Not Just Julius: The Many Meanings of The Ides of March

Topics: beware the ides of march, george clooney, ides, ides of march 15, ides of march meaning, Julius Caesar, lifestyle, march 15, movie, roman calendar, Ryan Gosling, the Ides of march

March 15, Ides of March

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Falling on the 15th of March, May, July, and October, or the 13th day of any other month, the ides signified the middle of the month on the Roman calendar. But NewsFeed is guessing that's not the only context that you've heard it in before.

So we've culled a quick list of the various things and events that the "Ides of March" could refer to:

(More on TIME.com: See where the Ides of March falls on our top 10 unforgettable days list)

1. The day that Julius Caesar was betrayed and assassinated in 44 B.C. by a group of Roman senators--an event that solidified the date in infamy.

2. The famous line, "Beware the ides of March," from Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, when Caesar is warned of his impending death by a soothsayer--a warning that Caesar disastrously, but predictably, fails to heed.

3. The epistolary novel, The Ides of March, by Thornton Wilder was published in 1948 and describes the events leading up to the assassination of Caesar (notice a pattern here?)

4. The Ides of March was the American rock band behind the hit 70s song 'Vehicle'.

5. And last but not least, a non-depressing reference -- The Ides of March is the political thriller directed by George Clooney, set to be released in late 2011. The movie is about "an idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate [who] gets a crash course on dirty politics," which admittedly does sound like a bit of a downer. But it stars Clooney and Ryan Gosling, and that is anything but depressing!