March, the month of change.  We have all heard the familiar saying- March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  Winter slowly fades off, the days become noticeably longer, and spring is on the horizon.  Here are a few fun facts about the month of March you may not have known.

1. According to the oldest Roman calendars, one year was ten months long, beginning in March and ending in December.
2. March was actually named for the Latin Martius—aka Mars, the Roman god of war.
3. The “Ides of March” was a day in the Roman calendar equivalent to March 15th. It was considered a deadline for settling debts. It was also the day Julius Caesar was assassinated.
4. Daylight savings time begins in March.
5. Saint Patrick’s Day occurs every March 17th, celebrated in many western countries to commemorate the day Saint Patrick died.  Patrick’s Day turns the Chicago River green, among other festivities.
6. March is known for one thing above all others: March Madness. According to USA Today, unproductive workers cost their employers $4 billion in 2019, paid to employees spending company time on betting pool priorities.
7. The March equinox occurs on Monday, March 20, 2023. In the Northern Hemisphere, this is known as the vernal, or spring, equinox and marks the start of the spring season. In the Southern Hemisphere, autumn begins. The sun shines on the equator for the Vernal Equinox, giving us a near 50-50 split of day and night.
8. March’s Zodiac signs are Pisces (February 20 to March 20) and Aries (March 21 to April 20).
9. March’s birthstones are aquamarine and bloodstone. These stones symbolize courage.
10. March is the time of year when animals start waking up from hibernation.
11. The popular social media outlet Twitter was launched on March 21, 2006, with the first tweet going out the same day.
12. On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell made the first-ever phone call.
13. Slightly less groundbreaking than the telephone, perhaps, but the 7th of March 1933 marked the invention of the family board game Monopoly.
14. Coca-Cola was invented by John Pemberton in March of 1886.
15. The Girl Scouts was officially founded on the 12th of March, 1912.
16. On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy founded the successful nonprofit volunteer organization known as the Peace Corps.
17. Chuck Norris, Jon Bon Jovi, Shaquille O’Neal, Bruce Willis, Elton John, and Denny Howell are some of the people who celebrate birthdays in March
18. Daffodils have been designated as March’s birth flower
19. March 14th is celebrated as ‘International Pi Day’ as March 14th is known as 3/14, which is also in honor of Albert Einstein’s birthday
20. On March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Towner was ascended for the first time.  The journey had to be made by foot as the elevators were not in operation yet, and took over an hour to reach the top.