Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Celebrity Birthdays for Feb. 8: Composer-conductor John Williams is 93. News anchor Ted Koppel is 85. Actor Nick Nolte is 84. Folk singer and songwriter Tom Rush is 84. Comedian Robert Klein is 83.

Today in History for Feb. 10: In 3641 BC, according to the calculations of the Mayans, the world was created. In AD 60 (traditional date), the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked at Malta.

Today in History for Feb. 15: In 399 B.C., Socrates, the Greek philosopher, is thought to have been sentenced to death. In 1386, Lithuanian king Jagiello was baptized.

Today in History for Feb. 9: In 249, legends say the woman who later became St. Appolonia, the patron saint of dentistry, was tortured and killed for being a Christian.

Today in Music History for Feb. 14: In 1879, ``La Marseillaise'' became the national anthem of France. In 1935, Canadian trombonist Rob McConnell was born in London, Ont.

Today in History for Feb. 12: In 1554, Lady Jane Grey, who had been queen of England for nine days, was beheaded after being charged with high treason. In 1793, Spain agreed to pay compensation for the seizure of British ships at Nootka, B.C.

Today in History for Feb. 13: In 1542, the fifth wife of England's King Henry VIII, Catherine Howard, was executed for adultery. In 1633, Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for trial before the Inquisition.

Today in History for Feb. 11: In 1765, London wig-makers, dismayed that fewer men were wearing wigs, asked King George III to buy their products to spur sales. He declined.

Today in Music History for Feb. 9: In 1891, the Canadian Pacific Railway opened its Vancouver Opera House with a performance by the Emma Juch English Opera company, a touring company from the U.S.

Today in Music History for Feb. 15: In 1918, country singer Hank Locklin was born in McLellan, Fla.