An Irish Toast and 20 Interesting History Facts About St. Patrick's Day

Have you ever wondered if anything besides the wearing of green, the eating of corned beef and cabbage, or getting pinched has happened on St. Patrick's Day? The answer is yes. Many odd things have happened in history on St. Patrick's Day.

First, the traditional St. Patrick's Day toast is "May the enemies of Ireland never eat bread nor drink whiskey, but be tormented with itching without the benefit of scratching." Only an Irishman could come up with that!

Here are some interesting events and occurrences that have happened in history on St. Patrick's Day, March 17.

1. In 461 AD, St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, died.
2. In 1766, New York City held the first St. Patrick's Day parade. An unofficial march occurred in 1762.
3. In 1776 during the Revolutionary War, British forces evacuated Boston.
4. In 1870, Wellesley Female Seminary, later named Wellesley College, obtained its charter from the Massachusetts legislature.
5. In 1905, Franklin D. Roosevelt married Eleanor in New York City.
6. In 1909, an earthquake rocked Taiwan and killed over 1200 people.
7. In 1931, Nevada voted and made gambling legal.
8. In 1941, the National Gallery of Art opened in Washington.
9. In 1942, General Douglas MacArthur was named the Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific theater during World War II.
10. In 1945, the Japanese were defeated at the battle of Iwo Jima by American forces.
11. In 1948, "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover", by The Art Moonie Orchestra hit the music charts.
12. In 1949, at the international auto show in Geneva, Switzerland, the first car with a Porsche badge is shown on a Porsche 356.
13. In 1950, University of California at Berkeley scientists announced they had formed "californium", a radioactive element.
14. In 1956, Fred Allen, the comedian died.
15. In 1963, Mount Agung on Bali in Indonesia erupted.
16. In 1964, The Beatles song, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" hit the music charts.
17. In 1969, Golda Meir was sworn in as Prime Minister of Israel.
18. In 1985, Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker, began his killing spree in Los Angeles.
19. In 1992, 28 people were killed in Buenos Aires, Argentina when the Israeli embassy was targeted by truck bomb.
20. In 2003, President Bush gave Saddam Hussein a taunting challenge: "Leave Iraq within 48 hours or face an attack!

Actors Patrick Duffy and Kurt Russell celebrate their birthdays on St. Patrick's Day.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all lucky Irishmen.