Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in Music History for July 31: In 1886, Hungarian pianist and composer Franz Liszt died of pneumonia at 74. In 1877, Thomas Edison patented the first sound-recording device.

Celebrity Birthdays for July 30: Baseball Hall-of-Famer and former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is 90. Blues guitarist Buddy Guy is 88. Singer Paul Anka is 83. Actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is 77.

Today in History for July 30: On this date: In 1609, at Ticonderoga, French explorer Samuel de Champlain became the first European to use firearms against natives.

Today in Music History for July 30: In 1792, the French national anthem "La Marseillaise," by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, was first sung in Paris. In 1941, singer-songwriter Paul Anka was born in Ottawa.

Celebrity Birthdays for July 29: Actor Robert Fuller ("Laramie," ''Emergency!") is 91. Actress Roz Kelly ("Happy Days") is 82. Keyboardist Neal Doughty of REO Speedwagon is 78. Actor Mike Starr ("Ed," ''Goodfellas") is 74.

Today in History for July 29: On this date: In 1588, the Spanish Armada was defeated in the English Channel by the British, led by Sir Francis Drake.

Today in Music History for July 29: In 1942, Canadian dance band leader Luigi Romanelli died in Murray Bay, Que., at age 56.

Celebrity Birthdays for July 28: CFL Hall of Fame quarterback Russ Jackson is 88. Steel guitarist George Cummings (Dr. Hook) is 86. Musical conductor Riccardo Muti is 83. NBA Hall-of-Famer and former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley is 81.

Today in History for July 28: On this date: In 1540, King Henry VIII's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, was executed, the same day Henry married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. In 1576, Martin Frobisher's expedition reached Labrador.

Today in Music History for July 28: In 1750, German composer Johann Sebastian Bach died in Leipzig, in eastern Germany. In 1901, Rudy Vallee, one of the great entertainers of the late 1920s and through the 1930s, was born in Island Pond, Vt.