Phantis:Selected anniversaries/March
- 1935: A Venizelist coup d'etat failed. Eleftherios Venizelos fled to Italy.
- 1952: Nikos Beloyiannis was sentenced to death by a military tribunal.
- 1959: After three years of exile, Archbishop Makarios III returned to Cyprus to an unprecedented welcome: Nearly two-thirds of all adult Cypriots turned out to greet him.
- Births: Nikolaos Gyzis, painter (1842), Dimitris Mitropoulos, conductor (1896), Totis Fylakouris, football player (1947), Savvas Kofidis, football player and coach (1961)
- Deaths: Giorgos Venetoulias, journalist, president of Ethnikos Piraeus FC (1999)
Recent days: February 28 - February 27
- 1907: Greek refugees from Anchialos, Eastern Rumelia, founded the town of Nea Anchialos in Magnesia prefecture, Thessaly.
- 1913: The Greek Army liberated Samos.
- 1957: The Battle of Machairas began as the British came upon the cave where Grigoris Afxentiou and his men were hiding out.
- 1972: Three Cypriot Metropolitans demanded that Makarios III step down from the Presidency of the island-Republic.
- Births: Kazimierz Gorski, football coach (1921), Renos Apostolidis, writer (1924), John Brademas, Greek-American politician (1927).
Recent days: March 1 - February 28
- 1948: Manolis Glezos went on trial for his political convictions.
- 1957: The Battle of Machairas concluded in the early hours of the morning, with the death by burning of Grigoris Afxentiou.
- 2003: The trial of the arrested Revolutionary Organization 17 November members commenced at Korydallos.
- Births: Alexandros Papadiamantis, writer (1851), Archbishop Damaskinos (1891), Arleta, Neo Kyma singer (1945), Sophia Aliberti, actress (1963)
- Deaths: Grigoris Afxentiou, second in command of EOKA (1957).
Recent days: March 2 - March 1
- 1937: Social Security (IKA) was established in Greece.
- 1964: The UN authorised a force "UNFICYP" to be sent to Cyprus.
- 1964: Armenians were evicted from the Turkish sector of Nicosia. A total of 231 previously Armenian houses were taken over by Turkish-Cypriots.
- Births: Giorgos Koinousis, songwriter, singer (1940)
- Deaths: Elena Nathanail, actress (2008)
Recent days: March 3 - March 2
- 1909: Tobacco workers in Volos staged a strike.
- 1919: Anarchy prevailed in Smyrna where armed gangs roamed unmolested.
- 1929: Three died in Elefsina as police clashed with striking labourers.
- 1933: Panagis Tsaldaris edged out Eleftherios Venizelos in the parliamentary elections.
- 1968: The National Route between Larisa and Thessaloniki was completed.
Recent days: March 4 - March 3
- 1821: Alexander Ypsilantis crossed the Prut River with Georgakis Olympios and others and started the Greek Revolution in Romania.
- 1863: The National Assembly elected Prince George of Denmark as the new King of Greece.
- 1910: Two farmers were shot dead by soldiers at Kileler in Thessaly, as demonstrations broke out in the area.
- 1964: Constantine II became King of Greece upon the death of his father King Paul.
- Births: Antypas, singer (1954), Giorgos Karagounis, footballer (1977)
- Deaths: King Paul of Greece (1964), Melina Mercouri, Actress, singer and political activist (1994), John Colicos, Greek-Canadian actor (2000).
Recent days: March 5 - March 4
- 1907: Marinos Antypas, an advocate of agrarian reform, was assassinated in Thessaly.
- 1948: The Dodecanese officially became part of Greece.
- 1964: Fighting broke out in Mallia, Lemesos province, Cyprus between Cypriot National Guardsmen and Turkish Cypriot irregulars.
- 2004: Costas Karamanlis was elected Greek Prime Minister over Giorgos Papandreou. Karamanlis' New Democracy Party received 45.36% of the vote whereas Papandreou's PASOK received 40.55%. The Communist KKE was third with a 5.90% share of the vote.
- Births: Giorgos Katsaros, composer (1934)
- Deaths: Aristotle, philosopher, teacher of Alexander the Great (322 BC), Marinos Antypas, labour organiser (1907)
Recent days: March 6 - March 5
- 1941: Kathimerini publisher, Georgios Vlachos, printed his famous "open letter to Hitler".
- 1950: Greece became a member of CISM.
- 1970: An attempt against the life of Archbishop Makarios III failed as his seriously wounded helicopter pilot managed to land the craft despite his injuries.
- 1995: Kostis Stephanopoulos was elected President of Greece on the third ballot.
- Births: Georgios Vizyinos, writer (1849), Constantine Karamanlis, Greek politician (1907),Yiannis Parios, singer (1946), Popi Asteriadi, singer (1948)
Recent days: March 7 - March 6
- 1941: The Italian Spring offensive against the Greek forces began.
- 1956: Archbishop Makarios III was seized at Nicosia Airport by the British colonial authorities in Cyprus and exiled to the Seychelle Islands in the Indian Ocean.
- 1959: EOKA suspended their activity in response to the London-Zurich accords.
- 1971: Two Greek rivers, the Evros and the Pineios flooded causing damages to the produce in their respective areas.
- Births: Dimitris Horn, stage actor (1921)
- Deaths: Panagiotis Danglis, general and politician (1924).
Recent days: March 8 - March 7
- 1905: Eleftherios Venizelos declared the Cretan revolution at Therissos
- 1925: Olympiakos Club of Fans of Piraeus was founded
- 1944: The Political Committee of National Liberation (the "government of the mountains") was formed at Viniani, Evritania prefecture. Evripidis Bakirtzis was sworn in as Prime Minister.
- 1978: Cigarette commercials were outlawed in Greece
- Births: Manolis Anagnostakis, poet (1925); Kostas Douvalidis, athlete (1987)
- Deaths: Giorgos Batis, Rebetiko composer (1967), Vasilis Avlonitis, comedy actor (1970), Giorgos Zambetas, Laika composer (1992).
Recent days: March 9 - March 8
- 1923: The "Alexander Z" sank in the Saronic Gulf. 150 sailors drowned.
- 1981: An earthquake, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale, rocked Epirus.
- 1991: The trial for the Bank of Crete scandal began with Giorgos Koskotas as the chief defendant.
- Births: Cornelius Castoriadis, Marxist philosopher (1922)
- Deaths: Sophia Vembo, the "Singer of Victory" (1978).
Recent days: March 10 - March 9
- 1449: Constantine XI arrived in Constantinople from Mystras, after being named Byzantine Emperor.
- 1943: Italian occupation troops executed 40 Greeks and burnt most houses at Tsaritsani.
- 1947: The Truman Doctrine was announced making aid available to the Greek government.
- 2020: A 66-year old man from Rio is the first person to die in Greece of COVID-19 (Corona-virus).
- Births: Giorgos Darivas, footballer (1926).
- Deaths: Spyros Kyprianou, Cypriot politician and President (2002).
Recent days: March 11 - March 10
- 1922: Kemal Ataturk turned down an offer of a ceasefire during the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) insisting that the Greek Army first vacate Asia Minor and Eastern Thrace.
- 1941: Italian attacks against the Greek positions in Albania ended in defeat.
- 1964: Turkey issued an ultimatum to the Cypriot government threatening to invade the island in 36 hours unless all Turkish Cypriot prisoners of the civil conflict were released and freedom of movement was restored.
- 1991: The Revolutionary Organization 17 November detonated a remote-controlled bomb that killed US Sgt. Ronald Stewart in Glyfada.
- 2020: Katerina Sakellaropoulou is sworn in as President of Greece.
- Births: Lambros Konstantaras, actor (1913), Vana Barba, actress (1966)
- Deaths: Zenon Rossides, Cypriot diplomat (1990).
Recent days: March 12 - March 11
- 1489: The last Lusignan queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sold the island to the Venetians.
- 1942: The Axis powers imposed upon Greece a "loan" for their expenses in occupying the country. The loan was estimated in 1993 to be equivalent to US $9 billion of that time.
- 1957: Evagoras Pallikaridis was hanged in the Central Jail of Lefkosia.
- 1969: April 21 became a national holiday.
- 1998: PM Costas Simitis announced the devaluation of the drachma by 14%.
- Births: Georgakis Olympios, revolutionary (1772), Stavros Xarchakos, composer (1939), Mariza Koch, singer (1944)
Recent days: March 13 - March 12
- 1905: Cretan revolutionaries declare Union ("Enosis") with Greece.
- 1989: Menios Koutsogiorgas resigned from the PASOK government in the aftermath of the Bank of Crete scandal.
- 1995: The Revolutionary Organization 17 November launched a rocket attack against the TV studios of MEGA during the evening news broadcast.
- 2007: Russia, Bulgaria and Greece signed a tripartite inter-state agreement in Athens, opening the way for the construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline, connecting the western Black Sea with the Mediterranean.
- Births: Kostas Nestoridis, ace footballer (1930)
- Deaths: Byzantine Emperor Romanus II (possibly poisoned by his wife Theophano) (963), Aristotle Onassis, shipping tycoon (1975), Georgios Rallis, Prime Minister (2006)
Recent days: March 14 - March 13
- 1900: Arthur Evans purchased the site in Crete where he believed the Minoan palace of Knossos to have been.
- 1921: The Greek Army occupied Afyon Karahisar in Asia Minor.
- 1970: Polykarpos Georkadjis was assassinated in Cyprus.
- 1993: Aris defeated Efes Pilsen 50-48 in Turin to win the European Cup-Winners' Cup. A vicious chair-throwing fight followed the match, between Greek fans and Turkish fans and players.
- Births: Angelos Koronios, basketball player (1969); Giorgos Anatolakis, footballer (1974)
- Deaths: Polykarpos Georkadjis, former Interior Minister of Cyprus (1970)
Recent days: March 15 - March 14
- 1821: Petrobey Mavromichalis declared war against the Turks in Areopolis.
- 1932: The National Theatre opened. Its first production was "Agamemnon" by Aeschylus.
- 1984: Christina Onassis married Thierry Roussel.
- Births: Tonis Maroudas, Elafro singer (1920), Juan Ramon Veron, former Panathinaikos footballer (1944), Nikos Xydakis, composer (1952).
- Deaths: Nikolas Asimos, song writer (1988)
Recent days: March 16 - March 15
- 1844: King Otto took an oath of allegiance to the new constitution of Greece which was published in the Government's Annals.
- 1863: The Second National Assembly of Greece offered the throne to Prince George of Denmark.
- 1913: King George I was assassinated in Thessaloniki by Alexandros Schinas.Crown Prince Constantine ascended to the throne.
- Births: Yiannis Markopoulos, composer (1939), Temuri Ketsbaia, football player and coach (1968)
- Deaths: King George I, King of the Hellenes (1913), Eleftherios Venizelos, politician (1936), Odysseus Elytis, Nobel prize winning poet, (1996)
Recent days: March 17 - March 16
- 1932: The National Theater opened. Its first production was "Agamemnon" by Aeschylus.
- 1960: The remains of poet Andreas Kalvos arrived in Greece from England for re-burial.
- 1975: Aristotle Onassis was buried in Skorpios island. During the funeral, Christina Onassis fell out with Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis over the inheritance.
- 1983: "Vradyni" publisher, Tzortzis Athanasiadis was murdered in his office by left-wing radicals.
Recent days: March 18 - March 17
- 1914: The Greeks of Korytsa liberated their town from the Albanian occupiers.
- 1926: The Athens Academy was founded.
- 1941: The Italian Spring offensive against the Greek forces ended in failure.
- 1947: Yiannis Zevgos, a communist former Minister of Agriculture, was slain by right-wing extremists in Thessaloniki.
- 1952: PM Nikolaos Plastiras fell ill and was temporarily replaced by Deputy PM Sophoklis Venizelos
- Births: Stathis Chaitas, footballer (1940); Aphrodite Skafida, athlete (1982)
Recent days: March 19 - March 18
- 1935: A fire destroyed the city centre of Edessa.
- 1956: EOKA attempted to assassinate Cyprus military governor, Sir John Harding. The attempt failed as the time bomb, under the governor's bed, failed to go off.
- 1997: Miltiades Ewert resigned as head of the New Democracy Party.
- Births: Manolis Chiotis, musician (1921)
- Deaths: Kitsos Tzavelas, freedom fighter and Prime Minister (1855), Manolis Chiotis, musician (1970)
Recent days: March 20 - March 19
- 1930: Prisoners in Greece went on strike demanding better food.
- 1949: Communists blew up the power station of Xylokastro but were slain by national forces.
- 1983: In a letter to the Police, an organisation called "Anti-terrorist Struggle" assumed responsibility for the murder of publisher Tzortzis Athanasiadis.
- 1997: Vouliagmeni won the European Cup-winners Cup in water polo by defeating Roma 7-6.
- Deaths: Odysseus Angelis, general, member of the junta (1987)
Recent days: March 21 - March 20
- 1821: Kalamata was liberated two days before the Greek War of Independence was declared.
- 1945: DDT arrived in Greece to combat malaria.
- 1984: General Thrasyvoulos Tsakalotos met Markos Vafiadis and shook hands with him in front of TV cameras. The two men had commanded opposing sides in the Greek Civil War.
- Births: Stamatis Kokotas, singer (1937)
- Deaths: Achilleas Apergis, sculptor (1986)
Recent days: March 22 - March 21
- 1924: The 4th National Assembly abolished the monarchy and declared Greece to be a Republic.
- 1935: Generals Anastasios Papoulas and Miltiades Koimisis were executed for their role in the March 1 attempted coup d' etat.
- 1992: A Sudanese aircraft crashed on Mt. Hymettus due to pilot error.
- Births: Periklis Iakovakis, athlete (1979)
- Deaths: Anastasios Papoulas, general (1935), Alekos Livaditis, actor (1980)
Recent days: March 23 - March 22
- 1770: Daskaloyiannis raised the flag of revolution at Sfakia, Crete during the "Orlov Events".
- 1821: Greece declared the War of Independence against Turkey.
- 1914: The sports club of Aris Thessaloniki was founded.
- Births: Bishop Germanos of Patra, who was to bless the Greek War of Independence on his 50th birthday (1771), Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras (1886).
- Deaths: Spyros Samaras, composer (1917)
Recent days: March 24 - March 23
- 1821: Aigion was liberated during the Greek War of Independence
- 1991: PAOK defeated Zaragoza 76-72 and won the European Cupwinners' Cup.
- Births: Vitsentzos Kornaros, Cretan poet (1553), Xenophon Zolotas, Greek Economist and Prime Minister (1904).
- Deaths: Spiros Loues, 1896 Olympic Games Marathon winner (1940); Babis Bakalis, laika composer (2007).
Recent days: March 25 - March 24
- 1921: The Second Battle of Inonu commenced.
- 1979: An earthquake in Elis prefecture caused considerable damage.
- 2001: The newly-built Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport began operations.
- Births: Aristides Loumidis, industrialist (1942), Lefteris Pantazis, singer (1955), Zarko Paspalj, basketball player (1966), George Koumantarakis, Greek-South African footballer (1974).
Recent days: March 26 - March 25
- 1821: Three days after the proclamation of the Greek Revolution, a provisional government was formed in the liberated city of Kalamata.
- 1964: The Turkish government started expelling ethnic Greeks. During 1964, almost 10,000 Greeks were forced out of Turkey.
- 1972: Dictator George Papadopoulos became: Royal Regent, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Defence Minister and President of the Greek Parliament.
- 2003: Greek police put an end to the hijacking of a Turkish jet which landed at Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport. All 192 passengers and 11 crew members are safe.
- Births: Angelos Sikelianos, writer (1884), Spyros Skouras, Greek-American President of 20th Century Fox (1893)
- Deaths: Stylianos Lenas, EOKA fighter (1957), Mimis Traiforos, author, song writer, director (1998)
Recent days: March 27 - March 26
- 1821: Livadeia joined the War of Independence under Athanasios Diakos.
- 1864: The Ionian Islands became part of Greece
- 1941: The Battle of Cape Matapan (Cape Tainaro) took place during World War II.
- 2007: A 25-year old fan was killed during riots in Athens, prior to a women's volleyball game between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos.
- Births: Pavlos Melas, hero of the Macedonian Struggle (1870), Kostas Virvos, songwriter (1926), Vangelis Papathanasiou, composer (1943), Marina Sirtis, Greek-British actress (1960), Voula Patoulidou, athlete (1965).
- Deaths: Nikos Pentzaropoulos, footballer (1979).
Recent days: March 28 - March 27
- 1827: The Third National Assembly elected Ioannis Kapodistrias as governor of Greece.
- 1870: The bandit gang of Christos and Takos Arvanitakis kidnapped several British tourists and an Italian diplomat at Dilesi.
- 1921: The Second Battle of Inonu ended in defeat for the Greek Army.
- 1952: Communist official Nikos Beloyiannis and three companions were executed at Goudi despite the public outcry.
- Deaths: Charilaos Trikoupis, politician, Prime Minister (1896), Jean Moreas, Greek-French poet (1910), Nikos Beloyiannis, Communist official (1952), Manolis Andronikos, archaeologist (1992).
Recent days: March 29 - March 28
- 1822: The massacre of Chios took place during the Greek War of Independence. An estimated 100,000 persons were killed or sold into slavery.
- 1926: The law prohibiting short skirts was abolished in Greece.
- 1946: The first post-WW II elections were held in Greece. Stylianos Gonatas' Laiko Komma emerged victorious. The elections were boycotted by the Communist Party of Greece.
- 1982: Composer Vangelis Papathanasiou was awarded the Oscar for the score of "Chariots of Fire".
- Births: Constantius Chlorus, emperor and father of Constantine the Great (250).