
2005 – Hans Bethe, a German-American physicist and Nobel Prize winner.
2016 – Nancy Reagan, the 42nd First Lady of the United States.
2021 – Lou Ottens, a Dutch engineer who invented the cassette tape.

Holidays and Observances

European Day of the Righteous: This day in Europe remembers people who bravely stood up against terrible crimes and totalitarian rule.
Foundation Day (Norfolk Island): Celebrates the founding of Norfolk Island in 1788.
Independence Day (Ghana): Celebrates Ghana gaining independence from the UK in 1957.