The Old Farmer's Almanac daily calendar gives you quick reference for the significant events on any day throughout the year.

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick was the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland.Long before the shamrock became associated with St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), the four-leaf clover was regarded by ancient Celts as a charm against evil spirits.In the early 1900s, O. H. Benson, an Iowa school superintendent, came up with the idea of using a clover as the emblem for a newly founded agricultural club for children in his area. In 1911, the four-leaf clover was chosen as the emblem for the national club program, later named 4-H.If you're inclined toward the legend, lore, and festivities of the saint and how the Irish honor him, check out this St. Patrick's Day site where you'll find everything from parades to recipes.

Every Year

• St. Patrick's Day

• Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, Massachussets)

• St. Patrick's Day

460s

• 461: On this day, St. Patrick died. As a boy, Patrick was captured and carried off from Britain to Ireland tend sheep. After six years, he escaped. Later, he to Ireland and spread the word of Christianity.

1750s

• Born 1751: Anders Dahl (botanist; dahlia named for him)

• 1755: The Transylvania Land Company bought what became the state of Kentucky for $50,000, from a Cherokee Indian chief

1770s

• 1776: British Army evacuated Boston

• Born 1777: Robert B. Taney (Supreme Court justice)

1840s

• 1845: The rubber band was patented by Stephen Perry

1890s

• 1898: John Phillip Holland launched first modern submarine off Staten Island, NY

• Born 1898: Ella Winter (Australian-born journalist)

1900s

• Born 1902: Bobby Jones (pro golfer)

• 1905: Anna Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt were married

1910s

• 1910: Camp Fire Girls established

• Born 1919: Nat "King" Cole (entertainer)

1930s

• Born 1930: James Irwin (astronaut)

• Born 1938: Rudolfh Nureyev (ballet dancer)

1940s

• 1941: The National Gallery of Art was dedicated in Washington, D.C.

• 1942: Gen. MacArthur arrived in Australia to assume supreme command of the Allied forces (WW II)

• Born 1944: John Sebastian (singer)

• 1945: Battle of Iwo Jima ended with U.S. victory (WW II)

• Born 1949: Patrick Duffy (actor)

1950s

• 1950: The University of California (Berkeley) announced the development of californium, a new element with the atomic number 98

• Born 1951: Kurt Russell (actor)

• 1958: Vanguard I spacecraft launched by U.S. at Cape Canaveral

• 1959: USS Skate first submarine to surface at North Pole

1960s

• 1960: UN conference of the Law of the Sea opened at Geneva, Switzerland

• 1963: Paroxysmal eruption of Mt. Agung in Bali

• Born 1964: Rob Lowe (actor)

• 1969: A Milwaukee, Wisconsin, high school teacher, Golda Meir, took office as Israel's 4th Prime Minister

1970s

• Born 1971: Bill Mueller (baseball player)

• Born 1972: Mia Hamm (soccer player, Olympic gold medalist)

• 1978: One of the worst oil spills in history occured when supertanker Amoco Cadiz broke in two off the Brittany coast in France, dumping more than 223,000 tons of crude oil into the sea

1980s

• 1989: Julie Croteau first woman to play NCAA baseball

1990s

• Died 1993: Helen Hayes (actress)

2000s

• Died 2004: J. J. Jackson (one of the five original MTV video jockeys)

• Died 2005: Andre Norton (science fiction/fantasy writer)

• Died 2006: Oleg Cassini (fashion designer who created the "Jackie look," the signature wardrobe created for First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the early 1960s)