March 10: Holidays, Historical Events, Famous Birthdays & Zodiac Sign
On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell made the first successful telephone test—connecting humanity in ways that would reshape civilization itself.
About March 10
March 10 resonates with the voices of the voiceless. In the United States, it's observed as Harriet Tubman Day, honoring the woman who risked her own freedom countless times to lead enslaved people to liberty through the Underground Railroad. The Lutheran Church also commemorates Sojourner Truth on this day, another tireless abolitionist and women's rights advocate whose speeches shook the conscience of a nation.
This date also marks moments when communication itself took a leap forward. Bell's 1876 telephone test in Boston fundamentally altered how humans connect. Exactly fifteen years later, in 1891, Almon Strowger patented an automatic telephone switch—ironically motivated by frustration that a competitor's wife, a telephone operator, was redirecting his business calls. Meanwhile, in the heavens, 1977 brought the discovery of Uranus's rings, expanding our understanding of the solar system in ways that continue to inspire wonder.
But March 10 carries shadows too. In 1945, the firebombing of Tokyo claimed over 100,000 civilian lives in a single night—one of the deadliest conventional attacks in human history. And in 2019, the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 killed all 157 people aboard, grounding the entire Boeing 737 MAX fleet worldwide and sparking a global reckoning about aviation safety and corporate accountability.
Holidays & Observances on March 10
- Christian feast day Attala
- Christian feast day Harriet Tubman (Lutheran)
- Christian feast day John Ogilvie
- Christian feast day Macarius of Jerusalem
- Christian feast day Marie-Eugénie de Jésus
- Christian feast day Pope Simplicius
- Christian feast day Sojourner Truth (Lutheran)
- Harriet Tubman Day (United States of America)
Fun & National Days on March 10
- International Bagpipe Day — Celebrate the stirring skirl of bagpipes—whether Scottish, Irish, or from unexpected corners of the world.
- Mario Day — March 10 spells MAR10—grab a controller and jump some Goombas in honor of gaming's most iconic plumber.
- International Day of Awesomeness — Channel your inner greatness today; do something bold, kind, or spectacularly awesome for someone else.
- Festival of Life in the Cracks Day — Pause to admire the stubborn green shoots pushing through sidewalk cracks—nature's quiet persistence celebrated.
- Landline Telephone Day — Remember when phones had cords and rotary dials? Pick up a landline if you still have one.
- Histotechnology Professionals Day
- International Lime Day
- National Blueberry Popover Day
- National Organize Your Home Office Day
- National Ranch Day
On This Day in History
- -241 — Rome's navy sends the Carthaginian fleet to the bottom at the Battle of the Aegates, effectively ending the First Punic War.
- 1496 — Having established Santo Domingo, Christopher Columbus sets sail for Spain, entrusting the settlement to his brother's command.
- 1535 — The Bishop of Panama, Fray Tomás de Berlanga, stumbles upon the Galápagos Islands while drifting off course en route to Peru.
- 1629 — King Charles I dissolves England's Parliament and begins his eleven-year autocratic 'Personal Rule' without legislative oversight.
- 1661 — Following Cardinal Mazarin's death, France's Sun King Louis XIV assumes direct personal control over the government.
- 1831 — King Louis Philippe establishes the French Foreign Legion, creating a fighting force for foreign soldiers serving France.
- 1876 — Alexander Graham Bell conducts the first successful telephone test, inaugurating a communications revolution.
- 1945 — U.S. Army Air Force firebombs Tokyo, igniting a firestorm that claims over 100,000 civilian lives in World War II's deadliest raid.
- 1977 — Astronomers observe the rings of Uranus, revealing that Saturn is not the only ringed planet in our solar system.
- 2006 — NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reaches the Red Planet, beginning a mission to study Martian geology and climate.
- 2017 — South Korea's Constitutional Court unanimously upholds President Park Geun-hye's impeachment, removing her from office.
- 2023 — Silicon Valley Bank collapses after a deposit run, becoming the second-largest bank failure in United States history.
Famous Birthdays on March 10
- 1628 — Marcello Malpighi, Italian physician who pioneered microscopic anatomy, earning recognition as the father of microscopical biology.
- 1749 — Lorenzo Da Ponte, Italian poet and librettist who wrote the words for Mozart's most beloved operas, including Don Giovanni.
- 1844 — Pablo de Sarasate, Spanish violin virtuoso whose fiery compositions dazzled nineteenth-century audiences across Europe.
- 1845 — Alexander III of Russia, Tsar who ruled with conservative autocracy, reversing his father's reforms while preserving peace abroad.
- 1903 — Bix Beiderbecke, Cornet prodigy whose lyrical, innovative playing made him a defining voice of 1920s jazz before his tragic early death.
- 1936 — Sepp Blatter, Swiss administrator who presided over FIFA for seventeen controversial years amid global football's growth and scandal.
- 1940 — Chuck Norris, Martial artist turned action star whose roundhouse kicks became the stuff of internet legend worldwide.
- 1947 — Kim Campbell, Canadian leader who made history as the nation's first female prime minister, though her tenure was brief.
- 1958 — Sharon Stone, Actress whose electrifying performance in Basic Instinct made her a defining Hollywood star of the 1990s.
- 1983 — Carrie Underwood, Country singer who rose from American Idol winner to one of the genre's bestselling recording artists.