Spring Into March
By Lasca Randels
InkFreeNews
WARSAW — The arrival of a new month brings with it the first official day of spring. Here are highlights, trivia and holidays associated with March.
SPECIAL DAYS:
- March 12 — Change clocks for Daylight Saving Time
- March 14 — Start of 2023 March Madness Men’s NCAA tournament
- March 17 — St. Patrick’s Day
- March 20— First official day of spring
TRIVIA:
- If you were born in March, your birthstone is Aquamarine and bloodstone. Your birth flower is Daffodil. Your zodiac sign is either Pisces (Feb. 19 – March 20) or Aries (March 21 – April 19).
- Statistically, March is the most unproductive month of the year in the U.S. This is the result of “March Madness,” which is the season of the NCAA. Some companies lose up to $1.9 billion in wages paid to workers who were not productive and instead spent company time betting on the NCAA tournament.
THIS MONTH IN SPORTS:
- March 3, 2014 — LeBron James scored a career-high 61 points, breaking Glen Rice’s franchise record, and the Miami Heat defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 124-107.
- March 31, 1973 — Muhammad Ali suffered a broken jaw in a shock split-points decision loss to Ken Norton over 12 rounds in San Diego; Ali won the rematch in another controversial split decision.
- March 2, 1962 — Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points, the most ever by an NBA player in a single game in a Warriors’ 169-147 win over NY Knicks in Hershey; 36 of 63 from the field and 28 of 32 from the free-throw line.
THIS MONTH IN MUSIC:
- March 24, 1991 — The Black Crowes were dropped from a tour with ZZ Top after criticizing the tour sponsor Miller Beer.
- March 27, 1986 — Sammy Hagar debuted as lead singer of Van Halen.
- March 2, 1967 — The Beatles’ song “Michelle” was named song of the year at the Grammy Awards.
THIS MONTH IN HISTORY:
- March 30, 1981 — Newly-elected President Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest while walking toward his limousine in Washington, D.C., following a speech inside a hotel. The president was then rushed into surgery to remove a 22-caliber bullet from his left lung. “I should have ducked,” Reagan joked. Three others were also hit, including Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady, who was shot in the forehead but survived. The president soon recovered from the surgery and returned to his duties.
- March 1, 1932 — The 20-month-old son of aviation pioneer Charles A. Lindbergh was kidnapped from his home in Hopewell, N.J. The Lindberghs paid a $50,000 ransom. However, on May 12, the child’s body was found in a wooded area a few miles from the house.
- March 25, 1911 — A raging fire erupted inside a garment factory in New York City, killing 123 young women employed as low-paid seamstresses, along with 23 men. The fast-spreading flames engulfed the 8th and 9th floors of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in lower Manhattan in just a few minutes. About 50 of the victims had jumped to their deaths rather than perish from the flames. The sensational tragedy spurred national interest concerning the rights of mostly-immigrant women workers of the New York garment industry who labored long hours six or seven days a week in cramped, dangerous conditions for about $5 weekly pay.
EVENTS:
- March 14 — 2023 Quiz Bowl, 7-9 p.m., Warsaw Community High School.
- March 18 — Nelson’s Chicken Fundraiser, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., JB’s Furniture, 2101 E. Center St., Warsaw.
- March 18 — BBQ Fundraiser & Bake Sale, 4-7:30 p.m., Kosciusko County Fairgrounds, Warsaw.
- March 25 — Hope Animal Rescue with The Strays, 7-10 p.m., Syracuse Community Center.