March 1946

• North Korea's Communist Party leader and future President, Kim Il Sung, was saved from assassination by an alert Soviet officer. Y.T. Novichenko caught a hand grenade that had been thrown at Kim during a rally.Andrei Lankov, From Stalin to Kim Il Sung: The Formation of North Korea, 1945–1960 (Rutgers University Press 2002), p25
• Operation Coronet, the greatest amphibious invasion ever planned, had been tentatively scheduled for "Y-Day", March 1, 1946. The invasion by 25 divisions of Allied forces of Honshū, the main island of Japan, would have been resisted by the Japanese in Operation Ketsu-Go, and would have followed the November 1, 1945, invasion of Kyūshū. Following the surrender of Japan in 1945, Olympic, Coronet and Ketsu-Go became unnecessary.Philip S. Jowett and Stephen Andrew, The Japanese Army, 1931–45 (Osprey Military, 2002), pp22–23; [http://files.onset.freedom.com/ocregister/travel/2009/11/japaninvasion.pdf "Invasion of Japan That Never Happened"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711025155/http://files.onset.freedom.com/ocregister/travel/2009/11/japaninvasion.pdf |date=2011-07-11 }}
• Born: Jan Kodeš, Czech tennis player who won the French Open in 1970 and 1971 and Wimbledon in 1973); in Prague

• The United Nations would not be welcome to locate permanently in Greenwich, Connecticut, the UNO's first choice for a site. In a special referendum, the vote was 4,540 to 2,019 against letting the UNO build in Greenwich and its surrounding area."Greenwich Vote Against UNO", Salt Lake Tribune, March 3, 1946, p1 The U.N. headquarters was built instead in New York City.

• An American Airlines DC-3 crashed into a mountain at {{Nowrap|7:53 am}} PST as it approached San Diego on a flight from Tucson, killing all 27 persons on board."Airliner Crash Kills 27 On Peak Near San Diego", Salt Lake Tribune, March 4, 1946, p1 Flight 6-103 had originated in New York, with multiple stops on the way to San Diego.{{Cite web |url=http://www.lostflights.org/Upcoming-Aviation-Archaeology/3346-American-Airlines-DC-3/6660568_8Tb8t |title=LostFlights.org |access-date=2010-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302213559/http://www.lostflights.org/Upcoming-Aviation-Archaeology/3346-American-Airlines-DC-3/6660568_8Tb8t |archive-date=2012-03-02 |url-status=dead }}

• Iran crisis: fifteen Soviet armored brigades invaded Iran's Azerbaijan region, while additional brigades deployed along the borders of Turkey, Iraq and Bulgaria. The U.S. Consul at Tabriz would later opine that "Though not a shot was fired, the Battle of Azerbaijan was as significant in its outcome as Bunker Hill, Bull Run, or the First Battle of the Marne.""The Battle of Azerbaijan", by Robert Rossow, Jr., Middle Eastern Journal (Winter 1956), p17
• Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim resigned as President of Finland because of illness, and was succeeded by Prime Minister Juho Passikivi."Mannerheim Quits Finn Presidency", Salt Lake Tribune, March 5, 1946, p1
• The U.S., Britain and France joined in asking the Spanish people to depose dictator Francisco Franco, based on the Generalissimo's August 15, 1940, letter to Benito Mussolini. Franco had offered support of the Axis Powers, and signed a secret protocol with Germany on February 10, 1943. Franco remained until his death in 1975."U.S., Britain, France Call For Removal of Franco", Salt Lake Tribune, March 5, 1946, p1
• The comic strip Rip Kirby, by Alex Raymond, began a 53-year run in the newspapers as a King Features Syndicate feature. The fictional detective's last strip ran on June 26, 1999.{{Cite web |url=https://www.kenpiercebooks.com/ripkirby.htm |title=KenPierceBooks.com |access-date=2010-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713143424/http://www.kenpiercebooks.com/ripkirby.htm |archive-date=2011-07-13 |url-status=dead }}
• The city of Riverdale, Utah, was incorporated.
• Born:
• Michael Ashcroft, British billionaire; in Chichester, West Sussex
• Harvey Goldsmith, British concert promoter; in Edgware, Middlesex
• Haile Gerima, Ethiopian filmmaker; in Gondar
• Died: Bror von Blixen-Finecke, 79, Danish big-game hunter

• Winston Churchill delivered his famous "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. The former British Prime Minister was accompanied by U.S. President Harry S. Truman, and the speech – which was entitled "The Sinews of Peace" was part of a program that began at {{Nowrap|3:30 pm}} CST, after an invocation and introductory remarks by Westminster's President McCluer and by President Truman."Churchill's Fulton Speech on KWOS Tomorrow at 3:30", Jefferson City Post-Tribune, March 4, 1946, p1 Churchill surprised the world with his attack on the spread of Soviet Communism, as he said "From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.""Churchill Rips Into Soviet Policies", San Antonio Express, March 6, 1946, p1; [http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa082400a.htm text] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090313031441/http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa082400a.htm |date=2009-03-13 }} Using the metaphor of an iron curtain (used at theaters for fire protection), to refer to the sealing off of a conquered area, was not invented by Churchill,{{Cite web |url=https://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22iron+curtain%22&as_ldate=1945%2F01&as_hdate=1945%2F12&sugg=d&scoring=a&hl=en&ned=us&um=1&sa=N&start=0 |title=Archived copy |access-date=2021-09-18 |archive-date=2011-06-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604091446/http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22iron+curtain%22&as_ldate=1945%2F01&as_hdate=1945%2F12&sugg=d&scoring=a&hl=en&ned=us&um=1&sa=N&start=0 |url-status=live }} nor did he first use it at Westminster College.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wVkaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Eg0EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5172,1789392&dq=iron-curtain&hl=en "Mr. Churchill's Speech", Milwaukee Sentinel, August 22, 1945, p6]
• Died: Gertrude Pinsky, David Guzik and eight other persons on a mission for the Jewish relief organization JDC (Joint Distribution Committee) were killed in a plane crash near Prague. One of the few women assigned overseas by JDC, Ms. Pinsky had overseen the aid to thousands of Jewish displaced persons during the Second World War.

• North Vietnam agreed to allow troops from France to return to its cities in return for recognition as "a free country within the framework of the French Union". General Võ Nguyên Giáp later wrote that the intent was for the peaceful withdrawal of Nationalist Chinese occupation, but that a new war began when French forces continued their occupation."Vietnamese Victory: Dien Bien Phu, 1954" by General Võ Nguyên Giáp, in Gettleman, Vietnam and America: A documented history (Grove Press, 1995) p53
• Jackie Robinson became the first African-American in the 20th Century to play in the Major League Baseball system, appearing in a Florida spring training game at Daytona Beach against the Brooklyn Dodgers as a shortstop for the Dodgers' farm club, the Montreal Royals.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-mEsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BMsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3208,611084&dq=jackie-robinson&hl=en "Brooklyn Squad Beats Montreal; Robinson Plays"], Spartanburg (SC) Herald, March 7, 1946, p9
• The drama film Sentimental Journey starring John Payne and Maureen O'Hara premiered in New York City.
• Born: David Gilmour, English rock musician (Pink Floyd); in Cambridge

• The 167 residents of the Bikini Atoll, in the Marshall Islands, were evacuated from their South Pacific island in order for atomic testing to begin. A report to the U.S. Congress calculated loss-of-use damages fifty years later at $278,000,000.[http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RL33029.pdf "CRS Report for Congress"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511065236/http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/RL33029.pdf |date=2009-05-11 }}, August 12, 2005
• Five days after the March 2 deadline had passed for Soviet troops to leave Iran, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow served a diplomatic note on the Soviet Foreign Ministry, calling on the Soviets to honor their agreement."U.S. Demands Russ Quit Iran, Charges Violation of Treaty", Salt Lake Tribune, March 8, 1946, p1
• Born:
• John Heard, American actor; in Washington, D.C. (d. 2017)
• Peter Wolf (stage name for Peter W. Blankfield), American rock musician for The J. Geils Band; in the Bronx, New York

• Helicopters were first approved for civilian use in the United States, when the Civil Aeronautics Board granted a certificate to Bell Helicopter for its Bell 47, a modified version of its H-13 Sioux military chopper.Donald M. Pattillo, A History in the Making: 80 Turbulent Years in the American General Aviation Industry (McGraw-Hill, 1998) p66; [http://www.helis.com/timeline/bell.php Helis.com Helicopter History Site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025122610/http://www.helis.com/timeline/bell.php |date=2017-10-25 }}
• Died: Frederick W. Lanchester, 77, British automotive inventor and engineer

• Thirty-three British soccer fans were killed, and hundreds injured, when retaining fences at the Burnden Park stadium in Bolton collapsed. A reported 70,000 fans had filled the stadium to watch an FA Cup playoff match between Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City. The game, which ended 0–0, halted for 28 minutes and then resumed."33 Die, Scores Hurt in Collapse of British Stadium Barriers", Salt Lake Tribune, March 10, 1946, p1; [http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportsHistorian/1998/sh181i.pdf "Have They Forgotten Bolton?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616043214/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportsHistorian/1998/sh181i.pdf |date=2012-06-16 }}, by Norman Baker, The Sports Historian (May 1998), pp120–151
• "Oh! What It Seemed to Be" by Frankie Carle hit #1 on the Billboard Honor Roll of Hits.
• Died: John J. Glennon, 81, an Irish native who became the Roman Catholic Archbishop of St. Louis, died ten days after he had been elevated by Pope Pius XII to the College of Cardinals. Glennon was in Dublin, where he had stopped on his way home from Rome. The Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital was named in his memory.

• In a ceremony witnessed by 100,000 followers at the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay, the Aga Khan, leader of British India's Shia Ismaili Muslim population, received his weight—248 pounds—in diamonds, in honor of his 60 years (Diamond Anniversary) on the throne. For his golden anniversary in 1936, he had received his weight (238 lb.) in gold."Moslems Give Aga Khan His Weight in Gems", Salt Lake Tribune, March 11, 1946, p1
• All 25 persons on an Australian National Airways flight were killed when their plane crashed at {{Nowrap|8:50 pm}}, shortly after takeoff from Hobart, Tasmania.Salt Lake Tribune, March 11, 1946, p1
• At a synod, convened in Lviv under pressure from the Soviet government, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church severed its historic ties with the Church in Rome, and its union with the Russian Orthodox Church was proclaimed."Russian Orthodoxy and Western Christianity", by Theodore Pulcini, in Russia and Western Civilization: Cultural and Historical Encounters (Russell Bova, ed.; M.E. Sharpe 2003) p91
• Born: Jim Valvano, American college basketball coach who led North Carolina State to the 1983 NCAA championship;, in New York City (d. 1993)
• Died: Karl Haushofer, 76, German political scientist and proponent of Geopolitik, died by suicide along with his wife.

• Rudolf Höss, the Nazi Commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, was located and arrested by British military police near the northern German town of Flensburg, where he had been working on a farm under the alias "Franz Lang". Höss, who confessed to overseeing the murder of millions of prisoners, mostly Jewish, was himself executed at Auschwitz on April 16, 1947.Death Dealer: The Memoirs of the SS Kommandant at Auschwitz (by Rudolf Höss, edited by Steven Paskuly, Da Capo Press, 1996), pp179, 197
• In New York, Sylvia Lawry and 20 neurologists founded the Association for Advancement of Research in Multiple Sclerosis, now the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.T. Jock Murray, Multiple Sclerosis: The History of a Disease (Demos Medical Publishing, 2005), p506

• General Draža Mihailović, Chetnik leader who oversaw the massacre of Bosnians and Croatians during the Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia, was captured in a mountain cave near Višegrad after two years in hiding. His capture was announced in Belgrade on March 24, and Mihailović was executed on July 17."Chetnik Chief Mihailovic Seized by Tito Forces" Salt Lake Tribune, March 25, 1946, p1; John K. Cox, The History of Serbia (Greenwood Press, 2002), p96
• Born:
• Liza Minnelli, American singer, stage and film actress, winner of a Best Actress Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy and two Tony Awards; in Los Angeles as the daughter of film actress Judy Garland and theatrical director Vincente Minelli{{Cite book|last=Schechter|first=Scott|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hRigAzG3ircC&pg=PA133 |title=Judy Garland: The Day-by-day Chronicle of a Legend|date=2006|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-58979-300-2|language=en}}; Minnelli was born at Cedars-Sinai near, but not in, Beverly Hills or Hollywood.
• Dean Cundey, American cinematographer known for the Back to the Future series of films; in Alhambra, California
• Frank Welker, American voice actor known for voicing the character of Fred in the Scooby-Doo cartoon franchise; in Denver.
• Died: Ferenc Szálasi, 49, strongman of the "Hungarian State" during the Nazi occupation of Hungary, was executed by hanging for war crimes.

• The United Auto Workers strike against General Motors ended after 113 days, as the UAW accepted an {{frac|18|1|2}} cent per hour wage increase for its members."G M Strike Ends; Union Accepts 18.5-Cent Hike", Salt Lake Tribune, March 14, 1946, p1
• The Congress of Industrial Organizations ended its strike against General Electric."CIO Walkout Ends at G.E. Plants"Salt Lake Tribune, March 14, 1946, p1
• The world waited to see if the United States and the Soviet Union would go to war, as the Soviets defied the ultimatum of March 7, and reportedly were continuing their advance in Iran."War-Jittery World Waits Russ Reply on Iran Issue"; "Russ Cavalry, Tanks Near Iran's Capital"Salt Lake Tribune, March 13, 1946, p1

• Fred Rose, the first and only Communist Party of Canada member of the House of Commons of Canada, was arrested in Ottawa, on suspicion of espionage, after attending the opening of the new session of Parliament."Canada Arrests Lawmaker as Russ Atom Spy", Salt Lake Tribune, March 15, 1946, p1
• In Paris, Gaston Monnerville, the black delegate from French Guiana, was elected President of the French National Assembly.Alan West, Blacks in the Caribbean: A Reference Guide (Greenwood Press, 2002) p93

• Clement Attlee, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, declared in the House of Commons the government's intention to grant British India its independence. "India herself must choose as to what will be her future situation and her position in the world", said Attlee, adding that "If ... she elects for independence—and in our view she has a right to do so—it will be for us to help make the transition as smooth and easy as possible."Rajendra Prasad, India Divided (Hind Kitabs Ltd., 1947) pp399–400; "British Offer India Chance For Full Independence", Salt Lake Tribune, March 16, 1946, p1
• The Soviet Constitution was amended to increase the number of republics in the U.S.S.R. from 11 to 16, and to give the head of each republic a position in the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union."The Evolution of the Soviet Federal System", by Gregory Gleason, in The Soviet Nationality Reader: The Disintegration in Context (Westview Press, 1992) p111
• Romulo Betancourt, President of Venezuela, granted women, for the first time, the right to vote in that nation.Judith Ewell, Venezuela: A Century of Change (Stanford University Press, 1984), p97
• Born:
• Bobby Bonds, American MLB baseball outfielder; in Riverside, California (d. 2003)
• Mahir Çayan, Turkish communist revolutionary and the leader of People's Liberation Party-Front of Turkey; in Samsun(d. 1972)

• (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66, written by Bobby Troup, was recorded for the first time, by the Nat King Cole Trio, making United States Highway 66 the most famous numbered road of all time. The song has been covered many times since, most recently by John Mayer.Andrew Montgomery, On the Road: America's Legendary Highways (Motorbooks International, 2004), p18
• George Mikan, the most popular college basketball player up to that time, turned pro, signing with the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League days after his DePaul University team completed its season. Mikan, who passed up graduation, began playing for the Gears days later, and would later star for the Lakers in the NBA.Murry R. Nelson, The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949 (McFarland & Co., 2009), p246

• Soviet troops began their departure from Denmark's Bornholm Island. Soviet troops had seized the island from Nazi forces in May 1945."Russ Leaving Danish Isle" Salt Lake Tribune, March 18, 1946, p1
• Born: Georges J. F. Köhler, German biologist, 1984 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine; in Munich; (d. 1995)
• Died: Dai Li, 48, Chief of intelligence for Nationalist China, was killed in a plane crash.

• Lavrentiy Beria was elected a full member of the Soviet Communist Party Politburo, and then promoted to the Council of Ministers in charge of state security.Yoram Gorlizki and Oleg Khlevniuk, Cold Peace: Stalin and the Soviet Ruling Circle, 1945–1953 (Oxford University Press, 2004) p28
• The deadline for Korean residents of Japan to apply for repatriation to Korea expired. Out of {{Nowrap|1.1 million}}, there were 614,000 who moved to Korea, and all but 10,000 to the south.Sonia Ryang, North Koreans in Japan: Language, Ideology, and Identity (Westview Press, 1997) p80
• Sixty-three women were hired as the first female law enforcement officers in the history of Japan.Maya Majumdar, Encyclopaedia of Gender Equality Through Women Empowerment (Sarup & Sons, 2005), p193

• Mikhail Kalinin's resignation as the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (the figurative head of state) was accepted by the Supreme Soviet, which also re-elected Joseph Stalin as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (the head of government). Kalinin, who died on June 3, was replaced by Nikolai Shvernik."Kalinin Steps Down", Salt Lake Tribune, March 20, 1946, p1
• France gave overseas department status to Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique and Reunion.Nick Nesbitt, Voicing Memory: History and Subjectivity in French Caribbean Literature (University of Virginia Press, 2003) p6; [http://www.cief.info/nouvelles/2008/documents/IJFS_2008.pdf "Departmentalization at Sixty"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721192832/http://www.cief.info/nouvelles/2008/documents/IJFS_2008.pdf |date=2011-07-21 }}, International Journal of Francophone Studies (Spring/Summer 2008)
• In northern California, two separate U.S. Army plane crashes killed 33 servicemen. A B-29 bomber with seven men on board struck a 3,820-foot mountain peak near Livermore, California. In the other crash, a C-47 cargo plane with 26 on board exploded in mid air and crashed near the ghost town of Hobart Mills, California, nine days after 25 people had died in a plane crash in Hobart, Tasmania."26 Die in Plane; Fear 7 Killed in Another", Chicago Tribune, March 20, 1946, p1

• Tule Lake War Relocation Center, last of the Japanese-American internment camps in the United States, was closed.Benjamin B. Ringer, "We the People" and Others: Duality and America's Treatment of Its Racial Minorities (Tavistock, 1983) p883
• Aracaju train crash: In the worst railway accident in the history of Brazil, 185 people were killed and hundreds more were injured. The train had derailed as it was descending a mountain incline near Aracaju, in the coastal state of Sergipe."Brazil's Worst Rail Crash Kills 185" Salt Lake Tribune, March 21, 1946, p1
• Died:
• Frederick M. Smith, 72, President of the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints since 1915
• Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson, 76, Australian novelist who wrote under the pen name Henry Handel Richardson

• The Strategic Air Command and the Tactical Air Command were created as a prelude to the establishment of the United States Air Force.{{Cite web |url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1849 |title=National Museum of the US Air Force |access-date=2010-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100812012555/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1849 |archive-date=2010-08-12 |url-status=dead }}
• The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, promulgated by the United States Supreme Court on February 8, 1946, went into effect.{{Cite web |url=http://www.uscourts.gov/rules/crim2007.pdf |title=Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure |access-date=2010-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825041300/http://www.uscourts.gov/rules/crim2007.pdf |archive-date=2009-08-25 |url-status=dead }}
• Kenny Washington was signed to a contract with the Los Angeles Rams, becoming the first African-American to sign with the National Football League since 1933, when NFL teams excluded black players.Charles K. Ross, Outside the Lines: African Americans and the Integration of the National Football League (New York University Press, 2001) p82
• Marguerite Perey presented her thesis, L'élément 87: Actinium K, at the Sorbonne, defending her proof that she had discovered the last of the natural elements. The element with atomic number 87 has, ever since, been referred to by the name proposed by Perey, in honor of her native land, "francium".[http://chemeducator.org/sbibs/s0010005/spapers/1050387gk.htm "Francium (Atomic Number 87), the Last Discovered Natural Element"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604212956/http://chemeducator.org/sbibs/s0010005/spapers/1050387gk.htm |date=2013-06-04 }}, by Jean-Pierre Adloff†and George B. Kauffman, The Chemical Educator (2005)
• Born: Timothy Dalton, Welsh actor; in Colwyn Bay, Clwyd
• Died: Marlin Hurt, 46, radio comedian who portrayed Beulah, the African-American maid on Fibber McGee & Molly

• The United Kingdom and the Emirate of Transjordan signed the Treaty of London, giving Transjordan its independence while Britain would continue to maintain military bases in the country.
• The United States Army made its first successful launch of an American-built rocket out of the atmosphere, using a combination of American and German scientists in adapting the German V-2 rockets seized after the Allied victory in World War II. The Army rocket reached an altitude of about 50 miles.[https://www.army.mil/article/31130/the-army-goes-to-the-moon/ "The Army Goes to the Moon"] , by Pamela Cheney, http://www.army.mil [https://www.army.mil/article/1666/afghanistan-sf-leader-gets-first-dsc-since-vietnam/], December 6, 2009
• Died: Clemens von Galen, 68, German bishop who had been made a Roman Catholic cardinal by Pope Pius XII the previous month.

• The Rochester Royals defeated the Sheboygan Redskins, 66–48, to sweep the best of five championship of the National Basketball League."Rochester Clips Skins, Wins Title", Milwaukee Sentinel, March 24, 1946, p12 Both teams would become charter members of the National Basketball Association. The Rochester franchise moved three times and is now the Sacramento Kings.
• President Truman sent an ultimatum to Joseph Stalin demanding that the Soviets comply with their agreement to withdraw their troops from Iran.Abbas Milani, Eminent Persians: The Men and Women who Made Modern Iran, 1941–1979 (Syracuse University Press, 2008), p14
• Argentina extended its claims over Antarctica, adding a claim of sovereignty over the portion from 68°34' W to 74°W. Argentine Antarctic Territory is claimed from 25° W to 74°W.William J. Mills, Exploring Polar Frontiers: A Historical Encyclopedia (Vol. 1, ABC-CLIO 2003), pp34–35
• Indonesia Tentara Republik Indonesia (Armed Forces of the Republic of Indonesia) or TRI evacuated Indonesian citizens from the city of Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. In an operation called "bumihangus" or "scorched earth", TRI and over 200,000 civilians purposely burned their homes in an attempt to prevent incoming Allied forces and the Netherlands-Indies Civil Administration (NICA) from being able to easily set up an army base. The event is commemorated as "Bandung Lautan Api", or "Bandung Sea of Fire".Wikipedia – "Bandung Lautan Api" Bandung Lautan Api
• Died: Gilbert N. Lewis, 70, American chemist who discovered the covalent bond, died (of natural causes) while carrying out an experiment on fluorescence in his laboratory.

• The Cabinet Mission to India began as Lord Pethick-Lawrence, Sir Stafford Cripps, and Admiral A.V. Alexander arrived in New Delhi to begin the negotiation of self-government for the people of British India.R.S. Chaurasia, History of Modern India: 1707 A.D. up to 2000 A.D. (Atlantic Publishers, 2002) p286
• BBC Home Service radio broadcast Alistair Cooke's first American Letter in the U.K. As Letter from America, this programme ran for nearly 58 years until a few weeks before Cooke's death. When the 2,869th and last weekly show was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on February 20, 2004, it had become the longest-running radio commentary program in history.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/innovation/40s_printable.shtml |title= The BBC Story – 1940s|access-date=2021-09-18 |archive-date=2012-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126235827/http://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/innovation/40s_printable.shtml |url-status=live }}
• Richard L. Griffin and Polly Ann Moore became the first of five people to die in the Texarkana Moonlight Murders, when they were both slain near Texarkana, Texas by a serial killer. Their murders remain unsolved. Three more people would be killed over the next six weeks.{{Cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=4478 |title=The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture |access-date=2021-09-18 |archive-date=2017-08-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826032648/http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=4478 |url-status=live }}
• Died: Alexander Alekhine, 53, the chess champion of the world, was found dead in his hotel room in Estoril, Portugal. The Russian chessmaster had first won the title in 1927, lost it for two years, and then had regained it in 1937.[http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/alekhine3.html "Alekhine's Death"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100428090909/http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/alekhine3.html |date=2010-04-28 }} by Edward Winter, ChessHistory.com

• A confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union was defused when the Soviet government made the announcement, broadcast on Moscow Radio, that it would withdraw all troops from Iran within six weeks."Russ Withdrawing From Iran"; "U.S. Officials Cheer Russ Action in Iran"; "Iran Premier Waits Exit Of Russ Army" Salt Lake Tribune, March 26, 1946, p1; [http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Article&id=2617 "This Day in History"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210074653/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Article&id=2617 |date=2010-02-10 }}, The History Channel
• The United Nations moved to its new location in New York City, not in Manhattan but in the Bronx, on the campus of Lehman College, part of the City College of New York system. Lehman and its buildings were the site of the 51-member international body for almost five months, until August 15, 1946.[http://www1.cuny.edu/events/cunymatters/cm2.pdf "Lehman: Center of the Diplomatic Universe"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621013407/http://www1.cuny.edu/events/cunymatters/cm2.pdf |date=2010-06-21 }} CUNY Matters (Winter 1995–96)

• U.S. President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order 9708 under the authority of federal legislation, in the first such measure defining diseases for which a quarantine could be implemented and enforced within the United States.[https://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no2/03-0721.htm Misrahi JJ, Foster JA, Shaw FE, Cetron MS. "HHS/CDC legal response to SARS outbreak"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604185724/http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol10no2/03-0721.htm |date=2011-06-04 }}, Emerging Infectious Diseases (2004 February), Centers for Disease Control
• The British Broadcasting Corporation began its BBC Russian Service, broadcasting short wave radio programming toward the Soviet Union.[http://www.opendemocracy.net/russia/article/Moscow-calling-a-view-of-the-BBC-Russian-Service "Moscow calling: a view of the BBC Russian Service"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100125231809/http://www.opendemocracy.net/russia/article/Moscow-calling-a-view-of-the-BBC-Russian-Service |date=2010-01-25 }}, by Lyubov Borusyak, OpenDemocracy.net, 12 March 2009
• Braathens, the Norwegian airline, was founded by Ludvig G. Braathen, with three DC-4 Skymasters.[http://home.online.no/~lkatz/fly/airlines_braathens.htm "Airlines of the World"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604174534/http://home.online.no/~lkatz/fly/airlines_braathens.htm |date=2011-06-04 }}, by Michael Katz
• Born:
• Johnny Crawford, American child actor who portrayed Mark McCain on The Rifleman; in Los Angeles (d. 2021)
• Ravi Zacharias, world-renowned Christian apologist; in Madras (d. 2020)

• Oklahoma State defeated North Carolina, 43–40, to win the NCAA basketball championship."Oklahoma Aggies Win NCAA Title", Pittsburgh Press, March 28, 1946, p22
• Born: Olaf Malolepski, German musician (Die Flippers), in Knittlingen

• The results of the first general election in India were certified. Over a four-month period, voting was conducted for the Provincial Assemblies in each of the eleven provinces of British India. The Congress Party formed the majority in the legislatures for Bombay, Madras, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, the Central Provinces, Orissa, Assam and the North West Frontier; while the Muslim League won power in Bengal and the Sind. In Punjab, a coalition of Unionists, Congress and Sikhs formed a ministry.Yasmin Khan, The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan (Yale University Press, 2007) p45
• Born: Alejandro Toledo, President of Peru 2001 to 2006, in Cabana

• ITAM, the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, was founded in Mexico City as a private university, competing with the older UNAM (National University of Mexico).[http://www.itam.mx/en/acerca/historia/historia.php ITAM History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923170202/http://www.itam.mx/en/acerca/historia/historia.php |date=2009-09-23 }}
• Died George C. L. Washington, 74, inventor, in 1910, of the first instant coffee.Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen, Encyclopedia of New Jersey (Rutgers University Press, 2004) p850

• The longest official (soccer) football game in history took place at Edgeley Park, when Stockport County F.C. hosted Doncaster Rovers F.C. for a replay of a playoff game in Division Three of The Football League. The teams had played to a 2–2 tie at Doncaster, and were tied 2–2 at the end of 90 minutes regulation time and the extra 30 period. The "golden goal" rule then applied, with the first team to score winning in sudden death. A goal by Les Cocker of Stockport after 53 minutes was disallowed by the referee, and play continued. By {{Nowrap|7:00 pm}}, the game was called after 3 hours 23 minutes of play. Doncaster won the next replay at home, 4–0, on April 3.[http://www.stockportcounty.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10419~488945,00.html#continue "Edgeley's Longest Day"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222022837/http://www.stockportcounty.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10419~488945,00.html |date=2012-02-22 }}, Stockport County F.C. website
• Oxford won the 92nd Boat Race against Cambridge.

• A roundup of Nazi activists was carried out throughout the American and British zones of Germany, with 7,000 Allied soldiers serving the warrants. What was described as "a well-financed attempt to revive Nazism" was foiled after the December 1945 capture of ringleader Artur Axmann."Allies Corral 1000 in Nazi Plotting", Salt Lake Tribune, March 31, 1946, p1
• Under the supervision of Allied observers, the first elections in Greece since 1936 took place. The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) refused to participate, and a coalition led by the People's Party won 206 of the 354 seats available in the Hellenic Parliament. Konstantinos Tsaldaris became Prime Minister of the new government.Richard Clogg, Parties and Elections in Greece: The Search for Legitimacy (Duke University Press, 1987), p18
• Russia, one of three Soviet members of the United Nations, paid its U.N. dues of $1,725,000 and ended concern that the Soviets were planning to withdraw from the international organization."Russia Pays Full UN Assessment, Dispelling Fear of Permanent Split" Syracuse Post-Standard April 1, 1946, p1
• Died: John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, 59, British Field Marshal

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1946

*1946-03