March Madness
Which school holds the record for the most NCAA Men’s Division I basketball championships?
UCLA with 11 titles (10 of which were won by legendary coach John Wooden).
March was originally the first month of the year in the Roman calendar. Which Roman god of war is the month named after?
Mars- the god of war
March 17 marks the feast day of St. Patrick. In which country was the first recorded St. Patrick's Day parade held in 1601?
The United States (specifically St. Augustine, Florida, then a Spanish colony).
On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell made the first successful telephone call. Who was his assistant on the other end of the line?
Thomas Watson. Bell famously said, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."
Why is it bad luck to run over a four-leaf clover?
It will press your luck!
Who is the all-time leading scorer in NCAA tournament history?
Christian Laettner (Duke). He scored 407 points across 23 tournament games from 1989 to 1992
On March 15, 44 BC, which famous Roman dictator was assassinated by a group of rebellious senators?
Julius Caesar. This date is famously known as the "Ides of March."
St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, but he wasn’t actually Irish. Where was he born?
Roman Britain. He was kidnapped by Irish raiders at age 16 and brought to Ireland as a slave before eventually escaping and returning as a missionary.
Which gas giant planet was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on March 13, 1781?
Uranus. He originally wanted to name it "Georgium Sidus" after King George III.
What did the tree say to his lady love on their March anniversary?
I want to grow alder with you!
Before becoming a global icon, which "Mid-Major" school did Stephen Curry lead to a Cinderella Elite Eight run in 2008?
Davidson. They knocked off Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Wisconsin before losing by just two points to eventual champion Kansas.
On March 6, 1836, a 13-day siege ended at which former mission in San Antonio, resulting in the deaths of frontiersmen like Davy Crockett?
The Alamo. It became a pivotal rallying cry for Texan independence from Mexico.
Legend says St. Patrick stood on a hilltop and banished what creatures from Ireland?
However, post-glacial Ireland never actually had snakes. Historians believe the "snakes" were likely a metaphor for paganism or druidic symbols.
Which world-renowned theoretical physicist and developer of the theory of relativity was born on March 14, 1879?
Albert Einstein. (Coincidentally, March 14 is also celebrated as Pi Day because the date 3/14 matches the first three digits of $\pi$).
What did the landscaper say to the grass on the first day of March?
I love you mower than you know!
Question: What are the mathematical odds of filling out a perfect NCAA bracket just by guessing?
Approximately 1 in 9.2 quintillion. (If you know a little about basketball, experts say your odds "improve" to about 1 in 120 billion).
In a famous speech on March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill coined what phrase to describe the division between Western Europe and the Soviet bloc?
The "Iron Curtain."
What did St. Patrick allegedly use the three-leafed shamrock to explain?
He used the three leaves on a single stem to illustrate the concept of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit being one.
On March 18, 1965, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first person to do what in outer space?
Conduct a spacewalk (Extravehicular Activity). He was outside the Voskhod 2 spacecraft for about 12 minutes.
What happens when your basketball bracket busts?
March sadness
Who is the only coach to win a national championship at two different schools?
He won with Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013 (though the Louisville title was later vacated by the NCAA).
On March 30, 1867, the United States signed a treaty to purchase which territory from Russia for $7.2 million?
At the time, critics called it "Seward's Folly," after Secretary of State William H. Seward.
What is the translation of the famous Irish phrase "Erin go Bragh"?
"Ireland Forever."
March 20 is often associated with the Vernal Equinox. At this exact moment, where is the sun positioned relative to the Earth's equator?
Directly above the equator. This results in nearly equal amounts of daylight and darkness worldwide.
What do you call a cherry blossom tree that loses its leaves in the fall and regrows them in the spring?
A never green!