Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in Music History for Sept. 26: In 1887, Emile Berliner filed a patent application for the gramophone. This recording device used zinc discs instead of the metal cylinders of Thomas Edison's phonograph, which was patented 10 years earlier.

Today in History for Sept. 26: On this date: In 1751, some 1,000 immigrants from Wurtemberg, Germany, arrived in Halifax, N.S. In 1774, American pioneer environmentalist Jonathan Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, was born.

Celebrity Birthdays for Sept. 25: Polka band leader Jimmy Sturr is 83. Actor Robert Walden ("Lou Grant") is 81. Actor Josh Taylor is 81. Gary (Jules) Alexander of The Association is 81. Actor-producer Michael Douglas is 80.

Today in Music History for Sept. 25: In 1932, Glenn Gould, the Canadian concert and recording pianist, was born in Toronto.

Today in History for Sept. 25: On this date: In 1493, Christopher Columbus set sail from Cadiz, Spain, with a flotilla of 17 ships on his second voyage to the Western Hemisphere.

Celebrity Birthdays for Sept. 24: Singer Phyliss "Jiggs" Allbut of The Angels is 82. Pro Football Hall-of-Famer "Mean" Joe Greene is 78. Guitarist and singer Jerry Donahue is 78. Actor Gordon Clapp ("NYPD Blue") is 76.

Today in Music History for Sept. 24: In 1941, Linda McCartney was born in Scarsdale, N.Y. She married Paul McCartney in 1969, soon after he broke up with Jane Asher.

Today in History for Sept. 24: On this date: In 787, the Second Nicene Council opened under Pope Hadrian I.

Celebrity Birthdays for Sept. 23: Singer Julio Iglesias is 81. Actress-singer Mary Kay Place is 77. Musician Bruce Springsteen is 75. Director/playwright George C. Wolfe is 70. Drummer Leon Taylor of The Ventures is 69.

Today in Music History for Sept. 23: In 1926, jazz saxophonist John Coltrane was born in Hamlet, N.C.