So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

March 17th


- Christian Feast Day
- Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, Massachusetts)
- Liberalia, in honor of Liber Pater. Considered by some to be part of Agonalia. (Ancient Rome)
- National Muay Thai Day
- Saint Patrick's Day, a public holiday in Ireland, Montserrat and the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, widely celebrated elsewhere in North America and worldwide.
- The second day of the Bacchanalia (Ancient Rome)

March 17th


- 2008 - Governor of New York Eliot Spitzer resigns after a scandal involving a high-end prostitute. Lieutenant Governor David Paterson becomes New York State governor.
- 2004 - Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. 35 Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Belgrade and Niš are destroyed.
- 2003 - Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Robin Cook, resigns from the British Cabinet in disagreement with government plans for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
- 2000 - More than 800 members of the Ugandan cult Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God die in what is considered to be a mass murder and suicide orchestrated by leaders of the cult.
- 1992 - Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires: Suicide car bomb attack kills 29 and injures 242.
- 1988 - A Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, Avianca Flight 410, crashes into a mountainside near the Venezuelan border killing 143.
- 1988 - Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.
- 1985 - Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the "Night Stalker", commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles, California murder spree.
- 1979 - The Penmanshiel Tunnel collapses during engineering works, killing two workers.
- 1975 - The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad enters its third and final bankruptcy, and William M. Gibbons is selected as receiver and bankruptcy trustee.
- 1973 - The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Burst of Joy is taken, depicting a former prisoner of war being reunited with his family.
- 1970 - My Lai Massacre: The United States Army charges 14 officers with suppressing information related to the incident.
- 1969 - Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.
- 1966 - Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, the DSV Alvin submarine finds a missing American hydrogen bomb.
- 1960 - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
- 1959 - Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, flees Tibet for India.
- 1958 - The United States launches the Vanguard 1 satellite.
- 1957 - A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines kills Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.
- 1955 - The Richard Riot occurs in the streets of Montreal over the suspension of hockey legend Maurice Richard.
- 1950 - Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name "Californium".
- 1948 - Benelux, France, and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels, a precursor to the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO.
- 1947 - First flight of the B-45 Tornado strategic bomber.
- 1945 - The Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany collapses, ten days after its capture.
- 1942 - Holocaust: The first Jews from the Lviv Ghetto are gassed at the Belzec death camp in what is today eastern Poland.
- 1941 - In Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art is officially opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- 1939 - Second Sino-Japanese War: Battle of Nanchang between the Kuomintang and Japan begins,
- 1921 - The Second Republic of Poland adopts the March Constitution.
- 1917 - Delta Phi Epsilon is founded at New York University Law School.
- 1910 - Luther Gulick and his wife Charlotte found Camp Fire Girls (now Camp Fire USA) (formally announced in 1912).
- 1906 - The Phi Kappa Tau fraternity is founded at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
- 1901 - An exhibition of seventy-one Vincent van Gogh paintings in Paris, 11 years after his death, creates a sensation.
- 1861 - The Kingdom of Italy (1861-1946) is proclaimed.
- 1860 - The First Taranaki War begins in Taranaki, New Zealand, a major phase of the New Zealand land wars.
- 1845 - The rubber band is patented.
- 1805 - The Italian Republic, with Napoleon as president, becomes the Kingdom of Italy, with Napoleon as King.
- 1780 - American Revolution: George Washington grants the Continental Army a holiday "as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence".
- 1776 - American Revolution: British forces evacuate Boston, Massachusetts after George Washington and Henry Knox place artillery in positions overlooking the city.
- 1756 - Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in New York City for the first time (at the Crown and Thistle Tavern).
- 1337 - Edward, the Black Prince is made Duke of Cornwall, the first Duchy made in England.
- 624 - Muslim history: Led by Muhammad, the Muslims of Medina defeat the Quraysh of Mecca in the Battle of Badr.
- 180 - Marcus Aurelius dies leaving Commodus the sole emperor of the Roman Empire.
- -45 - In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.

March 17th


- 1987 - Krisnan Inu, New Zealand rugby player
- 1987 - Ryan Parent, Canadian hockey player
- 1987 - Bobby Ryan, American ice hockey player
- 1987 - Rob Kardashian, American model, singer, and television personality
- 1986 - Olesya Rulin, American actress
- 1986 - Miles Kane, British musician
- 1986 - Edin Džeko, Bosnian Footballer
- 1985 - Vassiliki Arvaniti, Greek beach volleyball player
- 1982 - Steven Pienaar, South African Footballer
- 1981 - Aaron Baddeley, Australian golfer
- 1981 - Servet Çetin, Turkish football player
- 1981 - Kyle Korver, American basketball player
- 1980 - Danny Califf, American soccer player
- 1980 - Katie Morgan, American pornographic actress
- 1979 - Nicole "Coco" Austin, American glamor model
- 1979 - Stormy Daniels, American pornographic actress
- 1979 - Andrew Ference, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 - Samoa Joe, Samoan wrestler
- 1979 - Sharman Joshi, Indian actor
- 1978 - Adam Jennings, British actor, producer and director
- 1976 - Brittany Daniel, American actress
- 1976 - Cynthia Daniel, American actress and photographer
- 1976 - Scott Downs, American baseball player
- 1976 - Stephen Gately, Irish singer, musician, and actor (Boyzone) (d. 2009)
- 1976 - Álvaro Recoba, Uruguayan footballer
- 1975 - Puneet Rajkumar, Indian (Kannada) actor, singer and director
- 1975 - Justin Hawkins, British singer (The Darkness)
- 1975 - Mason Jennings, American folksinger
- 1975 - Andrew "Test" Martin, Canadian wrestler (d. 2009)
- 1975 - Natalie Zea, American actress
- 1975 - Gina Holden, Canadian actress
- 1974 - Oliver Palotai, German keyboard player (Doro)
- 1974 - Marisa Coughlan, American actress
- 1974 - Mark Dolan, British TV show host
- 1973 - Rico Blanco, Filipino singer (Rivermaya)
- 1973 - Caroline Corr, Irish singer and musician
- 1973 - Vance Wilson, American baseball player
- 1973 - Jerome Woods, American football player
- 1972 - Melissa Auf der Maur, Canadian musician
- 1972 - Marc Gunn, poet, podcaster, and musician (Brobdingnagian Bards)
- 1972 - Mia Hamm, American soccer player
- 1971 - Bill Mueller, American baseball player
- 1970 - Gene Ween, American musician (Ween)
- 1970 - Yanic Truesdale, Canadian actor
- 1969 - Alexander McQueen, British fashion designer (d. 2010)
- 1969 - Mathew St. Patrick, American actor
- 1969 - Patricia Ford, American model
- 1967 - Billy Corgan, American musician (Smashing Pumpkins)
- 1967 - Barry Minkow, American religious leader and ex-convict
- 1966 - Jeremy Sheffield, English actor
- 1964 - Lee Dixon, English footballer
- 1964 - Rob Lowe, American actor
- 1964 - Jacques Songo'o, Cameroonian footballer
- 1963 - Alex Fong Chung-Sun, Chinese actor
- 1963 - Nick Peros, Canadian composer
- 1962 - Ank Bijleveld-Schouten, Dutch politician
- 1962 - Clare Grogan, Scottish actress-singer
- 1961 - Sam Bowie, American basketball player
- 1961 - Andrew Paul, English actor
- 1961 - Dana Reeve, American actress and activist (d. 2006)
- 1961 - Casey Siemaszko, American actor
- 1961 - Alexander Bard, Swedish artist, singer (Army Of Lovers), music producer, and philosopher
- 1960 - Arye Gross, American actor
- 1960 - Vicki Lewis, American actress
- 1959 - Danny Ainge, American basketball player and coach
- 1959 - Paul Black, American rock singer
- 1959 - Christian Clemenson, American actor
- 1958 - Pat Bolland, Canadian Broadcaster
- 1957 - Mal Donaghy, Northern Irish footballer
- 1957 - Michael Kelly, American journalist (d. 2003)
- 1956 - Patrick McDonnell, American cartoonist
- 1955 - Cynthia McKinney, American politician, Presidential candidate
- 1955 - Gary Sinise, American actor
- 1954 - Lesley-Anne Down, English actress
- 1953 - Filemon Lagman, Filipino communist revolutionary (d. 2001)
- 1953 - Chuck Muncie, American football running back
- 1952 - Nikos Xydakis, Greek musician and composer
- 1952 - Barry Horne, Animal rights activist (d. 2001)
- 1951 - Donald Findlay, Scottish lawyer
- 1951 - Scott Gorham, American musician (Thin Lizzy)
- 1951 - Craig Ramsay, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1951 - Kurt Russell, American actor
- 1950 - Patrick Adams, American record producer and songwriter
- 1949 - Patrick Duffy, American actor
- 1949 - Daniel Lavoie, French Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1949 - Pat Rice, Northern Irish footballer and football manager
- 1948 - William Gibson, American writer
- 1948 - Alex MacDonald, Scottish footballer and football manager
- 1947 - Jan Andersson, Swedish politician
- 1947 - Yury Chernavsky, Russian-born composer and producer
- 1947 - James Morrow, American author
- 1945 - Elis Regina, Brazilian singer (d. 1982)
- 1945 - Michael Hayden, American Air Force General, CIA director
- 1945 - Katri Helena, Finnish singer
- 1944 - Cito Gaston, American baseball player and manager
- 1944 - John Sebastian, American singer and songwriter
- 1944 - Pattie Boyd, British photographer and model
- 1942 - John Wayne Gacy, American serial killer (d. 1994)
- 1942 - Dimitris Poulikakos, Greek composer, singer and actor
- 1941 - Paul Kantner, American musician (Jefferson Airplane)
- 1941 - Wang Jin-pyng, Taiwanese politician
- 1940 - Mark White, American politician
- 1939 - Jim Gary, American sculptor (d. 2006)
- 1939 - Robin Knox-Johnston, British Yachtsman
- 1938 - Rudolf Nureyev, Russian-born dancer and choreographer (d. 1993)
- 1938 - Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien, Northern Irish clergyman
- 1938 - Zola Taylor, American singer (The Platters) (d. 2007)
- 1937 - Rudy Ray Moore, American comedian and actor (d. 2008)
- 1937 - Adam Wade, American singer and actor
- 1936 - Ladislav Kupkovic, Slovakian composer
- 1936 - Patty Maloney, American actress
- 1936 - Ken Mattingly, American astronaut
- 1933 - Myrlie Evers-Williams, American activist
- 1932 - Donald N. Langenberg, American physicist
- 1931 - David Peakall, British scientist (d. 2001)
- 1930 - James Irwin, American astronaut (d. 1991)
- 1928 - William John McKeag, Canadian politician (d. 2007)
- 1926 - Siegfried Lenz, German writer
- 1925 - Gabriele Ferzetti, Italian film and stage actor
- 1921 - Meir Amit, Israeli politician and general (d. 2009)
- 1920 - Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Founding Leader of Bangladesh (d. 1975)
- 1919 - Nat King Cole, American singer (d. 1965)
- 1916 - Ray Ellington, British singer (d. 1985)
- 1915 - Henry Bumstead, American art director (d. 2006)
- 1914 - Sammy Baugh, American football player (d. 2008)
- 1912 - Bayard Rustin, American civil rights activist (d. 1987)
- 1908 - Brigitte Helm, German actress (d. 1996)
- 1907 - Sonny Werblin, American football franchise owner (d. 1991)
- 1902 - Bobby Jones, American golfer (d. 1971)
- 1900 - Alfred Newman, American film composer (d. 1970)
- 1897 - Jozef C. Mazur, American stained glass artist and painter (d. 1970)
- 1894 - Paul Green, American writer (d. 1981)
- 1892 - Benjamin Drake Van Wissen, Australian Engineer (d. 1984)
- 1888 - Paul Ramadier, French politician (d. 1961)
- 1886 - Princess Patricia of Connaught, British princess (d. 1974)
- 1884 - Alcide Nunez, American jazz clarinetist (d. 1934)
- 1883 - Urmuz, Romanian writer (d. 1923)
- 1881 - Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss physiologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1973)
- 1880 - Sir Patrick Hastings, British barrister (d. 1952)
- 1880 - Lawrence Oates, English army officer and Antarctic explorer (d. 1912)
- 1870 - Horace Donisthorpe, British entomologist (d. 1951)
- 1866 - Pierce Butler, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1939)
- 1864 - Joseph Baptista, Indian Home Rule Movement founder (d. 1930)
- 1862 - Silvio Gesell, Belgian economist (d. 1930)
- 1856 - Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter (d. 1910)
- 1846 - Kate Greenaway, English children's author and illustrator (d. 1901)
- 1834 - Gottlieb Daimler, German engineer and inventor (d. 1900)
- 1820 - Jean Ingelow, English poet (d. 1897)
- 1804 - Jim Bridger, American trapper and explorer (d. 1881)
- 1787 - Edmund Kean, English actor (d. 1833)
- 1781 - Ebenezer Elliott, British poet (d. 1849)
- 1780 - Thomas Chalmers, Scottish pastor, social reformer, author, and scientist (d. 1847)
- 1777 - Roger Brooke Taney, 5th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (d. 1864)
- 1747 - Johannes Jährig, German linguist (d. 1795)
- 1725 - Lachlan McIntosh, Scottish-born military and political leader (d. 1806)
- 1676 - Thomas Boston, Scottish church leader (d. 1732)
- 1628 - François Girardon, French sculptor (d. 1715)
- 1473 - King James IV of Scotland (d. 1513)
- 1231 - Emperor Shij? of Japan (d. 1242)