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 22nd
- Earliest date on which Easter Sunday can fall, while April 25 is the latest. (Christianity)

- Christian Feast Day

- Emancipation Day or Día de la Abolición de la Esclavitud (Puerto Rico)

- The fourth day of Quinquatria, held in honor of Minerva. (Roman Empire)

- World Day for Water (International)


March 22nd
- 2009 - Mount Redoubt, a volcano in Alaska begins erupting after a prolonged period of unrest.

- 2006 - ETA, the armed Basque separatist group, declares a permanent ceasefire.

- 2006 - BC Ferries' M/V Queen of the North runs aground on Gil Island British Columbia and sinks; 101 on board, 2 presumed deaths.

- 2006 - Three Christian Peacemaker Team hostages are freed by British forces in Baghdad after 118 days of captivity and the death of their colleague, American Tom Fox.

- 2004 - Ahmed Yassin, co-founder and leader of the Palestinian Sunni Islamist group Hamas, two bodyguards, and nine civilian bystanders are killed in the Gaza Strip when hit by Israeli Air Force AH-64 Apache fired Hellfire missiles.

- 1997 - Tara Lipinski, age 14 years and 10 months, becomes the youngest champion women's World Figure Skating Champion.

- 1997 - The Comet Hale-Bopp has its closest approach to Earth.

- 1995 - Cosmonaut Valeriy Polyakov returns after setting a record for 438 days in space.

- 1993 - The Intel Corporation ships the first Pentium chips (80586), featuring a 60 MHz clock speed, 100+ MIPS, and a 64 bit data path.

- 1992 - USAir Flight 405 crashes shortly after liftoff from New York City's LaGuardia Airport, leading to a number of studies into the effect that ice has on aircraft.

- 1989 - Clint Malarchuk of the Buffalo Sabres suffers a near-fatal injury when another player accidentally slits his throat.

- 1984 - Teachers at the McMartin preschool in Manhattan Beach, California are charged with satanic ritual abuse of the children in the school. The charges are later dropped as completely unfounded.

- 1982 - NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center on its third mission, STS-3.

- 1978 - Karl Wallenda of The Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

- 1975 - A fire at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Decatur, Alabama causes a dangerous reduction in cooling water levels.

- 1960 - Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes receive the first patent for a laser.

- 1954 - Closed since , the London bullion market reopens.

- 1945 - The Arab League is founded when a charter is adopted in Cairo, Egypt.

- 1943 - World War II: the entire population of Khatyn in Belarus is burnt alive by German occupation forces.

- 1942 - World War II: In the Mediterranean Sea, the Royal Navy confronts Italy's Regia Marina in the Second Battle of Sirte.

- 1941 - The Grand Coulee Dam in Washington, United States, begins to generate electricity.

- 1939 - World War II: Germany takes Memel from Lithuania.

- 1923 - The first radio broadcast of ice hockey is made by Foster Hewitt.

- 1916 - The last Emperor of China, Yuan Shikai, abdicates the throne and the Republic of China is restored.

- 1906 - First Anglo-French rugby union match at Parc des Princes in Paris

- 1895 - First display (a private screening) of motion pictures by Auguste and Louis Lumičre.

- 1894 - The first playoff game for the Stanley Cup starts.

- 1873 - A law is approved by the Spanish National Assembly in Puerto Rico to abolish slavery.

- 1871 - In North Carolina, William Woods Holden becomes the first governor of a U.S. state to be removed from office by impeachment.

- 1849 - The Austrians defeat the Piedmontese at the Battle of Novara.

- 1829 - The three protecting powers (Britain, France and Russia) establish the borders of Greece.

- 1809 - Charles XIII succeeds Gustav IV Adolf to the Swedish throne.

- 1784 - The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current place in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.

- 1765 - The British Parliament passes the Stamp Act that introduces a tax to be levied directly on its American colonies.

- 1739 - Nadir Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne.

- 1638 - Anne Hutchinson is expelled from Massachusetts Bay Colony for religious dissent.

- 1630 - The Massachusetts Bay Colony outlaws the possession of cards, dice, and gaming tables.

- 1622 - Jamestown massacre: Algonquian Indians kill 347 English settlers around Jamestown, Virginia, a third of the colony's population.

- 1621 - The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony sign a peace treaty with Massasoit of the Wampanoags.

- 238 - Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman Emperors.


March 22nd
- 1990 - Lisa Mitchell, Australian singer/songwriter

- 1988 - Tania Raymonde, American actress

- 1987 - Ike Davis, American baseball player

- 1986 - David Choi, Korean American musician on YouTube

- 1985 - Mayola Biboko, Belgian association football player

- 1985 - Mike Jenkins, American football player

- 1980 - Shannon Bex, American singer (Danity Kane)

- 1980 - Pamela O'Connor, Scottish ice dancer

- 1979 - Aaron North, American musician

- 1979 - Juan Uribe, Dominican baseball player

- 1978 - Tom Poti, American ice hockey player

- 1977 - Joey Porter, American football player

- 1976 - Kellie Shanygne Williams, American actress

- 1976 - Teun de Nooijer, Dutch field hockey player

- 1976 - Kathryn Jean Lopez, American pundit

- 1976 - Reese Witherspoon, American actress

- 1975 - Jason Fletcher, American sports agent

- 1975 - Cole Hauser, American actor

- 1975 - Ji?í Novák, Czech tennis player

- 1974 - Marcus Camby, American basketball player

- 1974 - Philippe Clement, Belgian footballer

- 1974 - Kidada Jones, American actress

- 1974 - Gert Peens, South African-born Italian rugby player

- 1973 - Beverley Knight, English singer

- 1973 - Joe Nedney, American football player

- 1972 - Shawn Bradley, American basketball player

- 1972 - Cory Lidle, American baseball player (d. 2006)

- 1972 - Elvis Stojko, Canadian figure skater

- 1971 - Will Yun Lee, American actor

- 1971 - Iben Hjejle, Danish actress

- 1970 - Andreas Johnson, Swedish singer

- 1970 - Leontien van Moorsel, Dutch cyclist

- 1968 - Euronymous, Norwegian black metal musician (d. 1993)

- 1967 - Mario Cipollini, Italian cyclist

- 1966 - Artis Pabriks, Latvian politician

- 1966 - Brian Shaw, American basketball player

- 1965 - John Kordic, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1992)

- 1965 - Emma Wray, English actress

- 1959 - Carlton Cuse, Mexican-born American TV writer and executive

- 1959 - Matthew Modine, American actor

- 1959 - Avraham Fried, Orthodox Jewish musician

- 1958 - Laurie David, American political activist

- 1958 - Pete Wylie, British singer/songwriter

- 1957 - Jürgen Bucher, German footballer

- 1957 - Stephanie Mills, American actress and singer

- 1956 - Generosa Ammon, widow of Ted Ammon (d. 2003)

- 1955 - Pete Sessions, American politician

- 1955 - Lena Olin, Swedish actress

- 1955 - Valdis Zatlers, 7th President of Latvia

- 1952 - Bob Costas, American sports commentator

- 1952 - Jay Dee Daugherty, American drummer

- 1950 - Jocky Wilson, Scottish darts player

- 1949 - Fanny Ardant, French actress

- 1948 - Wolf Blitzer, American television journalist

- 1948 - Andrew Lloyd Webber, English theatre composer

- 1947 - James Patterson, American author

- 1946 - Don Chaney, American basketball player and head coach

- 1946 - Rudy Rucker, American author

- 1945 - Eric Roth, American screenwriter

- 1943 - George Benson, American musician

- 1943 - Keith Relf, English musician (The Yardbirds) (d. 1976)

- 1942 - Bernd Herzsprung, German actor

- 1942 - Jorge Ben Jor, Brazilian musician

- 1942 - Dick Pound, Canadian chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency

- 1941 - Jeremy Clyde, British actor and musician (Chad and Jeremy)

- 1941 - Billy Collins, American poet

- 1941 - Bruno Ganz, Swiss actor

- 1941 - Cassam Uteem, Mauritian political figure

- 1940 - Dave Keon, Canadian ice hockey player

- 1940 - Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian/American actor (d. 1996)

- 1937 - Angelo Badalamenti, American composer

- 1937 - Armin Hary, German athlete

- 1936 - Ron Carey, American labor leader

- 1936 - Roger Whittaker, British singer

- 1935 - M. Emmet Walsh, American actor

- 1934 - Orrin Hatch, American politician

- 1934 - Larry Martyn, English comedy actor (d. 1994)

- 1933 - Abolhassan Banisadr, former President of Iran

- 1933 - May Britt, Swedish actress

- 1931 - Burton Richter, American physicist, Nobel laureate

- 1931 - William Shatner, Canadian actor

- 1930 - Derek Bok, American lawyer and educator

- 1930 - Pat Robertson, American televangelist

- 1930 - Stephen Sondheim, American composer and lyricist

- 1929 - Yayoi Kusama, Japanese artist

- 1928 - Carrie Donovan, American fashion editor (d. 2001)

- 1928 - E.D. Hirsch. American social commentator

- 1928 - Ed Macauley, American basketball player

- 1924 - Allen Neuharth, American businessman

- 1924 - Bill Wendell, American television announcer (d. 1999)

- 1923 - Marcel Marceau, French mime artist (d. 2007)

- 1921 - Nino Manfredi, Italian actor (d. 2004)

- 1920 - Werner Klemperer, German-born actor (d. 2000)

- 1920 - Ross Martin, Polish-American actor (d. 1981)

- 1918 - Cheddi Jagan, President of Guyana (d. 1997)

- 1917 - Virginia Grey, American actress (d. 2004)

- 1917 - Irving Kaplansky, American mathematician (d. 2006)

- 1915 - Georgiy Zhzhonov, Russian actor and writer (d. 2005)

- 1913 - Sabiha Gökçen, Turkish combat pilot (d. 2001)

- 1913 - Tom McCall, Governor of Oregon (d. 1983)

- 1913 - Lew Wasserman, American film studio executive (d. 2002)

- 1912 - Wilfrid Brambell, Irish actor (d. 1985)

- 1912 - Karl Malden, American actor (d. 2009)

- 1910 - Nicholas Monsarrat, British novelist (d. 1979)

- 1909 - Gabrielle Roy, Canadian author (d. 1983)

- 1908 - Jack Crawford, Australian tennis player (d. 1991)

- 1908 - Louis L'Amour, American author (d. 1988)

- 1907 - James Gavin, American general and ambassador (d. 1990)

- 1907 - Lúcia Santos, Portuguese nun and mystic (d. 2005)

- 1902 - Madeleine Milhaud, French actress (d. 2008)

- 1901 - Greta Kempton, American artist (d. 1991)

- 1896 - He Long, Chinese marshal (d. 1969)

- 1887 - Chico Marx, American comedian and actor (d. 1961)

- 1885 - Aryeh Levin, Orthodox Jewish rabbi (d. 1969)

- 1880 - Ernie Quigley, Canadian-American sports official (d. 1960)

- 1878 - Michel Théato, Luxembourgian athlete (d. 1919)

- 1869 - Emilio Aguinaldo, first President of the Philippines (d. 1964)

- 1868 - Robert Millikan, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1953)

- 1866 - Jack Boyle, American baseball player (d. 1913)

- 1860 - Alfred Ploetz, German physician (d. 1940)

- 1857 - Paul Doumer, French President (d. 1932)

- 1852 - Otakar Šev?ík, Czech violinist and violin teacher (d. 1934)

- 1818 - John Ainsworth Horrocks, English-born explorer of South Australia (d. 1846)

- 1817 - Braxton Bragg, American Confederate general (d. 1876)

- 1812 - Stephen Pearl Andrews, American abolitionist (d. 1886)

- 1808 - David Swinson Maynard, Founder of Seattle, Washington State, United States of America(d. 1873)

- 1797 - King Wilhelm I of Germany (d. 1888)

- 1759 - Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden and Norway (d. 1818)

- 1723 - Charles Carroll, American statesman (d. 1783)

- 1720 - Nicolas-Henri Jardin, French architect (d. 1799)

- 1712 - Edward Moore, English writer (d. 1757)

- 1663 - August Hermann Francke, German Protestant minister (d. 1727)

- 1609 - King John II Casimir of Poland (d. 1672)

- 1599 - Anthony van Dyck, Flemish painter (d. 1641)

- 1503 - Antonio Francesco Grazzini, Italian writer (d. 1583)

- 1459 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1519)

- 1366 - Thomas de Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk, English politician (d. 1399)

- 1212 - Emperor Go-Horikawa of Japan (d. 1235)

- 875 - William I, Duke of Aquitaine (d. 918)

- 841 - Bernard Plantapilosa, Count of Auvergne (d. 885)

