Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Celebrity Birthdays for April 17: Actor David Bradley ("Game of Thrones") is 82. Singer and actress Michele Richard is 78. Musician Jan Hammer is 76. Actress Olivia Hussey is 73. Actor Clarke Peters ("Treme") is 72.

Celebrity Birthdays for April 19: Actress Elinor Donahue ("Father Knows Best") is 87. Keyboardist Alan Price of The Animals is 82. Singer Eve Graham of the New Seekers is 81. Actor Tim Curry is 78. Singer Mark "Flo" Volman of The Turtles is 77.

Celebrity Birthdays for April 20: Walter Ostanek, "Canada's Polka King," is 89. Actor George Takei ("Star Trek") is 87. Singer Johnny Tillotson is 86. Bluegrass singer-musician Doyle Lawson (Quicksilver) is 80. Actress Judith O'Dea is 79.

Celebrity Birthdays for April 16: Singer Bobby Vinton is 89. Denmark's Queen Margrethe II is 84. Blues singer and guitarist Stefan Grossman is 79. Basketball Hall of Fame centre Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is 77.

Celebrity Birthdays for April 15: Actress Claudia Cardinale ("Son of the Pink Panther") is 86. British singer-songwriter Marty Wilde (born Reginald Smith) is 85. Author and politician Jeffrey Archer is 84. Singer-guitarist Dave Edmunds is 80.

Celebrity Birthdays for April 18: Actor Clive Revill is 94. Actor Robert Hooks is 87. Mike Vickers, saxophone player and guitarist of Manfred Mann, is 84. Music critic Robert Christgau is 82.

Today in History for April 25: On this date: In 912, Venice was founded and its main square named after St. Mark to honour his feast day. In 1214, Louis IX, king of France and saint, was born.

Today in Music History for April 26: In 1886, pioneer blues singer Gertrude "Ma" Rainey was born in Columbus, Ga., During her heyday in the 1920s, she was billed as the "Mother of the Blues" and served as a model for the more famous Bessie Smith.

Today in History for April 21: On this date: In 753 B.C., the city of Rome was founded. In 1142, controversial French theologian, philosopher and musician Peter Abelard died. He was a monk at the monastery of Cluny.

Today in History for April 22: On this date: In 1233, the Dominicans were established in France as operators of the Inquisition by a decree of Pope Gregory IX. Their methods included torture and execution, usually by fire.