Beware the Ides of March

In the past I have become frustrated when people have asked what my birthday is and they have no idea what I'm talking about when I respond, "The Ides of March." At some point I realized that the only reason I (or anyone) would have reason to remember that the Ides of March falls on the 15th day of March is because that's my birthday. People who don't share the same birthday would only remember it because they love history, Shakespeare, or random facts. After all, there are some very important dates that are very close to the Ides of March. March 14th, for example, is Pi Day celebrating the mathematical symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Why March 14th, you ask? Pi ()=3.1415926 and 3/14 at 1:59:26 is when the ultimate Pi Day festivities take place. I'd go into more detail about the festivities, but the focus of this entry is not Pi Day, it's the Ides of March. For more info check out the official Pi Day website so you can be prepared for next year: http://www.piday.org/
Another holiday that is close to the Ides is St. Patrick's Day. When I was younger my favorite color was green. I attribute this to the fact that the Ides of March (my birthday) is so close to St. Patrick's Day.
Now, why is the Ides of March so well known among history and Shakespeare lovers? Well, the Ides of March is the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated. As the story goes Caesar was warned by a fortune teller to watch his back on the Ides, but he didn't heed the advice and ended up being killed.
You may have heard of the infamous Ides of March from the following places:
Shakespeare's play entitled "Julius Caesar"
Ides of March" is the name of a song recorded by Guns 'N Roses
In "Back to the Future II" George McFly was killed on the Ides of March in 1973.
In "The Simpsons" episode "Homer the Great", Lisa warns Homer, "beware the Ides of March", after Homer claims he now knows he is God. Homer replies, "No!"

I hope the March history lesson wasn't too boring for everyone. And when the time comes again...BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH!!!