Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

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. 15: In 1882, tenor Henry Burr (born Harry McClaskey), the most prolific recording artist of his era, was born in St. Stephen, N.B. He recorded an estimated 12,000 titles from 1902 to about 1930.

Today in History for Jan. 14: In 1529, Spanish diplomat and writer Juan de Valdes published his Dialogue on Christian Doctrine. It paved the way for Protestant ideas in Spain.

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.

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

Today in History for Jan. 13: In 1691, Englishman George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, died. In 1695, satirist Jonathan Swift, author of "Gulliver's Travels," was ordained an Anglican priest in Ireland.

Today in History for Jan. 15: In AD 345, Paul of Thebes, traditionally considered the first Christian hermit and an inspiration for Antony of Egypt and later Christian monasticism, died.

Today in Music History for Jan. 18: In 1908, composer Henry Herbert Godfrey, who wrote some of Canada's most popular patriotic songs at the turn of the century, died in Montreal at the age of 50.

Today in Music History for Jan. 13: In 1501, Christianity's first vernacular hymnal was printed in Prague, capital of the present-day Czech Republic. It contained 89 hymns in the Czech language.

Today in Music History for Jan. 14: In 1790, the first operatic work to be performed in Canada, "Colas et Colinette ou le Bailli Dupe," premiered in Montreal. In 1900, Puccini's opera "Tosca" had its world premiere in Rome.