What is the Ides of March? The history behind the date of doom
What is the Ides of March? The history behind the date of doom
Kate Perez and N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY Sun, March 15, 2026 at 3:47 PM UTC
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Amid St. Patrick's Day celebrations and the highly anticipated start of spring, March also features a more ominous day that comes coupled with a decades-old warning rooted in literature: "Beware the Ides of March."
The phrase dates back over 2,000 years and is associated with William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar," in which a soothsayer delivers the infamous warning to the Roman emperor before his assassination. March 15, 44 B.C.E is believed to be the date on which Roman dictator Julius Caesar was killed and has since been linked to misfortune and betrayal, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Shakespeare's dialogue further cemented the date in history. The writer relied heavily on the work of the Greek historian Plutarch to craft his play, and the real Caesar may have been given a similar warning before he was assassinated thousands of years ago.
"Julius Caesar" was one of Shakespeare's early tragedies, and the line would have resonated with those in his audience knowledgeable about the history of the Roman Empire, according to Eric Rasmussen, a Shakespeare scholar and an English professor at the University of Nevada, Reno.
"The entire audience would know that, oh yeah, the 15th of March, that's going to be the day that he's assassinated," Rasmussen previously told USA TODAY.
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What is the Ides of March?
The term Ides comes from the Latin word iduare, meaning to divide, with the full moon serving as the division point in the middle of each month as a way to tell time, according to Britannica.
Roman calendars defined days using three markers: the Ides, Kalends and Nones, according to Dwayne Meisner, a classical studies instructor at Campion College at the University of Regina in Canada. The first day of the month was called the Kalends, the middle of the month was the Ides and the Nones fell between them, Meisner previously told USA TODAY."Whatever part of the month you were in, it's either X number of days until the Kalends, or the Nones or the Ides, and that's how you knew what day of the month it was," Meisner said.
He explained that the Romans counted time this way while using the lunar calendar and continued to do so after Caesar created the Julian calendar, which is based on the solar year and included a leap day every four years.
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When is the Ides of March 2026?
The Ides of March falls on Sunday, March 15, 2026.
Though not an official holiday, some people historically chose to celebrate or recognize the Ides of March with feasts or sacrifices. The Ides of March was also known as a day for settling debts, according to Britannica.
Actors dressed as ancient Roman senators and Julius Caesar (C) perform during the historical re-enactment of the 'Ides of March' of 44 B.C., interpreted and reconstructed by the Gruppo Storico Romano, at the Area Sacra di Largo di Torre Argentina in central Rome, on March 15 2024. The Roman Historical Group performs a historical re-enactment of the the Ides of March, the meetings of the Roman Senate, which set the stage for the conspiracy against Julius Caesar and his subsequent assassination. (Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images)What else has happened on the Ides of March?
Since Caesar's assassination, the Ides of March has been associated with other misfortune and doom, with several other ominous events taking place on March 15 throughout history.
On March 15, 1889, seven American, German and British warships sat in a standoff in the harbor of Apia, Samoa, as a civil war raged. The standoff ended when a deadly cyclone hit the harbor, damaging six of the ships and killing approximately 200 people, according to Naval History and Heritage Command.
On March 15, 1939, Adolf Hitler moved Nazi troops into Czechoslovakia, annexing the country and ending the practice of appeasement. Later that year, Britain declared war on Germany, sparking World War II.
On March 15, 2003, the World Health Organization declared SARS a "worldwide health threat." Over the course of the outbreak, more than 8,000 people were sickened and nearly 800 died in over 37 countries.
Beyond that, the Ides of March have now rooted in culture as well. The dates have been used as the title of novels, movies, episodes of television, and songs.Contributing: Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY
Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or on X @katecperez_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ides of March: What is it? Why should you beware the historic date?
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