What happened on March 17 ?

45 BC - Titus Labienus, Roman leader (in battle)

45 BC - Gnaeus Pompeius, the Younger, Roman general (executed)

180 - Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (b. 121)

493 - Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland

1040 - Harold Harefoot, King of England

1058 - King Lulach I of Scotland

1272 - Emperor Go-Saga of Japan (b. 1220)

1425 - Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Japanese shogun (b. 1407)

1516 - Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence (b. 1478)

1565 - Alexander Ales, Scottish theologian (b. 1500)

1620 - St. John Sarkander, Moravian priest, died of injuries caused by torturing

1640 - Philip Massinger, English dramatist (b. 1583)

1680 - François de La Rochefoucauld, French writer (b. 1613)

1704 - Menno van Coehoorn, Dutch military engineer (b. 1641)

1715 - Gilbert Burnet, Scottish Bishop of Salisbury (b. 1643)

1741 - Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet (b. 1671)

1764 - George Parker, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield, English astronomer

1782 - Daniel Bernoulli, Dutch-born mathematician (b. 1700)

1830 - Laurent, Marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French marshal (b. 1764)

1846 - Friedrich Bessel, German mathematician and astronomer (b. 1784)

1849 - William II of the Netherlands (b. 1792)

1853 - Christian Doppler, Austrian physician and mathematician (b. 1803)

1875 - Ferdinand Laub, Czech violinist (b. 1832)

1893 - Jules Ferry, French statesman (b. 1832)

1917 - Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (b. 1838)

1926 - Aleksei Brusilov, Russian general (b. 1853)

1937 - Austen Chamberlain, English statesman, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1863)

1949 - Aleksandra Ekster, Russian painter (b. 1882)

1956 - Fred Allen, American actor and comedian (b. 1894)

1956 - Irene Joliot-Curie, French physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b. 1897)

1957 - Ramon Magsaysay, President of the Philippines (b. 1907)

1965 - Amos Alonzo Stagg, baseball, basketball, and football coach and player (b. 1862)

1974 - Louis Kahn, American architect

1976 - Luchino Visconti, Italian director (b. 1906)

1983 - Haldan Keffer Hartline, American physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)

1987 - Santo Trafficante, Jr., American gangster (b. 1914)

1989 - Merritt Butrick, American actor (b. 1959)

1990 - Capucine, French actress (b. 1931)

1993 - Helen Hayes, American actress (b. 1900)

1995 - Ronnie Kray, British gangster (b. 1933)

1999 - Ernest Gold, Austrian composer (b. 1921)

1999 - Rod Hull, British comedian (b. 1936)

2002 - Rosetta LeNoire, American actress and producer (b. 1911)

2002 - Pat Weaver, American broadcast executive (b. 1908)

2004 - J.J. Jackson, American television personality (b. 1941)

2005 - George F. Kennan, American Cold War strategist and historian (b. 1904)

2005 - Andre Norton, American writer (b. 1912)

2006 - Bob Blue, American singer-songwriter

2006 - Oleg Cassini, American fashion designer (b. 1913)

2006 - Ray Meyer, American basketball coach (b. 1913)