To some, March seems like a long, chilly month with not too much to celebrate. Well, we disagree! See below for some of the fun and games and recognition March brings...

First and foremost, if you aren't sure how to occupy your March, work on your stamp collection!

Happy New Year, ancient Romans!

Welcome to the third month of the year—or, if you were born before 150 B.C., the first! According to the oldest Roman calendars, one year was ten months long, beginning in March and ending in December.You can actually see traces of this old month-naming system in our modern calendar: because December was the tenth month, it was named for the number ten in Latin (decem), just like September was named for seven (septem). So, what about January and February? They were just two nameless months called “winter,” proving that winter is literally so awful it doesn’t even deserve a spot on the calendar. We tend to agree!

It’s the best month for basketball (but worst for productivity)

March is known for one thing above all others: brackets. March Madness, as the NCAA calls it, runs from March 14 to April 3 this year. College basketball fans are overjoyed about the annual tournament, but one of the safest bets to be made is that lots and lots of people will be distracted.

According to USA Today, unproductive workers cost their employers $4 billion in 2019, paid to employees spending company time on betting pool priorities. Suffice it to say, March is not a productive month. In fact, there is so much basketball planned, the "Final Four" will take place on April 6 and 8th!"

March was named for war—and lives up to its title

March was named for the Latin Martius—aka Mars, the Roman god of war and a mythical ancestor of the Roman people. With the winter frosts melting and the ground becoming fertile for harvest again in the Northern hemisphere, March was historically the perfect month for both farmers to resume farming, and warriors to resume warring.

Speaking of wars, with the exception of the recent war in Afghanistan, almost all major U.S.-NATO led military operations since the invasion of Vietnam have begun in the month of March. To name a few: Vietnam (initiated March 8, 1965), Iraq (March 20, 2003) and Libya (March 19, 2011) all follow the trend.

Beware The Ides of March (unless you’re a cat)

What does “beware the Ides of March” actually mean? On the Roman calendar, the midpoint of every month was known as the Ides. The Ides of March fell on March 15th. This day was supposed to correlate with the first full moon of the year and marked by religious ceremonies, but thanks to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar we know it for another reason.

Supposedly, in 44 BC, a seer told Julius Caesar that his downfall would come no later than the Ides of March. Caesar ignored him, and when the fated day rolled around he joked with the seer, “The Ides of March have come.” The seer replied, “aye, Caesar; but not gone.” Caesar continued on to a senate meeting at the Theatre of Pompey and was summarily murdered by as many as 60 conspirators. Ironically, the spot where Caesar was assassinated is protected in today’s Rome as a no-kill cat sanctuary.

Other March Curiosities:

March 1: As the saying goes, March comes “in like a lion, out like a lamb.” That was certainly true on March 1st, 2007 when a detachment of 170 Swiss infantrymen accidentally invaded neighboring Liechtenstein when they got lost on a training mission. Luckily, after explaining the mistake to Liechtenstein, the Swiss army was given directions and returned home safely.

March 2: NASA astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth after nearly one full year on the International Space Station, setting a new record for the longest uninterrupted trip to space.

March 6: The Day of The Dude encourages participants to honor The Big Lebowski by takin’ ‘er easy all day, man, and maybe buying a new rug—it’ll really tie the room together.

March 14: Daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 10, freeing people from the constant refrain of “it’s dark before I even leave work.”

and also on March 14, Pi Day celebrates the annual occurrence of 3/14 with math jokes, pi-reciting competitions and (of course) freshly baked pie.

March 17: St. Patrick’s Day turns the Chicago River green, among other festivities. And on this day in 1973, Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of The Moon” first hits the Billboard Top 200 chart at number 95. A mere 14 years later (736 chart weeks, to be exact), it finally leaves the top 200 for the first time, setting a still-unbroken world record.

March 20: The sun shines on the equator for the Vernal Equinox, giving us a near 50-50 split of day and night.

March 21: The day Twitter was founded. Founder Jack Dorsey inaugurated the social media site with an inaugural typo - his first tweet read “just setting up my twttr.”

Who Was Wilt Chamberlain?

Known as "Wilt the Stilt" for his 7'1" height, Wilt Chamberlain was a Harlem Globetrotter before joining the Philadelphia Warriors. He achieved an average of 30.1 points per game over his career and holds several records, including most points scored in one season (4,029) and most points scored in a single game (100). Chamberlain was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. He died in Bel-Air, California, in 1999.

Wilton Norman Chamberlain was born on August 21, 1936, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time as the first NBA player to score more than 30,000 points during his professional career, he began his standout career at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia. He played on the school's varsity team for three years, scoring more than 2,200 points in total. He was 6'11" tall at the time and physically dominated other players. He eventually reached his full height of a staggering 7'1" tall. Many of his nicknames were derived from his stature. He hated being called "Wilt the Stilt," or "the Stilt," which came from a local reporter covering high school athletics. But Chamberlain didn't mind "The Big Dipper," or "Dipper," a nickname given to him by friends because he had to duck his head when passing through a doorframe.

When it came time for college, Chamberlain was sought after by many top college basketball teams. He chose to attend the University of Kansas, making his college basketball debut in 1956 with the Jayhawks, and leading the team to the NCAA finals in 1957. The Jayhawks were defeated by North Carolina, but Chamberlain was named "Most Outstanding Player" of the tournament. Continuing to excel, he made the all-America and all-conference teams the following season.

Leaving college in 1958, Chamberlain had to wait a year before going pro due to NBA rules. He chose to spend the next season performing with the Harlem Globetrotters before landing a spot with the Philadelphia Warriors. In 1959, Chamberlain played his first professional game in New York City against the Knicks, scoring 43 points. His impressive debut season netted him several prestigious honors, including the NBA Rookie of the Year and NBA Most Valuable Player awards. Also during this season, Chamberlain began his rivalry with Celtics defensive star Bill Russell. The two were fierce competitors on the court, but they developed a friendship away from the game.

Chamberlain's most famous season, however, came in 1962. That March, he became the first NBA player to score 100 points in a game, setting a league record for the highest number of points scored in a single game (which he still holds today).

Chamberlain stayed with the Warriors as they moved out to San Francisco in 1962. He continued to play well, averaging more than 44 points per game for the 1962-63 season and almost 37 points per game for the 1963-64 season. Returning to his hometown in 1965, Chamberlain joined the Philadelphia 76ers. There he helped his team score an NBA championship win over his former team. Along the way to the championship, he also assisted the Sixers in defeating the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals. The Celtics were knocked out of the running after eight consecutive championship wins. Crowds gathered to watch the latest match between two top center players: Chamberlain and Bill Russell.

Traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1968, he helped the Lakers win the 1972 NBA championship,beating the New York Knicks in five straight games, and was named the NBA Finals MVP.

Retirement

By the time he retired in 1973, Chamberlain had amassed an amazing array of career statistics. He had played in 1,045 games and achieved an average of 30.1 points per game—the NBA points-per-game record until Michael Jordan broke it in 1998. To this day, Additionally, Chamberlain remains notable for never fouling out of an NBA game.