What Happened Today in History on March 15

Julius Caesar is assassinated by a group of Roman senators, including Brutus and Cassius, in the Roman Senate on March 15, 44 BCE (The Ides of March) at the Theatre of Pompey. The assassination resulted in the rise of the Roman Empire under Caesar's grandnephew, Octavian (Augustus).

Germanic tribes led by Arminius defeat the Roman legions at the Battle of Idistaviso.

Roman Emperor Galba is assassinated by the Praetorian Guard, leading to the Year of the Four Emperors.

Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo, Spain, from the Moors after a siege.

Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, confirms the city rights of Bern, Switzerland.

A peace treaty between Poland and the Teutonic Knights ends the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War.

Explorer Christopher Columbus arrives back in his home port of Palos, Spain on March 15, 1493, following his first voyage to the Americas. His return voyage was difficult, and his ships were separated by a storm; making landfall first in the Azores before reaching Lisbon, Portugal, and eventually arriving back in his home port.

Cesare Borgia captures Urbino after a long siege.

Spain's King Philip II revokes William the Silent's amnesty, renewing hostilities in the Dutch Revolt. and offering a large reward for his assassination. This act effectively renewed hostilities in the Dutch Revolt by making William a wanted outlaw. Expand +

Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake for heresy in Rome.

The first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade in the U.S. takes place on the Catholic Feast Day of St. Patrick, in the Spanish colony of modern-day St. Augustine, Florida. More than a century later, Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched in Boston in in 1737 and in New York City in 1762. More

Sweden and Russia sign the Treaty of Stolbovo, ending the Ingrian War.

The first formal French-language newspaper, "Le Mercure Galant," is published in France. Its name was changed to Le Mercure de France in 1724. It was suppressed in 1811 and ceased publication in 1825. The name was revived in 1890 as a literary review.

Battle of Guilford Courthouse: American forces under Nathanael Greene defeat the British in North Carolina.

Maine is admitted to the United States Union as the 23rd State.

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates the throne amid the chaos, protests and demonstrations of the Russian Revolution, ending the 300 year Romanov dynasty. More

Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first President of the Soviet Union. He had served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 and additionally as head of state beginning in 1988 and as Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet from 1988 to 1989. He was awarded the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize 1990. Gorbachev resigned form the presidency on December 25, 1991 when the Soviet Union disintegrated. More

Civil unrest and protests erupt in Syria against President Bashar al-Assad's regime, marking the start of the Syrian Civil War.

A terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, results in 51 deaths and dozens of injuries.