March 13

National Good Samaritan Day

An annual observance on March 13 encouraging acts of kindness and recognizing those who help strangers in need.

Yearly Date

March 13

Observed in

Introduction

National Good Samaritan Day exists because of a question most people would rather not answer: if you saw a stranger in danger, would you actually stop to help? Research on the bystander effect suggests the honest answer is often no, especially in crowds, where the presence of other witnesses makes each individual less likely to intervene.

The holiday draws its name from one of Western ethics' most familiar stories, but its date is tied to a specific failure of that principle. The case that prompted the observance exposed a gap between the values people claim and the actions they take, and it changed how psychologists, lawmakers, and emergency responders think about intervention.

National Good Samaritan Day History

The term "Good Samaritan" comes from a parable in the Gospel of Luke (~30 CE). In the story, a Jewish traveler is beaten and left for dead on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. A priest and a Levite pass him by. A Samaritan, a member of a group typically hostile to Jews, stops to help, binds his wounds, and pays for his care at an inn. The parable became the foundational text for the Western ethical obligation to help strangers.

The holiday, however, is not about the parable. It is about a specific failure to live up to it. On March 13, 1964, Catherine "Kitty" Genovese was attacked and murdered outside her apartment building in Kew Gardens, Queens. The New York Times reported that 38 witnesses saw or heard the attack and did nothing. Later investigations found that number was exaggerated, but the story had already transformed American psychology.

From tragedy to science

In 1968, psychologists John Darley and Bibb Latane published experiments directly inspired by the Genovese case. They demonstrated the bystander effect: the more people who witness an emergency, the less likely any individual is to act. Their research showed this was not about moral failure but about the diffusion of responsibility, a measurable psychological phenomenon.

The holiday's creation

California celebrated the first Good Samaritan Day in 1970. In 1975, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution designating March 13 as National Good Samaritan Day, tying the observance permanently to the Genovese anniversary. By then, California had already enacted the nation's first Good Samaritan law (1959), and every U.S. state eventually followed with legislation protecting those who provide emergency assistance from liability.

National Good Samaritan Day Timeline

~30 CE

Parable of the Good Samaritan recorded

The Gospel of Luke (10:25-37) records Jesus telling the parable of a Samaritan who helps a beaten traveler after a priest and a Levite pass him by. The story established the term 'Good Samaritan' as a universal symbol of compassion for strangers.

1959

California enacts first Good Samaritan law

California became the first U.S. state to pass a Good Samaritan law, initially designed to protect physicians who provided emergency medical care outside of hospitals from malpractice liability.

1964

Kitty Genovese murdered in Queens

Catherine Genovese was attacked and killed outside her apartment building on March 13, 1964. Initial reports that 38 witnesses failed to intervene sparked national outrage and debate about bystander responsibility.

1968

Bystander effect research published

Psychologists John Darley and Bibb Latane published research on the bystander effect, directly inspired by the Genovese case. Their experiments demonstrated that individuals are less likely to help when other people are present.

1975

U.S. Senate designates March 13

The U.S. Senate passed a resolution designating March 13 as National Good Samaritan Day, linking the observance to the anniversary of the Genovese murder and the call to civic responsibility it represented.

How to Celebrate National Good Samaritan Day

1

Learn your state's Good Samaritan law

Read about the parable of the Good Samaritan and the legal tradition it inspired. Good Samaritan laws exist in all 50 states to protect people who voluntarily help others in emergencies from liability.
2

Take a first aid or CPR course

Find a course through the American Red Cross to learn basic emergency skills. The bystander effect is strongest when people feel unqualified to help, and training directly counters that hesitation.
3

Perform an anonymous act of kindness

Pay for a stranger's coffee, leave a generous tip, or cover someone's parking meter. The holiday's core message is that helping strangers should be a default behavior, not an exceptional one.
4

Read the original Genovese reporting

Read the Psychology Today overview of the bystander effect, including how the Kitty Genovese case shaped public understanding of why people fail to intervene. Later investigations challenged the original 38-witness narrative.
5

Volunteer with a crisis hotline

Sign up as a volunteer with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or a local crisis center. Being a Good Samaritan extends beyond physical emergencies to emotional and mental health support.

Why National Good Samaritan Day is Important

A

It is rooted in one of psychology's most studied phenomena

The bystander effect, documented by Darley and Latane in 1968, showed that individuals are less likely to intervene in emergencies when other people are present. National Good Samaritan Day exists because of the Genovese case that generated this research. The holiday is a direct response to a measured psychological tendency to not act.
B

It marks the legal framework that protects helpers

All 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have Good Samaritan laws that protect bystanders who provide reasonable emergency assistance from civil liability. These laws exist because people were historically reluctant to help strangers for fear of being sued. The holiday recognizes the legal infrastructure that makes intervention safer.
C

It connects an ancient parable to a modern obligation

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is nearly 2,000 years old and remains one of the most cited ethical stories across religious and secular contexts. National Good Samaritan Day bridges that ancient teaching with the specific modern moment, the Genovese murder, that proved the parable's lesson was still urgently needed.