1902
124 years ago
UK story
Second Boer War: Boers, led by Koos de la Rey, defeat the British at the Battle of Tweebosch.
On this day: 7 March
100 things happened on 7 March, from AD 161 to 2024. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
In the UK 3
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
1989
37 years ago
UK story
Iran and the United Kingdom break diplomatic relations after a fight over Salman Rushdie and his controversial novel, The Satanic Verses.
2007
19 years ago
UK story
Reform of the House of Lords: The British House of Commons votes to make the upper chamber, the House of Lords, 100% elected.
Around the world 17
AD 321
1,705 years ago
Emperor Constantine I decreed that Sunday, the day honoring the sun god Sol Invictus (disc pictured), would be the Roman day of rest.
AD 681
1,345 years ago
The Third Council of Constantinople deposes patriarch Macarius I of Antioch.
1138
888 years ago
Konrad III von Hohenstaufen is elected king of Germany at Coblenz in the presence of the papal legate Theodwin.
1573
453 years ago
A peace treaty brought the Ottoman–Venetian War to an end, ceding Cyprus from the Republic of Venice to the Ottoman Empire.
1850
176 years ago
United States senator Daniel Webster (pictured) delivered a speech advocating compromise on slavery, which proved to be unpopular with abolitionists in his home state.
1871
155 years ago
José Paranhos, Viscount of Rio Branco, began a four-year premiership as Prime Minister of the Empire of Brazil, the longest in the state's history.
1876
150 years ago
Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for an invention he calls the "telephone".
1900
126 years ago
The German ocean liner SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse became the first ship to send a wireless telegraph message to an onshore receiver.
1921
105 years ago
The short-lived socialist Labin Republic is proclaimed.
1931
95 years ago
The Parliament House of Finland is officially inaugurated in Helsinki, Finland.
1945
81 years ago
World War II: At the beginning of the Battle of Remagen, Allied forces unexpectedly captured the Ludendorff Bridge, which possibly hastened the war's conclusion.
1968
58 years ago
Vietnam War: The United States and South Vietnam began Operation Truong Cong Dinh to sweep the area surrounding the Mekong Delta town of Mỹ Tho to root out Viet Cong forces in the area.
1971
55 years ago
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, political leader of then East Pakistan (present day-Bangladesh), delivers his historic 7th March speech in the Racecourse Field (Now Suhrawardy Udyan) in Dhaka.
1985
41 years ago
The charity single "We Are the World" by the supergroup USA for Africa was released, and went on to sell more than 20 million copies.
1990
36 years ago
Teachers in West Virginia began a labor strike that involved several thousand educators across the state.
2009
17 years ago
The Kepler space telescope (depicted), designed to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars, was launched.
2024
2 years ago
Sweden officially joins NATO, becoming its 32nd member.
Quick quiz
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
-
In which year did this happen: “Second Boer War: Boers, led by Koos de la Rey, defeat the British at the”?
- 1902
- 1957
- 1970
Show the answer
A: 1902. 1902 — that’s 124 years ago. Find it on the page
-
In which year was Rachel Weisz born?
- 1970
- 1994
- 1957
Show the answer
A: 1970. 1970 — that’s 56 years ago. Find it on the page
-
Which of these happened first?
- Second Boer War: Boers, led by Koos de la Rey, defeat the British at the
- Iran and the United Kingdom break diplomatic relations
- Reform of the House of Lords: The British House of Commons votes to make the
Show the answer
A: Second Boer War: Boers, led by Koos de la Rey, defeat the British at the. 1902: Second Boer War: Boers, led by Koos de la Rey, defeat the British at the · 1989: Iran and the United Kingdom break diplomatic relations · 2007: Reform of the House of Lords: The British House of Commons votes to make the Find it on the page
-
“John Herschel” happened in 1792. How many years ago was that?
- 234 years
- 244 years
- 224 years
Show the answer
A: 234 years. 2026 − 1792 = 234. Find it on the page
Born on this day 37
Famous people whose birthday is 7 March.
- 1970 Rachel Weisz — English actress UK Read more about Rachel Weisz on Wikipedia
- 1792 John Herschel — English mathematician and astronomer (died 1871) UK Read more about John Herschel on Wikipedia
- AD 189 Publius Septimius Geta — Roman emperor (died 211) Read more about Publius Septimius Geta on Wikipedia
- 1785 Alessandro Manzoni — Italian author and poet (died 1873) Read more about Alessandro Manzoni on Wikipedia
- 1994 Jordan Pickford — English footballer UK Read more about Jordan Pickford on Wikipedia
- 1875 Maurice Ravel — French pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1937) Read more about Maurice Ravel on Wikipedia
- 1850 Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk — Austrian-Czech politician, 1st President of Czechoslovakia (died 1937) Read more about Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk on Wikipedia
- 1872 Piet Mondrian — Dutch-American painter (died 1944) Read more about Piet Mondrian on Wikipedia
- 1963 E. L. James — English author UK Read more about E. L. James on Wikipedia
- 1956 Bryan Cranston — American actor, director, and producer Read more about Bryan Cranston on Wikipedia
- 1957 Robert Harris — English journalist and author UK Read more about Robert Harris on Wikipedia
- 1693 Clement XIII — pope of the Catholic Church (died 1769) Read more about Clement XIII on Wikipedia
- 1971 Matthew Vaughn — English director and producer UK Read more about Matthew Vaughn on Wikipedia
- 1671 Rob Roy MacGregor — Scottish outlaw (died 1734) UK Read more about Rob Roy MacGregor on Wikipedia
- 1930 Antony Armstrong-Jones — 1st Earl of Snowdon, English photographer and politician (died 2017) UK Read more about Antony Armstrong-Jones on Wikipedia
- 1886 G. I. Taylor — English mathematician and physicist (died 1975) UK Read more about G. I. Taylor on Wikipedia
- 1908 Anna Magnani — Italian actress (died 1973) Read more about Anna Magnani on Wikipedia
- 1952 William Boyd — British author and screenwriter UK Read more about William Boyd on Wikipedia
- 1958 Rik Mayall — English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (died 2014) UK Read more about Rik Mayall on Wikipedia
- 1974 Tobias Menzies — English actor UK Read more about Tobias Menzies on Wikipedia
- 1944 Ranulph Fiennes — English soldier and explorer UK Read more about Ranulph Fiennes on Wikipedia
- 1765 Nicéphore Niépce — French inventor, invented photography (died 1833) Read more about Nicéphore Niépce on Wikipedia
- 1992 Bel Powley — English actress UK Read more about Bel Powley on Wikipedia
- 1938 David Baltimore — American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2025) Read more about David Baltimore on Wikipedia
- 1839 Ludwig Mond — German-born chemist and British industrialist who discovered the metal carbonyls (died 1909) UK Read more about Ludwig Mond on Wikipedia
- 1980 Laura Prepon — American actress Read more about Laura Prepon on Wikipedia
- 1956 Andrea Levy — English author (died 2019) UK Read more about Andrea Levy on Wikipedia
- 1960 Ivan Lendl — Czech tennis player and coach Read more about Ivan Lendl on Wikipedia
- 1885 John Tovey — 1st Baron Tovey, English admiral (died 1971) UK Read more about John Tovey on Wikipedia
- 1933 Jackie Blanchflower — Northern Irish footballer and accountant (died 1998) UK Read more about Jackie Blanchflower on Wikipedia
- 1946 Matthew Fisher — English musician, songwriter, and producer UK Read more about Matthew Fisher on Wikipedia
- 1936 Georges Perec — French author (died 1982) Read more about Georges Perec on Wikipedia
- 1977 Paul Cattermole — English singer and actor (died 2023) UK Read more about Paul Cattermole on Wikipedia
- 1943 Chris White — English singer-songwriter and bass player UK Read more about Chris White on Wikipedia
- 1964 Bret Easton Ellis — American author and screenwriter Read more about Bret Easton Ellis on Wikipedia
- 1998 Amanda Gorman — American poet and activist Read more about Amanda Gorman on Wikipedia
- 1984 Mathieu Flamini — French footballer Read more about Mathieu Flamini on Wikipedia
Remembering 17
Well-known people who died on 7 March.
- 1274 Saint Thomas Aquinas — Italian priest and philosopher (born 1225) Read more about Saint Thomas Aquinas on Wikipedia
- 1999 Stanley Kubrick — American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1928) Read more about Stanley Kubrick on Wikipedia
- AD 161 Antoninus Pius — Roman emperor (born 86) Read more about Antoninus Pius on Wikipedia
- 1724 Pope Innocent XIII Read more about Pope Innocent XIII on Wikipedia
- 1997 Edward Mills Purcell — American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1912) Read more about Edward Mills Purcell on Wikipedia
- 1932 Aristide Briand — French journalist and politician, Prime Minister of France, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1862) Read more about Aristide Briand on Wikipedia
- 1957 Wyndham Lewis — English painter and critic (born 1882) UK Read more about Wyndham Lewis on Wikipedia
- 1954 Otto Diels — German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1876) Read more about Otto Diels on Wikipedia
- 1975 Mikhail Bakhtin — Russian philosopher and critic (born 1895) Read more about Mikhail Bakhtin on Wikipedia
- 2013 Peter Banks — English guitarist and songwriter (born 1947) UK Read more about Peter Banks on Wikipedia
- 1971 Stevie Smith — English poet and novelist (born 1902) UK Read more about Stevie Smith on Wikipedia
- 1578 Margaret Douglas — English noblewoman, daughter of Margaret Tudor and Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus (born 1515) UK Read more about Margaret Douglas on Wikipedia
- 1810 Cuthbert Collingwood — 1st Baron Collingwood, English admiral (born 1748) UK Read more about Cuthbert Collingwood on Wikipedia
- 1226 William Longespée — 3rd Earl of Salisbury, English commander UK Read more about William Longespée on Wikipedia
- 1625 Johann Bayer — German lawyer and cartographer (born 1572) Read more about Johann Bayer on Wikipedia
- 1931 Akseli Gallen-Kallela — Finnish artist (born 1865) Read more about Akseli Gallen-Kallela on Wikipedia
- 1988 Divine — American drag queen and film actor (born 1945) Read more about Divine on Wikipedia
Special days 5
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 7 March somewhere in the world.
- Maritime Day in Slovenia Read more about Slovenian Maritime Day on Wikipedia
- Christian saints’ and feast days: María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart, Blessed Leonid Feodorov (Russian Greek Catholic Church), March 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
For older readers 21 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
- 2009 Dissident Irish republican campaign: Two off-duty British Army soldiers were shot dead by Real IRA paramilitaries outside Massereene Barracks in Antrim, Northern Ireland. Read more about Dissident Irish republican campaign on Wikipedia
- 1965 Unarmed civil rights activists marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, were attacked by police (pictured) on "Bloody Sunday". Read more about Civil rights movement on Wikipedia
- 1814 War of the Sixth Coalition: Napoleon's army forced Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov's Russian troops to withdraw from the Chemin des Dames, but French casualties exceeded Russian losses. Read more about War of the Sixth Coalition on Wikipedia
- 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte captures Jaffa in Palestine and his troops proceed to kill more than 2,000 Albanian captives. Read more about Napoleon on Wikipedia
- 1951 Korean War: Operation Ripper: United Nations troops led by General Matthew Ridgway begin an assault against Chinese forces. Read more about Korean War on Wikipedia
- 1936 Nazi German forces re-occupied the demilitarized Rhineland, violating both the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Treaties that were signed after World War I. Read more about Remilitarisation of the Rhineland on Wikipedia
- 1941 The German submarine U-47, one of the most successful U-boats of World War II, disappeared with 45 men on board. Read more about German submarine U-47 (1938) on Wikipedia
- AD 161 Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius. Read more about AD 161 on Wikipedia
- 2021 A series of four explosions at a military barracks in Bata, Equatorial Guinea caused at least 107 deaths. Read more about 2021 Bata explosions on Wikipedia
- 1277 Bishop Étienne Tempier promulgated a condemnation of 219 heretical propositions that were being discussed at the University of Paris. Read more about Étienne Tempier on Wikipedia
- 1986 Challenger Disaster: Divers from the USS Preserver locate the crew cabin of Challenger on the ocean floor. Read more about Space Shuttle Challenger disaster on Wikipedia
- 2006 The terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba coordinates a series of bombings in Varanasi, India. Read more about Lashkar-e-Taiba on Wikipedia
- 1951 Iranian prime minister Ali Razmara is assassinated by Khalil Tahmasebi, a member of the Islamic fundamentalist Fada'iyan-e Islam, outside a mosque in Tehran. Read more about Ali Razmara on Wikipedia
- 1904 Born: Reinhard Heydrich, German SS officer and a principle architect of the Holocaust (died 1942) Read more about Reinhard Heydrich on Wikipedia
- 2007 Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 crashes at Adisutjipto International Airport in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, killing 21 people. Read more about Garuda Indonesia Flight 200 on Wikipedia
- 2024 Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie Rust, the first time someone has been found guilty for causing a death on a movie set. Read more about Rust shooting incident on Wikipedia
- 1826 Shrigley abduction: 15-year old Ellen Turner is abducted by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a future figure in the establishment of colonies in South Australia and New Zealand. Read more about Shrigley abduction on Wikipedia
- 1951 Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 307 crashes in Lynnhurst, Minneapolis, killing 15 people. Read more about Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 307 on Wikipedia
- 1965 Aeroflot Flight 542 crashes in the Yermakovsky District, killing all 31 aboard. Read more about Aeroflot Flight 542 on Wikipedia
- — Christian feast day: Perpetua and Felicity Read more about Perpetua and Felicity on Wikipedia
- — Christian feast day: Siméon-François Berneux (part of The Korean Martyrs) Read more about Siméon-François Berneux on Wikipedia
Where these facts come from
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “March 7” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.