Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in Music History for May 9: In 1909, fiddler Don Messer, Canada's foremost exponent of old-time music, was born in Tweedside, N.B. "Don Messer and His Islanders" were a fixture on Canadian radio and television for more than 30 years.

Today in Music History for May 10: In 1899, dancer, singer and actor Fred Astaire, whose real name was Frederick Austerlitz, was born in Omaha, Neb.

Today in Music History for May 7: In 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven's monumental "Ninth Symphony" premiered in Vienna.

Today in Music History for May 8: In 1929, Metropolitan opera tenor Edward Johnson sang on the final evening of the first music festival held in his hometown of Guelph, Ont.

Today in Music History for May 6: In 1859, John Bayley conducted the Victoria Philharmonic Society in the first concert given in what now is the British Columbia capital.

Today in Music History for May 5: In 1891, New York's Carnegie Hall, then called the Music Hall, had its opening night with a concert that included works conducted by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Walter Damrosch.

Today in History for May 11: On this date: In 1189, Emperor Frederik I Barbarossa and 100,000 crusaders left Regensburg in southern Germany for the Holy Land. In 1421, Jews were expelled from Styria in Austria.

Today in History for May 10: On this date: In 1278, Jews in England were imprisoned on charges of coining. In 1427, Jews were expelled from Berne, Switzerland. In 1534, Jacques Cartier arrived at Cape Bonavista, Nfld., on his first voyage to Canada.

Today in History for May 9: On this date: In 1092, England's Lincoln Cathedral was consecrated. In 1265, the Italian poet Dante Alighieri, author of the Divine Comedy, was born.

Today in History for May 7: On this date: In 1274, during the Council of Lyons in France, the Eastern and Western churches were briefly reconciled. In 1355, 1,200 Jews in Toledo, Spain, were killed by Count Henry of Trastamara.