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How Much Do You Know About the Ides of March?

March 5, 2025

Test Your Knowledge of This Ominous Day

On March 15, 44 B.C., Roman dictator Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by 60 conspirators.

The day subsequently became infamous as the "Ides of March," associated with misfortune and doom. But few people know much about it. Do you? Let's find out.

#1. Prior to the introduction of the Julian calendar in 45 B.C., the Ides of March was a day for celebration and rejoicing. Why?

A. It was the beginning of a new year

B. It marked the first day of spring

C. It was the birthday of Mars, their god of war and agriculture

D. Both A and B

E. None of the above.

Answer: A. March was the first month in the lunar-based Roman calendar (until Julius Caesar established a new solar-based calendar in 45 B.C.). It was a time of celebration, not an omen of impending doom.

The official first day of spring for the ancient Romans was February 5. The birth of Mars was celebrated on March 1 with an ancient festival called "Defender of Men" that included feasts, sacrifices, and public games.

#2. What is the origin of the expression "Beware the Ides of March"?

A. It was a warning to debtors in ancient Rome that March 15 was the deadline for settling their debts.

B. It's a line from a Shakespearean play.

C. It's a phrase coined by investment brokers regarding the risk associated with expiring quarterly options.

D. Both A and C

E. None of the above.

Answer: B. In 1599, William Shakespeare dramatized Caesar's assassination and its aftermath in his tragedy Julius Caesar. Early in the play, a soothsayer warns Caesar to "Beware the ides of March." (It's believed that Caesar did, in fact, receive a similar warning regarding the date.)

March 15 was also the deadline for settling debts in ancient Rome. However, that deadline was not associated with the famous warning. Investment brokers have used the warning referring to the expiration of quarterly options in March, but that is not the expression's origin.

#3. Which of the following celebrities died on the Ides of March?

#4. The American jazz-rock band The Ides of March had a major hit song in 1970. What was the name of it?

A. "Keep on Truckin'"

B. "Drive My Car"

C. "Low Rider"

D. “Truckin’”

E. "Vehicle"

Answer: E. "Vehicle" was the name of The Ides of March 1970 hit song. It reached #2 on the charts and was the fastest-selling single in the history of Warner Bros. at that time. "Drive My Car" is a Beatles classic, released on their 1965 album Rubber Soul.

"Low Rider" is a song by American funk band War that appeared on their 1975 album Why Can't We Be Friends? The song reached number one on the Billboard R&B singles chart that year.

"Truckin'" was released in 1970 -- but by the Grateful Dead, not The Ides of March. In 1997, the song was recognized by the United States Library of Congress as a national treasure.

#5. Over the years, some terrible events have occurred on the Ides of March. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A. 151 people died in a Minnesota-North Dakota blizzard.

B. Adolf Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia, sparking World War II.

C. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared SARS a worldwide health threat.

D. The World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a global pandemic.

E. The last Russian czar abdicated, paving the way for the Bolsheviks' "Red Terror."

Answer: D. The WHO declared Covid a global pandemic on March 11, 2020 – not March 15. All the other tragic events occurred on the Ides of March.

The deadly upper-Midwest blizzard occurred on March 15, 1941, with almost no warning. Adolf Hitler first flexed his military muscle by invading Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939. By September 1 of that year, he had invaded Poland.

The WHO declared SARS a worldwide health threat on March 13, 2003. Russia's last czar, Nicholas II, abdicated his throne on March 15, 1917.

#6. According to William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar's dying words were, "Et tu, Brute?" What does the phrase mean?

However, according to historians, Caesar never spoke these words. Neither was Brutus his closest friend or his uttermost betrayer. That distinction falls to Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus, a distant cousin of Marcus Brutus. History records that Caesar did not particularly trust Brutus, whereas Decimus was part of the dictator's inner circle. And it was Decimus who convinced Caesar to attend the senate meeting, luring him to his death.

Sources:
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HISTORY

The Archaeologist

CNN

The Independent

National Institutes of Health

Investing.com

Interesting Literature

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