According to both, the Gregorian and the Julian calendars, March is the third month of the year. It marks the start of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. However, according to the Roman calendar, March was the first month of the year. March is one of the seven months of the year that have 31 days.

Here are some interesting facts about the month of March:

1. Did you know that the word ‘March’ was derived from the Roman word ‘Martius’? It got its name from the Roman God Mars.
2. Did you know that March is celebrated as the Women’s History Month every year? The history of the National Women’s History Month dates back to March 8, 1857, when women factory workers in New York staged a protest against the poor working conditions. Since 1995, Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama have all issued a series of proclamations marking March as Women’s History Month.
3. Did you know that March is also the Athletic Training Month? The term Athletic Trainers refers to healthcare professionals who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of general and sport-related injuries.
4. Did you know that March is the Fire Prevention Month in the Philippines and the American Red Cross Month in the United States? March is also the Irish-American Heritage Month. St. Patrick’s Day is also celebrated on March, 17 every year.
5. Did you know that the last Solar Eclipse occurred on March, 20, 2015?
6. Did you know that The Spring Equinox occurs on the 20^th or 21^st of March every year? An Equinox is the day when the lengths of the day and night are almost equal.
7. Did you know that Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent – a 40-day period of fasting and praying – begins in March and finally ends on Easter Sunday?
8. Did you know that Holi, the festival of colors, is celebrated in India in the month of March? Holi is a festival which marks the start of spring in India and the harvest of the winter crop. It is celebrated by throwing color powder or spraying colored water on friends and family(at times, even at strangers!)
9. Did you know that Presidential inaugurations (subsequent to the first one by President George Washington in 1789) all took place on March 4^th(or on March 5^th, if the 4^th happened to be a Sunday) until the 20^th Amendment when the date was changed to January 20^th starting from 1937?
10. Did you know that the Aquamarine is the traditional birthstone for those born in March? March is ruled by the Zodiac sign Pisces until the 20^th and by Aries from the 21^st of the month.
11. Do you know who were the famous people born in March? Telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell, Hollywood stars Mariah Carey, Queen Latifah, Justin Bieber, Bruce Willis, Reese Witherspoon, Lady Gaga, Sharon Stone, musician Elton John, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, former Vice President of the United States Al Gore, Nobel Prize winner Albert Einstein are few of the world famous people who were all born in the month of March.
12. Did you know that the Eiffel Tower was official opened on the 31^st of March, 1889 and the Heathrow Airport was opened on March 25, 1948?
13. Did you know that Daffodils are the birth flowers for March? Have you read the poem ‘Daffodils’ by William Wordsworth?? May be its high time you should READ, because March also happens to be the National Reading Month!! The famous Dr. Seuss was born on March 2, 1904, and it’s his birthday that has been adopted as the National Read Across America Day!!

Happy Reading!!