Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Celebrity Birthdays for May 2: Singer Englebert Humperdinck is 89. Country singer R.C. Bannon is 80. Actress-activist Bianca Jagger is 80. Actor David Suchet is 79. Country singer Larry Gatlin is 77. Singer Lou Gramm of Foreigner is 75.

Celebrity Birthdays for April 28: Violinist Steven Staryk is 93. Actress-singer Ann-Margret is 84. Chef-author Alice Waters is 81. Singer Ginette Reno is 79. Actor Paul Guilfoyle ("CSI") is 76. Former "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno is 75.

Today in Music History for May 9: In 1909, fiddler Don Messer, Canada's foremost exponent of old-time music, was born in Tweedside, N.B. "Don Messer and His Islanders" were a fixture on Canadian radio and television for more than 30 years.

Today in History for May 8: In 615, Pope St. Boniface IV, who sanctioned moral and material improvements for the lower clergy, died.

Today in History for May 6: In 1491 BC, it is said Moses began his ascent up Mount Sinai and his inevitable appointment with the Lord to receive the Ten Commandments.

Today in Music History for May 10: In 1899, dancer, singer and actor Fred Astaire, whose real name was Frederick Austerlitz, was born in Omaha, Neb.

Today in History for May 10: In 1278, Jews in England were imprisoned on charges of coining. In 1427, Jews were expelled from Berne, Switzerland. In 1534, Jacques Cartier arrived at Cape Bonavista, Nfld., on his first voyage to Canada.

Today in Music History for May 7: In 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven's monumental "Ninth Symphony" premiered in Vienna.

Today in History for May 7: In 1274, during the Council of Lyons in France, the Eastern and Western churches were briefly reconciled. In 1355, 1,200 Jews in Toledo, Spain, were killed by Count Henry of Trastamara.

Today in Music History for May 5: In 1891, New York's Carnegie Hall, then called the Music Hall, had its opening night with a concert that included works conducted by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Walter Damrosch.