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 31st


- César Chávez Day (California, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Michigan, New Mexico, Utah, and Wisconsin)
- Christian Feast Day
- Freedom Day (Malta)
- King Nangklao Memorial Day (Thailand)
- Thomas Mundy Peterson Day (New Jersey)
- Transfer Day (US Virgin Islands)

March 31st


- 2008 - Aloha Airlines, a bankrupt airline, permanently ends passenger service
- 2004 - In Fallujah, Iraq, 4 American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed after being ambushed and their bodies mutilated.
- 1998 - Netscape releases the code base of its browser under an open-source license agreement; the project is given the code name Mozilla and is eventually spun off into the non-profit Mozilla Foundation.
- 1994 - Human evolution: The journal Nature reports the finding in Ethiopia of the first complete Australopithecus afarensis skull.
- 1992 - The USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, is decommissioned in Long Beach, California.
- 1991 - The Islamic Constitutional Movement, or Hadas, is established in Kuwait.
- 1991 - Georgian independence referendum, 1991: nearly 99 percent of the voters support the country's independence from the Soviet Union.
- 1990 - 200,000 protestors take to the streets of London to protest against the newly introduced Poll Tax.
- 1986 - A Mexicana Boeing 727 en route to Puerto Vallarta erupts in flames and crashes in the mountains northwest of Mexico City, killing 166.
- 1986 - Six metropolitan county councils are abolished in England.
- 1985 - The first WrestleMania, the biggest wrestling event from the WWE (then the WWF), takes place in Madison Square Garden in New York
- 1980 - The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad operates its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets because of bankruptcy and debts owed to creditors.
- 1979 - The last British soldier leaves the Maltese Islands. Malta declares its Freedom Day (Jum il-Helsien).
- 1970 - Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth's atmosphere after 12 years in orbit.
- 1970 - Nine terrorists from the Japanese Red Army hijack Japan Airlines Flight 351 at Tokyo International Airport, wielding samurai swords and carrying a bomb.
- 1968 - President Lyndon B. Johnson announces he will not run for re-election.
- 1966 - The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon.
- 1965 - An Iberia Airlines Convair 440 crashes into the sea on approach to Tangier, killing 47 of 51 occupants.
- 1964 - The Brazilian military government, under the aegis of general Castello Branco, begins.
- 1959 - The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, crosses the border into India and is granted political asylum.
- 1957 - Elections to the Territorial Assembly of the French colony Upper Volta are held. After the elections PDU and MDV form a government.
- 1951 - Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau.
- 1949 - The Dominion of Newfoundland joins the Canadian Confederation and becomes the 10th Province of Canada.
- 1946 - The first election is held in Greece after World War II.
- 1942 - World War II: Japanese forces invade Christmas Island, then a British possession.
- 1933 - The Civilian Conservation Corps is established with the mission of relieving rampant unemployment.
- 1931 - An earthquake destroys Managua, Nicaragua, killing 2,000.
- 1930 - The Motion Pictures Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty eight years.
- 1921 - The Royal Australian Air Force is formed.
- 1918 - Massacre of ethnic Azerbaijanis was committed by allied armed groups of Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Bolsheviks. Nearly 12,000 Azerbaijani Muslims were killed. The day is observed in Azerbaijan as Day of Azerbaijani Genocide
- 1918 - Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States for the first time.
- 1917 - The United States takes possession of the Danish West Indies after paying $25 million to Denmark, and renames the territory the United States Virgin Islands.
- 1912 - Construction is completed on the RMS Titanic.
- 1910 - Six North Staffordshire Pottery towns federate to form modern Stoke-on-Trent
- 1909 - Serbia accepts Austrian control over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- 1909 - Construction begins on the RMS Titanic.
- 1906 - The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (later National Collegiate Athletic Association) is established to set rules for amateur sports in the United States.
- 1903 - Richard Pearse allegedly makes a powered flight in an early aircraft.
- 1889 - The Eiffel Tower is inaugurated.
- 1885 - The United Kingdom establishes a protectorate over Bechuanaland.
- 1877 - The family with samurai antecedents that responded to the Saigo army in ?ita Nakatsu, rebels.
- 1866 - The Spanish Navy bombs the harbor of Valparaíso, Chile.
- 1854 - Commodore Matthew Perry signs the Treaty of Kanagawa with the Japanese government, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade.
- 1822 - The massacre of the population of the Greek island of Chios by soldiers of the Ottoman Empire following a rebellion attempt, depicted by the French artist Eugène Delacroix.
- 1774 - American Revolutionary War: The Kingdom of Great Britain orders the port of Boston, Massachusetts closed pursuant to the Boston Port Act.
- 1717 - A sermon on "The Nature of the Kingdom of Christ" by Benjamin Hoadly, the Bishop of Bangor, provokes the Bangorian Controversy.
- 1492 - Queen Isabella of Castille issues the Alhambra decree, ordering her 150,000 Jewish subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.
- 1146 - Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII is present, and joins the Crusade.
- 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Maximian.

March 31st


- 2003 - Carl Alexander Acosta, Filipino child actor and dancer
- 1989 - Liu Zige, Chinese swimmer
- 1988 - Hogan Ephraim, English footballer
- 1987 - Nordin Amrabat, Dutch footballer
- 1987 - Georg Listing, German bassist (Tokio Hotel)
- 1987 - Humpy Koneru, Indian chess grandmaster
- 1985 - Jessica Szohr, American actress
- 1984 - Dario Bova, Italian footballer
- 1984 - James Jones, American football player
- 1984 - David Clarkson, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1984 - Yanin Vismistananda, Thai actress
- 1983 - Paddy McCarthy, Irish footballer
- 1983 - Vlasios Maras, Greek gymnast
- 1982 - Ryland Blackinton, American guitarist (Cobra Starship)
- 1982 - Tal Ben Haim, Israeli footballer
- 1982 - Lennon Murphy, American rock singer/songwriter
- 1981 - Maarten van der Weijden, Dutch swimmer
- 1981 - Gerard McCarthy, British actor
- 1981 - Pa Dembo Tourray, Gambian footballer
- 1980 - Chien-Ming Wang, Taiwanese baseball player
- 1980 - Maaya Sakamoto, Japanese voice actor
- 1980 - Michael Ryder, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 - Dean Clark, English footballer
- 1979 - Josh Kinney, American baseball player
- 1978 - Stephen Clemence, English footballer
- 1978 - Jérôme Rothen, French footballer
- 1978 - Tony Yayo, American rapper
- 1977 - Toshiya, Japanese musician (Dir en grey)
- 1977 - Garth Tander, Australian racing driver
- 1976 - Sugiantoro, Indonesian political activist
- 1976 - Josh Saviano, American actor
- 1976 - Ashton Moore, American porn actress
- 1975 - Adam Green, American film director
- 1975 - Emma Atkins, English actress
- 1974 - Stefan Olsdal, Swedish bassist (Placebo)
- 1974 - Benjamin Eicher, Swiss film director
- 1973 - Bold Forbes, Puerto Rican/American thoroughbred racehorse (d. 2000)
- 1972 - Alejandro Amenábar, Spanish film director
- 1972 - Andrew Bowen, American actor
- 1972 - Luca Gentili, Italian footballer
- 1972 - Hristos Polihroniou, Greek hammer thrower
- 1972 - Ze Frank, American internet personality
- 1971 - Pavel Bure, Russian ice hockey player
- 1971 - Craig McCracken, American Animator
- 1971 - Ewan McGregor, Scottish actor
- 1969 - Samantha Brown, American television host
- 1969 - Nyamko Sabuni, Swedish politician
- 1969 - Steve Smith, American basketball player
- 1968 - Naoya Ogawa, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1968 - J.R. Reid, American basketball player
- 1966 - Roger Black, English athlete
- 1966 - Nick Firestone, American race car driver
- 1965 - Tom Barrasso, American ice hockey player
- 1965 - Jean-Christophe Lafaille, French mountaineer (d. 2006)
- 1965 - Steven T. Seagle, American comic-book writer
- 1964 - Fez Marie Whatley, American radio host and comedian (The Ron and Fez Show)
- 1964 - Paul Wong Koon-Chung, Hong Kong musician (Beyond)
- 1963 - Paul Mercurio, Australian actor/dancer
- 1962 - John Taylor, American football player
- 1962 - Mark Begich, American politician
- 1959 - Ali McMordie, Irish bassist (Stiff Little Fingers)
- 1958 - Tony Cox, American actor
- 1957 - Marc McClure, American actor
- 1957 - Alan Duncan, British politician
- 1955 - Angus Young, Scottish-born Australian guitarist (AC/DC)
- 1955 - Robert Vance, New Zealand cricketer
- 1952 - Dermot Morgan, Irish actor and comedian (d. 1998)
- 1951 - Frankie Sabath, Puerto Rican performer/singer
- 1950 - Ed Marinaro, American football player and actor
- 1950 - András Adorján, Hungarian chess player
- 1948 - Al Gore, 45th Vice President of the United States and Nobel laureate
- 1948 - Rhea Perlman, American actress
- 1948 - Gustaaf Van Cauter, Belgian cyclist
- 1947 - César Gaviria Trujillo, Colombian politician
- 1947 - Kristian Blak, Danish musician and recording executive
- 1946 - Gonzalo Márquez, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 1984)
- 1945 - Valerie Curtin, American actress, writer, and producer
- 1945 - Myfanwy Talog, Welsh actress (d. 1995)
- 1945 - Gabe Kaplan, American actor and comedian
- 1944 - Pascal Danel, French singer and songwriter
- 1944 - Mick Ralphs, English guitarist (Mott the Hoople, Bad Company)
- 1943 - Christopher Walken, American actor
- 1942 - Michael Savage, American radio host and political commentator
- 1942 - Ulla Hoffmann, Swedish politician
- 1940 - Barney Frank, American politician
- 1940 - Patrick Leahy, American politician
- 1939 - Zviad Gamsakhurdia, Georgian politician (d. 1993)
- 1939 - Volker Schlöndorff, German film director
- 1938 - Sheila Dikshit, Indian statesman
- 1938 - Bill Hicke, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2005)
- 1938 - Michiko Nomura, Japanese voice actor
- 1938 - Arthur B. Rubinstein, American composer
- 1938 - David Steel, Scottish politician
- 1936 - Bob Pulford, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1936 - Marge Piercy, American writer
- 1936 - Dokumamushi Sandayu, Japanese actor
- 1935 - Herb Alpert, American trumpeter and band leader
- 1935 - Judith Rossner, American author
- 1934 - Carlo Rubbia, Italian physicist, Nobel Laureate
- 1934 - John D. Loudermilk, American singer and songwriter
- 1934 - Richard Chamberlain, American actor
- 1934 - Shirley Jones, American singer and actress
- 1933 - Nichita St?nescu, Romanian poet (d. 1983)
- 1932 - Nagisa Oshima, Japanese film director
- 1931 - Miller Barber, American golfer
- 1929 - Liz Claiborne, Belgian-born American fashion designer (d. 2007)
- 1929 - Bertram Fields, American lawyer
- 1928 - Lefty Frizzell, American singer and songwriter (d. 1975)
- 1928 - Gordie Howe, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1927 - César Chávez, American labor activist (d. 1993)
- 1927 - William Daniels, American actor
- 1926 - John Fowles, English author (d. 2005)
- 1925 - Jean Coutu, French Canadian actor (d. 1999)
- 1924 - Leo Buscaglia, American author (d. 1998)
- 1924 - Charles Guggenheim, American film director and producer (d. 2002)
- 1922 - Richard Kiley, American actor and singer (d. 1999)
- 1920 - Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, English noble
- 1919 - Frank Akins, American football player (d. 1993)
- 1916 - Lucille Bliss, American voice actress
- 1916 - John H. Wood, Jr., American jurist (d. 1979)
- 1915 - Albert Hourani, English historian (d. 1993)
- 1915 - Shoichi Yokoi, Japanese military man (d. 1997)
- 1914 - Octavio Paz, Mexican diplomat and writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1998)
- 1912 - William Lederer, American writer (d. 2009)
- 1911 - Elisabeth Grümmer, German soprano (d. 1986)
- 1908 - Red Norvo, American jazz vibraphonist (d. 1999)
- 1907 - Eddie Quillan, American actor (d. 1990)
- 1906 - Shin'ichiro Tomonaga, Japanese physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1979)
- 1895 - Vardis Fisher, American author (d. 1968)
- 1893 - Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor (d. 1954)
- 1891 - Victor Varconi, Hungarian film actor (d. 1976)
- 1890 - William Lawrence Bragg, English physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1971)
- 1885 - Pascin, Bulgarian painter (d. 1930)
- 1884 - Adriaan van Maanen, Dutch-born American astronomer (d. 1946)
- 1878 - Jack Johnson, American boxer (d. 1946)
- 1876 - Borisav Stankovi?, Serbian writer (d. 1927)
- 1872 - Alexandra Kollontai, Russian statesman (d. 1952)
- 1872 - Serge Diaghilev, Russian ballet impresario (d. 1929)
- 1871 - Arthur Griffith, Irish politician (d. 1922)
- 1855 - Alfred E. Hunt, American entrepreneur (d. 1899)
- 1847 - Yegor Ivanovich Zolotarev, Russian mathematician (d. 1878)
- 1819 - Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, German statesman (d. 1901)
- 1809 - Edward FitzGerald, English poet (d. 1883)
- 1794 - Thomas McKean Thompson McKennan, American politician and cabinet member (d. 1852)
- 1778 - Coenraad Jacob Temminck, Dutch zoologist (d. 1858)
- 1777 - Charles Cagniard de la Tour, French physicist (d. 1859)
- 1732 - Joseph Haydn, Austrian composer (d. 1809)
- 1730 - Étienne Bézout, French mathematician (d. 1783)
- 1723 - King Frederick V of Denmark (d. 1766)
- 1718 - Infanta Mariana Victoria of Spain (d. 1781)
- 1685 - Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer (d. 1750)
- 1675 - Pope Benedict XIV (d. 1758)
- 1651 - Karl II, Elector Palatine (d. 1685)
- 1621 - Andrew Marvell, English poet (d. 1678)
- 1596 - René Descartes, French philosopher, mathematician (d. 1650)
- 1576 - Louise Juliana of Nassau, Regent of Bohemia (d. 1644)
- 1536 - Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese shogun (d. 1565)
- 1519 - King Henry II of France (d. 1559)
- 1504 - Guru Angad Dev, second Sikh guru (d. 1552)
- 1499 - Pope Pius IV (d. 1565)
- 1425 - Bianca Maria Visconti, Duchess of Milan (d. 1468)
- 1360 - Philippa of Lancaster, queen of Portugal (d. 1415)
- 250 - Constantius Chlorus, Roman Emperor (d. 306)