Thanks to my English class on William Shakespeare, the phrase The Ides of March conjures prophecies of doom and a need for caution.

Even if you’ve never read Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, you’re probably familiar with the phrase.

But the Ides of March didn’t originally mean anything sinister. The word Ides comes from the old Latin verb iduare, which means “to divide.” March 15 was a normal day in the Roman calendar, meaning halfway through the month, and coincided with the rise of the full moon.

Every month had an Ides. In March, May, July, and October, the ides fell on the 15th. In the other months, Ides came on the 13th, which would make it double trouble for those who suffer from paraskavedekatriaphobia, a fear of Friday the 13th.

During Roman times, the Ides of March was the deadline for settling debts. So perhaps, some Romans considered the date ominous even before Shakespeare dramatized the 44 B.C. assassination of Julius Caesar.

But it was the soothsayer’s warnings to Julius Caesar in Shakespeare’s play that forever linked the date with bad luck.

Before March 15, Caesar ruled Rome as a temporary dictator. He very much wished to make the position permanent. His quest for power triggered a conspiracy to have him assassinated, and he was stabbed 23 times on the stairs of the Senate House.

Perhaps Caesar should have listened to the soothsayer, who, it turns out, was a real historical figure named Spurinna. According to Roman historians, Spurinna was a haruspex or religious figure who was able to divine the future by examining the dissected innards of sacrificial animals. He’d seen signs in February and warned Caesar, but Caesar chose to ignore him.

Julius Caesar’s murder is not the only bad thing to happen on the Ides of March or March 15. Check out these:

  1.  Smithsonian’s list of historical events that occurred on March 15.
  2. The UK’s Independent suggests these five events as the worst things that have happened on March 15

Dreadful things can and do happen on March 15.

So can good things. This blog lists some of the good things:  The Ides of March: Significant Events That Shaped Our World

I can tell you if I receive any warnings about the Ides of March, I’m going to side with caution. I don’t want a day like the one Julius Caesar had.

Are you extra cautious on Ides of March or is it just another day?