On This Day in History: 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).

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.

Spain's King Philip II revokes William the Silent's amnesty, c. March 1580, and offers a 25,000 reward (roughly 3 million Euros), and a nobility title for William's assassination. The act ultimately lead to William's assassination on July 10, 1584 but it also renewed hostilities in the Dutch Revolt . Expand +

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 on March 15, 1820, becoming the 23rd State of the Union.

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates the throne on March 15, 1917 (March 2 O.S), amid the chaos, protests and demonstrations of the Russian Revolution, ending the 300 year Romanov dynasty. More

Civil unrest and peaceful pro-democracy protests erupt in Syria against President Bashar al-Assad's regime on March 15, 2011, marking the start of the Syrian Civil War.  Expand +

A terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 15, 2019, results in 51 deaths and dozens of injuries.