28 Bizarre, Wild, And Shocking Things That Happened In March 2024

Warning: This article contains brief mention of child abuse and sexual abuse. 

Every month, I round up all the shocking, bizarre, and noteworthy things that happened in the news — most of which will make you say, "That happened this month?! I feel like that was a year ago." So, here are all the major events from March (in order of occurrence):

1.March 1: Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball and one of history's most influential manga authors, died at 68.

Fans who grew up on his acclaimed series were joined in their mourning by similarly big names in the anime industry, including One Piece and Naruto creators Eiichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto, who released statements detailing how much Toriyama meant to them.

2.March 4: After a Colorado court disqualified former President Donald Trump from appearing on state ballots because of his role in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the Supreme Court overruled this decision.

A very weird Uno reverse, in my personal opinion.

3. March 5: Facebook and Instagram were both down, leading to a flood of jokes on X (formerly known as Twitter)...

E! / Via Twitter: @ourrachblogs

...and even Elon acknowledged the flood of tweets from users who may have usually been posting elsewhere.

Twitter: @X

4.March 6: Nikki Haley dropped out of the presidential race, leaving Trump as the GOP's last major candidate.

5.March 7: In aerophobia news, a United Airlines flight lost its tire after taking off from San Francisco International Airport.

As someone who doesn't fly, I need airlines to get it together and stop fueling my worst nightmares.

Twitter: @Phil_Lewis_

6. March 7: Majorie Taylor Greene and Joe Biden locked eyes before his State of the Union address and the 81-year-old looked like he saw the Ghost of Campaigns Present.

CNN / Via Twitter: @BaileyCarlin

7. March 7: Following the address, Sen. Katie Britt delivered an honestly unsettling Republican rebuttal.

Fox News / Via Twitter: @Lis_Smith

8.March 10: Kate Middleton shared a photo we now know to be altered, which fueled conspiracy theories about her whereabouts at the time.

9.March 10: The 96th Academy Awards took place, and Ryan Gosling won the night with his "I'm Just Ken" performance.

10.March 10: Speaking of the Oscars, many celebs walked the red carpet with pins displaying the Artists4Ceasefire symbol, in reference to an organization calling for "an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost."

11. March 13: In a decision that has the potential to tank thousands of small businesses, the US House of Representatives passed a bill in an effort to effectively ban TikTok.

Hulu / Via Twitter: @heyjaeee

12. March 13: When speaking on the House's decision, Nancy Pelosi seemingly proved that younger voices are needed in politics when she said, "This is not an attempt to ban TikTok. It's an attempt to make TikTok better. Tic-tac-toe. A winner. A winner."

C-Span / Via Twitter: @HowardMortman

13.March 13: You may remember the name Clive Palmer. He's an Australian billionaire who shook the world about three years ago after announcing his plan to rebuild a replica of the Titanic.

Well, the 69-year-old — who made his money from mining — provided an update via a press conference. Building of the Titanic II, as it's been dubbed, is planned to start next year, and its maiden voyage has been scheduled for June 2027, Forbes reports.

14. March 14: In celeb news, Bella Hadid shared a look at her morning routine, which consisted of a lot of pills and a lot of goopy drinks.

TikTok: @babybella777 / Via tiktok.com

15. March 14: Video of Delta Airlines pilot Laura Haynor, who was speaking at an amendment hearing on Minnesota's sick and safe time law, went viral when Republican Sen. Gene Dornink referred to her as a "stewardess." (Ya know, daily life as a woman.)

CBS Minnesota / Via Twitter: @yashar

16.March 14: In NSFW news that realistically affects millions, Pornhub disabled access to its website for users in Texas in protest of the state's age verification requirement.

17. March 17: Despite there being no evidence that such a thing would occur, rumors spread that an ominous "royal announcement" was pending. This led to speculation that the death of King Charles would be announced. Of course, all of this was false.

Twitter: @brosandprose

18.March 17–18: The documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV was released, exposing the allegedly toxic work environments and child abuse some Nickelodeon stars endured in the early aughts.

In one of the documentary's most shocking moments, actor Drake Bell identified himself as a sexual abuse victim of Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck, who was arrested in 2003.

Since airing, at least a dozen more actors have spoken out about their experiences on sets. 

19. March 19: The United States Environmental Protection Agency banned asbestos...leading a bunch of people to realize that asbestos hadn't been banned yet.

Twitter: @YosemiteForest

20. March 22: Kate Middleton announced she was diagnosed with cancer.

Twitter: @KensingtonRoyal

21.March 23: While visiting a community center in San Juan, Kamala Harris was met outside by a group of singers protesting her arrival. In a now-viral clip of the encounter, the vice president claps along to the performance until she's seemingly informed that their lyrics aren't positive.

22. March 24: In lighter news, this super random, ironically smoking duck meme took over timelines.

Twitter: @urlbbe

23.March 25: Following numerous allegations of violence and sexual abuse, Homeland Security raided Los Angeles and Miami properties owned by rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs.

Much is still left unknown about the investigation.

24.March 25: It was announced that Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will step down by the end of 2024.

This news follows a string of incidents involving Boeing planes and an audit completed by the Federal Aviation Administration, which found "dozens" of problems in the company's manufacturing process. 

25. March 26: Trump leaned into panhandling, selling American-themed Bibles for $59.99 each.

Twitter: @TrumpDailyPosts

26. March 26: A container cargo ship struck a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, resulting in the structure's collapse.

Twitter: @BNONews

27. March 29: After teasing the world with two new songs she dropped during the Super Bowl, Beyoncé finally released her newest album Cowboy Carter.

40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks / Via Twitter: @_kengrace

28.March 29: And finally, Lizzo shared the following statement on Instagram: "I quit."

Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments.

You can read our previous monthly wrap-ups below:

I Can't Believe All Of These Weird, Shocking, And Internet-Breaking Things Happened In February 2024

32 Bizarre, Wild, And Shocking Things That Happened In January 2024