- Mar 1 The Envisat environmental satellite successfully reaches an orbit 800 kilometers (500 miles) above the Earth on its 11th launch, carrying the heaviest payload to date at 8500 kilograms (9.5 tons).
- Mar 1 The peseta is discontinued as official currency of Spain and is replaced with the euro (€).
- Mar 1 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins in eastern Afghanistan as US special operations forces infiltrate the Shahi-Kot Valley in Eastern Afghanistan
- Mar 2 40-year old South African boxer ‘Baby Jake’ Matlala ends his 22-year career with a 7th-round TKO win over Columbia’s Juan Herrera to retain his WBU junior flyweight title in Johannesburg
- Mar 2 US invasion of Afghanistan: US conventional forces first deployed as part of Operation Anaconda
- Mar 3 33rd NAACP Image Awards: "Ali" wins Outstanding Motion Picture
- Mar 3 Citizens of Switzerland narrowly vote in favor of their country becoming a member of the United Nations.
- Mar 4 Canada bans human embryo cloning but permits government-funded scientists to use embryos left over from fertility treatment or abortions.
- Mar 4 Multinational Force in Afghanistan: Seven American Special Operations Forces soldiers are killed as they attempt to infiltrate the Shahi Kot Valley on a low-flying helicopter reconnaissance mission.
The Osbournes
Mar 5 American reality TV program "The Osbournes" featuring family of Ozzy Osbourne premieres on MTV
The Suze Orman Show
Mar 9 Financial advice TV show "The Suze Orman Show" starring Suze Orman premieres on CNBC
- Mar 10 43rd SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Mississippi State beats Alabama, 61-58
- Mar 10 49th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #3 Duke beats NC State, 91-61
Ice Age
Mar 12 Animated film "Ice Age" directed by Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha, with voices by Denis Leary and John Leguizamo premieres
- Mar 12 US crime series "The Shield" starring Michael Chiklis premieres on FX
WrestleMania
Mar 17 WrestleMania XVIII, Skydome, Toronto, ON (68,237): Triple H beats Chris Jericho for the undisputed WWF Heavyweight title
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Mar 18 17th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Isaac Hayes; Brenda Lee; Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers; Gene Pitney; Ramones; Talking Heads; Chet Atkins; and Jim Stewart
- Mar 19 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda ends (started on March 2) after killing 500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters with 11 allied troop fatalities
Soul Train Music Awards
Mar 20 16th Soul Train Music Awards: The O'Jays, Dr. Dre & Alicia Keys win
- Mar 21 In Pakistan, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh along with three other suspects are charged with murder for their part in the kidnapping and killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
- Mar 21 Schoolgirl Amanda Dowler is abducted in broad daylight on her way home from Heathside School in Walton-on-Thames, England
- Mar 23 22nd Golden Raspberry Awards: "Freddy Got Fingered" wins
Academy Awards
Mar 24 74th Academy Awards: "A Beautiful Mind", Denzel Washington and Halle Berry win; Berry is the first woman of colour to win the Best Actress award
- Mar 24 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Unheralded New Zealander Craig Perks chips-in twice on the final 3 holes for his only PGA Tour career win, 2 strokes ahead of Stephen Ames
- Mar 25 TV reality show "The Bachelor" hosted by Chris Harrison debuts on ABC in the US
- Mar 27 Passover Massacre: A suicide bomber kills 29 people in Netanya, Israel.
- Mar 31 21st NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Oklahoma, 82-70; Huskies conclude perfect season (39-0)
Sports History
Mar 31 Andre Agassi wins his 700th career match and captures his second straight Key Biscayne title with a 6–3, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 win over Roger Federer at the Nasdaq-100 Open in Florida
Golf Major
Mar 31 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Defending champion Annika Sörenstam of Sweden shoots a final round 68 to win, 1 stroke ahead of compatriot Liselotte Neumann
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