March 1990: Proposal for a database of all viruses, later the ICTVdB

3 March 2014: Discovery of Pithovirus sibericum, the largest known virus at 1.5 μm long by 0.5 μm in diameter

4 March 1918: First case reported in the 1918 influenza pandemic

10 March 1956: Francis Crick and James Watson proposed that small viruses have a protein shell consisting of a large number of identical subunits

10 March 1956: Donald Caspar published paper on the structure of tomato bushy stunt virus

13 March 2003: Enfuvirtide (T20) approved; first HIV fusion inhibitor, also first HIV entry inhibitor

20 March 1987: Antiretroviral drug AZT (pictured) became the first antiviral medication approved for use against HIV/AIDS

22 March 2014: First case reported in the West African Ebola outbreak, the most widespread so far

26 March 1953: Jonas Salk reported a successful test of an inactivated polio vaccine.

28 March 2003: Mimivirus shown to be a virus, then the largest known