Today in Hellenic History.

[Amarantos]

14 March 1772
The Revolutionary Georgakis Olympios is born in Livadi,Thessaly.


Georgakis Olympios (Livadi, March 14, 1772 - Secu Abbey Moldavia, September 23, 1821).

14 March 1821
Ioannis Kapodistrias, foreign minister of Russia at the moment, sends a letter to Alexandros Ypsilantis in which he criticizes the manner and time in which the Greek Revolution was started in the Danubian countries. In substance Kapodistrias indirectly recognizes the rightfulness of the demands of the Greek Revolution, which he supported decisively from his position.

14 March 1821
Nikolaos Souliotis, recruited into the Philiki Hetaireia at the urging of Papaphlessas, ambushes Turkish messengers in Portes, near Agridi in the Chelmos mountain. The messengers are carrying letters from the Kaymakam Salih to Hurshit Pasha in Ioannina. This is the first incident leading to the national uprising.

14 March 1825
-Death of the Revolutionary Ioannis Mavromichalis in one of the battles against Ibrahim pasha in the region of Neokastro.

-Partial amnesty is granted by Kountouriotis' government to its political rivals.

14 March 1854
King Otto's aide-de-camp, Lieutenant General Christodoulos Chatzipetros, assumes the leadership of the struggle against the Turks in Thessaly. He sets out from Lamia at the head of a body of rebels which is named "Alkiviadeion."

14 March 1921
Army Corps A captures Afyonkarahisar for the first time after bitter fighting and advances fifty kilometers further east.

14 March 1939
Stavros Xarchakos, distinguished music composer, is born in Athens.



14 March 1941
Almost five days after the beginning of the Italian offensive, the Italian army numbers at least 14.000 Killed and Wounded in Action.

14 March 1942
It is signed by the representatives of the collaborationist Greek, the Italian and the German governments the Agreement of Rome, which forecasts the imposition upon Greece of a "loan" for the expenses of the Axis powers in occupying the country. The agreement, which is notified officially to the Greek government with the 160th verbal statement of the attorney of the Third Reich in Greece, forecasts the settlement of the loan "in the future" - "εν καιρώ". Professor A. Aggelopoulos estimated in 1993 the loan to be equivalent to US $ 3.000.000.000 .

14 March 1957
Evagoras Pallikaridis ,EOKA fighter, is hanged in the Central Jail of Lefkosia by the British colonial authorities.

14 March 1964
The first team of Canadian Blue Helmets, leaves urgently for Cyprus to settle between the two communities.

14 March 1975
Researches for the discovery of hydrocarbons begin in Nestos river.

[Amarantos]

15 March 963
Death of the Byzantin Emperor Romanos II.

15 March 1311
The Catalans and forces from Frankish-held Greece under the command of Gauthier de Brienne, Duke of Athens, fight a battle near lake Kopais in Boeotia. The Franks suffer a severe defeat and Gauthier de Brienne is killed in the battle, while as a result of their victory the Catalans establish a principality centered in Athens, that lasts until 1387.

15 March 1825
In a skirmish in the village Schinolaka near Pylos revolutionary forces under Karatasos defeat the military forces of the Turk-egyptians.

15 March 1832
Augustinos Kapodistrias, brother of Ioannis, is elected temporary Governor of Greece.

15 March 1838
With a royal decree of King Othon, March 25 is established as a day of National Feast.
("... Considering that the day of March 25 is a brilliant one also by itself to evey Greek because of the Feast of Annunciation to Virgin Mary, is even more brilliant and cheerful for the beginning at this day of the fight for independence of the Greek Nation, we establish this day as a day of National Feast in perpetuity...") - ("...Θεωρήσαντες ότι η ημέρα της 25ης Μαρτίου είναι λαμπρά και καθ’ εαυτήν εις πάντα Έλληνα διά την αυτή τελουμένην εορτήν του Ευαγγελισμού της Υπεραγίας Θεοτόκου, είναι προσέτι λαμπρά και χαρμόσυνος διά την κατ’ αυτήν την ημέραν έναρξιν του περί της ανεξαρτησίας αγώνος του ελληνικού Έθνους, καθιερούμεν την ημέραν ταύτην εις το διηνεκές ως ημέραν εθνικής εορτής...")

15 March 1926
The President of the Hellenic Republic admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis resigns, protesting for the arbitrary actions of the dictator general Theodoros Pangalos.

15 March 1943
The first train transporting Greek Jews with destination Auschwitz departs from Thessaloniki. During WW2 more than 48.000 Greek Jews are displaced in Auschwitz, in Birkenau and in Bergen-Belsen. Only 2.000 finally will return in Greece after the end of the war.

15 March 1975
Death of Aristotelis Onassis.


Aristotelis Onassis (1906 – 1975).

15 March 2006
Death of Georgios Rallis ,politician and Prime Minister of Greece.


Georgios Rallis (26 December 1918 - 15 March 2006).

[Amarantos]

16 March 963
Basil II the Bulgar-Slayer is crowned Emperor of Byzantium after the death of his father Romanos II.He will remain in the throne up to August of the same year, with his younger brother Konstantinos VIII as co-emperor.

16 March 1669
Francesco Morosini surrenders Chandax (Herakleion) in Crete to the Turks under Ahmet Kopruloglou, who besieged it for 21 years, a notable event in the world history.

16 March 1828
- The Turks of Lobotina (Nafpaktia region) attack the men of Evangelos Makrygiannis and Ioannis Pharmakis near Myrmengari village. The attack fails and the Turks turn to flight, leaving fifty killed and many wounded in the battlefield.

- A Turkish force of 600 men, under the command of Ahmet Aga Bul, the commander of the Salona (Amphissa) garrison, attacks units led by Captain B. Mastrapos and the “hecatontarch” M. Giles. After a battle lasting many hours, the Greeks, who have been reinforced by 300 men led by Panomaras in the meantime, crush the Turks.

16 March 1889
Kostis Palamas in his speech in the Literary Association Parnassos presents the poet Andreas Kalvos to the public of Athens ("Kalvos the Zakynthian" - "Κάλβος ο Ζακύνθιος").

16 March 1905
The Macedonian Freedom Fighters led by Makris and Vlachogiannis clash with, and nearly disperse the komitadji force led by Vojevod Naum between the villages Gradeshnitsa and Dragosh in the region between Monastiri and Florina.

16 March 1918
A truce is signed in Thessaloniki between the Bulgarians and the Allies.The Minister of Economics is at the head of the Bulgarian representatives. According to the terms of the truce Bulgaria is obligated to:
a) Evacuate the Greek and Serbian territories it occupied
b) Demobilize its entire army except for three divisions
c) Store the guns, small arms, ammunition, vehicles and pack animals of the demobilized units in locations that would be specified by the Allied military leadership and would be under its control.

16 March 1941
After the failure of "Operation Springtime" the Italian forces located in Albania regroup in their initial positions.

16 March 1943
The submarine Papanikolis sinks an Italian sailer off Rodos island.

16 March 1959
The singer Savina Yannatou is born in Athens.


Savina Yannatou