March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is one of seven months that are 31 days long. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20th or 21st marks the astronomical beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, where September is the seasonal equivalent of the Northern Hemisphere for March.
March symbols: The birthstones of March are aquamarine and bloodstone. These stones symbolize courage. Its birth flower is the daffodil. The zodiac signs for the month of March are Pisces (until March 20) and Aries (March 21 onwards).
Historical Events for March, 1997
Day of Week 9th » Comet Hale–Bopp: Observers in China, Mongolia and eastern Siberia are treated to a rare double feature as an eclipse permits Hale-Bopp to be seen during the day.
Day of Week 13th » The Phoenix lights are seen over Phoenix, Arizona by hundreds of people, and by millions on television.
Day of Week 18th » The tail of a Russian Antonov An-24 charter plane breaks off while en route to Turkey causing the plane to crash and killing all 50 people on board and leading to the grounding of all An-24s.
Day of Week 22nd » The Comet Hale-Bopp has its closest approach to Earth.