Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in History for Jan. 26: In 1500, the mouth of the Amazon River in South America was discovered by Vicente Yanez Pinzon, a veteran of Christopher Columbus' first voyage to the New World.

Today in History for Jan. 28: In 814, Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, died. In 1547, Henry VIII, who split the church of England from Rome and presided over the founding of the Anglican church, died.

Today in Music History for Jan. 27: In 1731, Italian harpsichord manufacturer Bartolomeo Cristofori died. He is generally credited with inventing the piano.

Celebrity Birthdays for Jan. 17: Talk show host Maury Povich is 86. Singer Chris Montez is 83. Actress Joanna David ("Downton Abbey") is 78. Actress Jane Elliot ("General Hospital") is 78. Former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor is 77.

Today in History for Jan. 17: In AD 356, Antony of Egypt, considered the founder of Christian monasticism, died at age 105.

Today in Music History for Jan. 17: In 1927, sultry nightclub singer Eartha Kitt was born in Columbia, S.C. Her real birth date wasn't known until 1997, when students at Benedict College in Columbia tracked down her birth certificate.

Celebrity Birthdays for Jan. 16: Author William Kennedy is 97. Author-editor Norman Podhoretz is 95. Opera singer Marilyn Horne is 91. Hall of Fame auto racer A.J. Foyt is 90. Singer Barbara Lynn is 83. Country singer Ronnie Milsap is 82.

Today in History for Jan. 16: In 1543, the British Parliament prohibited any ``women or artificer's prentices, journeymen, servingmen of the degree of yeoman, or under, husbandmen or labourers to read the New Testament in English.

Today in Music History for Jan. 16: In 1849, Stephen Humbert, who in 1801 compiled the first English-language collection of vocal music, died in Saint John, N.B. at the age of 82.

Celebrity Birthdays for Jan. 15: Actress Margaret O'Brien ("Meet Me In St. Louis") is 88. TV and radio personality Dini Petty is 80. Retired ballerina Veronica Tennant is 79. Actress Andrea Martin is 78.