Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in History for Feb. 8: In 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded. After attempting to restore Catholicism to Scotland and two disastrous marriages, she was forced to abdicate and fled to England in 1567.

Today in Music History for Feb. 8: In 1899, blues guitarist and singer Lonnie Johnson was born in New Orleans.

Today in Music History for Feb. 4: In 1894, Belgian musician and inventor Adolphe Sax died at age 79. He gave the world the saxophone, the saxtromba and the sax horn.

Today in History for Feb. 2: In 1536, the Argentine city of Buenos Aires was founded by Pedro de Mendoza of Spain. In 1556, a devastating earthquake killed an estimated 830,000 people in China.

Today in Music History for Feb. 7: In 1944, the first Canadian Kiwanis Music Festival opened at the Eaton Auditorium in Toronto. There were about 7,000 competitors. One of the winners was a 10-year-old pianist -- Glenn Gould.

Today in Music History for Feb. 6: In 1945, Bob Marley, the first superstar of reggae music, was born in Rhoden Hall, Jamaica.

Today in Music History for Feb. 5: In 1887, Verdi's opera ``Otello'' premiered at the La Scala opera house. In 1940, Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded ``Tuxedo Junction'' for RCA Victor's Bluebird label.

Today in Music History for Feb. 3: In 1809, composer Felix Mendelssohn, a devout Lutheran, was born in Hamburg in present-day Germany. His Elijah oratorio is considered second only to Handel's Messiah by many critics.

Celebrity Birthdays for Jan. 24: Fiddler Doug Kershaw is 89. Singer Ray Stevens is 86. Singer Aaron Neville is 84. Singer Neil Diamond is 84. Actor Michael Ontkean (``Twin Peaks'') is 79. Country singer-songwriter Becky Hobbs is 75.

Today in Music History for Jan. 24: In 1941, singer-songwriter-actor Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn, N.Y.