Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in History for Aug. 2: On this date: In 1100, King William II of England was killed in a hunting accident. In 1610, English explorer Henry Hudson discovered Hudson Bay.

Today in History for Aug. 1: On this date: In 1534, French explorer Jacques Cartier sighted the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Today in Music History for Aug. 2: In 1921, Enrico Caruso, the world's greatest operatic tenor, died in Naples, Italy at the age of 48.

Today in Music History for Aug. 3: In 1907, Greta Kraus, who became Canada's most outstanding harpsichordist, was born in Vienna. After moving to Canada in 1938 she appeared as a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist in concert and on the CBC.

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.

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.

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

Today in History for July 31: On this date: In 1498, Christopher Columbus landed at Trinidad. In 1556, St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus -- the Jesuit order of Catholic priests and brothers -- died in Rome.

Celebrity Birthdays for July 19: Actress Helen Gallagher is 98. Singer Vikki Carr is 84. Blues singer-musician Little Freddie King is 84. Actor George Dzundza is 79. Singer-bassist Alan Gorrie of Average White Band is 78.