- 1517 Carlo Carafa, Italian cardinal, born in Naples, Italy (d. 1561)
- 1553 Vitsentzos Kornaros, Greek Renaissance poet, born in Trapezonda, Sitia, Kingdom of Candia (d. 1613 or 1614)
- 1561 Santorio Sanctorius, Venetian physiologist and physician (invented thermometer), born in Venice (d. 1636)
- 1584 Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, English general, born in Yorkshire (d. 1648)
- 1602 John Lightfoot, English theologist and literary (Horae Hebraicae), born in Stoke-on-Trent, Strafordshire, England (d. 1675)
- 1668 Thomas Coram, English sea captain and philanthropist (Founder of the Foundling Hospital), born in Lyme Regis, Dorset (d. 1751)
- 1713 John Ponsonby, Irish politician (d. 1789)
- 1769 Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, French marshal, 10th Prime Minister of France, born in Saint-Amans-la-Bastide, France (d. 1851)
John Tyler
1790 John Tyler, 10th US President (1841-45), born in Charles City County, Virginia (d. 1862)
John Tyler
Edward Smith-Stanley
1799 Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, British Prime Minister (Conservative: 1852, 1858-59, 1866-68), born in Knowsley, England (d. 1869)
Edward Smith-Stanley
- 1813 John Letcher, American lawyer and politician, U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia, born in Lexington, Virginia (d. 1884)
- 1816 James Gallant Spears, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Bledsoe County, Tennessee (d. 1869)
- 1816 Tsultrim Gyatso, 10th Dalai Lama, born in Chamdo (d. 1837)
- 1817 Konstantin Sergeyevich Aksakov, Russian historian and poet, born in Novo-Aksakovo, Russia (d. 1860)
- 1819 Edwin Drake, American businessman who drilled 1st productive US oil well, born in Greenville, New York (d. 1881)
- 1819 Isaac Mayer Wise, American rabbi and founder (American Hebrew Congregations), born in Steingrub, Bohemia, Austrian Empire (d. 1900)
- 1821 Joshua Thomas Owen, British-American educator, politician, and Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Carmarthen, United Kingdom (d. 1887)
- 1822 Joseph Quinaux, Belgian painter (landscape paintings), born in Namen, Belgium (d. 1895)
- 1824 Ludwig Büchner, German philosopher and physician, born in Darmstadt, Germany (d. 1899)
- 1826 Wilhelm Liebknecht, German socialist (Social Democratic Party), born in Giessen, Germany (d. 1900)
- 1829 Ritta & Christina Parodi, Siamese twins, born in Sassare, Sardinia (d. 1829)
- 1829 Robert Emmet Rodes, American Major General (Confederate Army), born in Lynchburg, Virginia (d. 1864)
- 1831 Amelia E. Barr, British-born American writer, born in Ulverston, Lancashire (d. 1919)
- 1848 Aleksei Kuropatkin, Russian general and minister of War, born in Sheshurino, Russia (d. 1925)
- 1869 Aleš Hrdlička, Austro-Hungarian anthropologist and curator (US National Museum), born in Humpolec, Austria-Hungary (d. 1943)
- 1869 Edwin Lutyens, English architect (Viceroy's House, New Delhi), born in London (d. 1944)
- 1873 Tullio Levi-Civita, Italian mathematician (Tensor calculus), born in Padua, Italy (d. 1941)
- 1875 Lou Hoover, US First Lady (1929-33) and wife of the 31st President, Herbert Hoover, born in Waterloo, Iowa (d. 1944)
- 1876 Joseph Schmidlin, German church historian and antifascist, born in Petit-Landau, France (d. 1941)
- 1883 Donald Dexter Van Slyke, American chemist (Micromanometric analysis), born in Pike, New York (d. 1971)
- 1888 A. M. de Jong, Dutch writer (World Tour of Bulletje & Bonestaak), born in Nieuw-Vossemeer, Netherlands (d. 1943)
- 1888 James E. Casey, American businessman and founder (United Parcel Service), born in Candelaria, Nevada (d. 1983)
- 1890 Harold Spencer Jones, English astronomer and 10th astronomer royal of England whose work led to a more accurate determination of the distance between the Earth and the Sun, born in London (d. 1960)
- 1891 Ivan Goll, French-German writer (the Landless John), born in Saint-Dié (d. 1950)
- 1891 Alfred Neubauer, German racing team manager (Mercedes Benz), born in Neutitschein, Austria-Hungary (d. 1980)
- 1892 Jozsef Mindszenty József Pehm], Hungarian cardinal who opposed fascism and communism in Hungary, born in Csehimindszent, Hungary (d. 1975)
- 1893 Dora Carrington, British Bloomsbury artist, born in Hereford, Herefordshire (d. 1932)
- 1895 Ernst Jünger, German author and entomologist (Storm of Steel), born in Heidelberg, Germany (d. 1998)
- 1898 Cecil Arthur Lewis, British fighter pilot and writer, born in Birkenhead, England (d. 1997)
- 1900 John McEwen, eighteenth Prime Minister of Australia (1967068), born in Chiltern, Australia (d. 1980)
- 1901 Uuno Kailas, Finnish poet, born in Heinola, Finland (d. 1933)
- 1901 Andrija Maurovic, Croatian illustrator (The Tomb in the Rainforest), born in Muo, Austria-Hungary (d. 1981)
- 1902 Marcel Aymé, French novelist and playwright, born in Joigny, France (d. 1967)
- 1909 Yvonne Waegemans, Flemish writer (Gnome Patjoepelke)
- 1912 Hanna Reitsch, German aviator and test pilot, born in Hirschberg, Silesia (d. 1979)
- 1913 Jack Jones, British trade unionist (CH), born in Garston, Liverpool (d. 2009)
- 1913 R. S. Thomas, Welsh poet, born in Cardiff, Wales (d. 2000)
- 1914 Chapman Pincher, British journalist and author (about secret service), born in Ambala, Punjab, India (d. 2014)
Eugene McCarthy
1916 Eugene McCarthy, American politician (Sen-D-Minn) and presidential candidate, born in Watkins, Minnesota (d. 2005)
Eugene McCarthy
Sam Walton
1918 Sam Walton, American businessman (founder and CEO of Walmart and Sam's Club), born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma (d. 1992)
Sam Walton
- 1920 John M. Belk, American head of Belk, Inc., born in Charlotte, North Carolina (d. 2007)
- 1921 Hugh Neill, British businessman and Army officer, Lord-Lieutenant (South Yorkshire), born in Sheffield, Yorkshire
- 1923 Julia Montgomery Walsh, American businesswoman and stockbroker, born in Akron, Ohio (d. 2003)
- 1925 Roy Beldam, British Lord Justice of Appeal (1989-2000)
- 1927 Arthur Ravenel Jr, American businessman and politician, U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
- 1927 John McLaughlin, American TV commentator (McLaughlin Group) and Nixon aide, born in Providence, Rhode Island (d. 2016)
- 1927 John R. Vane, English pharmacologist (Nobel 1982), born in Tardebigg, Worcestershire (d. 2004)
- 1927 Donald Ross, Lord Ross, Scottish judge, born in Dundee
- 1928 Vincent Gigante, Italian-American mafioso, born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2005)
- 1929 Sheila Kitzinger, British author, anthropologist & child birth educator, born in Taunton, Somerset (d. 2015)
- 1929 Yayoi Kusama, Japanese artist and writer, born in Matsumoto, Japan
- 1930 Hugh Seymour, 8th Marquess of Hertford (d. 1997)
- 1931 Evelyn de Rothschild, English banker and multi-millionaire, born in Westminster, London
- 1931 James Weatherhead, moderator (General Assembly of Church of Scotland), born in Dundee (d. 2017)
- 1931 Norman Tebbit, British Conservative party politician, cabinet minister and life peer, born in Ponders End, England
- 1931 Sylvia Law, British town planner (President of the Royal Town Planning Institute), born in Southport, Lancashire
- 1932 William Charette, American navy Hospital Corpsman and Medal of Honour recipient, born in Ludington, Michigan (d. 2012)
- 1933 Jacques Brault, French Canadian poet (Quand nous serons heureux), born in Montreal, Canada
- 1934 Paul Crouch, American televangelist (Trinity Broadcasting Network), born in Saint Joseph, Missouri (d. 2013)
- 1936 Mogens Camre, Danish politician andMember of the European Parliament, born in Randers, Denmark (d. 2016)
- 1937 Billy Carter, American brother of US President Jimmy Carter, born in Plains, Georgia
- 1937 Smarck Michel, Haitian Prime Minister (1994-95), born in Saint-Marc, Haiti (d. 2012)
- 1938 Bert de Vries, Dutch minister of Social Affairs (CDA), born in Groningen, Netherlands
- 1939 Roland Arnall, American businessman and U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, born in Paris (d. 2008).
- 1942 Larry Pressler, American politician, United States Senator from South Dakota, born in Humboldt, South Dakota
John Major
1943 John Major, British Prime Minister (Conservative: 1990-97), born in Carshalton, Surrey, England
John Major
- 1944 James Diggle, British classicist, born in Rochadale
- 1944 Nana Akufo-Addo [William Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo], Ghanaian politician, President of Ghana (2017-), born in Accra, Gold Coast
- 1946 Ronald Farrow, radio producer and priest (d. 1995)
- 1947 Aleksandr Stepenovich Viktorenko, Soviet cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-3, 8, 14, 20), born in Olginka, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
- 1947 Bobby Kimball American rocker (Toto-Roseann), born in Orange, Texas
- 1947 Peter Hinchcliffe, co-founder (Iceland Frozen Foods)
- 1949 Keith Simpson, British politician and military historian, born in Norwich, Norfolk
- 1954 Karen Ann Quinlan, American famous comatose patient (right to die case), born in Scranton, Pennsylvania
- 1956 Lisa J Allen, TV reporter/lawyer
- 1959 Barry Blanchard, Canadian mountaineer, born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- 1964 Michael A. Jackson, Maryland politician, born in Cheverly, Maryland
- 1965 Emilios T. Harlaftis, Greek astrophysicist, born in Kiato, Greece (d. 2005)
- 1965 William Oefelein, American astronaut (STS-116 Space Shuttle), born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia
- 1971 Lennart van Reen, son of author Ton v R/publisher Corrie Zelen
- 1972 Michel Ancel, French game designer (Ubisoft), born in Monaco
- 1980 Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein, of Jordan
- 1982 Hideaki Takizawa, Japanese artist
March in History
Murder Most Foul in Olde England
Few murders were so horrific as the one that came to light on this day in history. And few punishments so grisly as that which befell Catherine Hayes.
March 26, 1726
Albert's Monumental Legacy
Architect George Gilbert Scott, who designed the Albert Memorial in honour of Queen Victoria's beloved husband, Prince Albert died on this day.
March 27, 1878
Gucci Chief Falls Prey to the Black Widow
The world of design and fashion was shocked when Maurizio Gucci was shot dead in 1995. His execution would lead to an even greater sensation three years later.
March 27, 1995
Margaret Thatcher Tax Triggers Riot
London was rocked by a major riot on this day in history as protests erupted against the poll tax introduced by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
March 31, 1990