Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Celebrity Birthdays for March 22: Actor William Shatner is 93. Actor M. Emmet Walsh is 89. Hockey Hall of Fame centre Dave Keon is 84. Singer Jeremy Clyde of Chad and Jeremy is 83. Singer-guitarist George Benson is 81.

Celebrity Birthdays for March 18: Composer John Kander (``Chicago'') is 97. Novelist Joy Fielding is 79. Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman Guy Lapointe is 76. Actor Brad Dourif (``Lord of the Rings,'' ''Chucky`` movies) is 74.

Celebrity Birthdays for March 17: Singer-songwriter John Sebastian of the Lovin' Spoonful is 80. Former Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston is 80. Percussionist Harold Ray Brown of War is 78. Rock singer Ian Gomm is 77. Actor Patrick Duffy is 75.

Celebrity Birthdays for March 21: Actress Kathleen Widdoes (``As the World Turns'') is 85. Songwriter Chip Taylor (``Wild Thing'') is 84. Singer-guitarist Keith Potger of The Seekers is 83. Actress Marie-Christine Barrault is 80.

Celebrity Birthdays for March 19: Actress Renee Taylor (``The Nanny'') is 91. Actress Ursula Andress (``Dr. No,'' ''Casino Royale``) is 88. Singer Clarence ``Frogman'' Henry is 87. Singer Ruth Pointer of the Pointer Sisters is 78.

Celebrity Birthdays for March 20: Actor Hal Linden is 93. Canadian country singer Tommy Hunter is 87. Vito Picone, lead singer with The Elegants, is 83. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley is 79. Canadian author and broadcaster Dr.

Today in History for March 24: On this date: In 1580, what are believed to have been the first bombs were tossed at the town of Guelderland, Germany. In 1603, the Elizabethan era ended in England with the death of Queen Elizabeth I.

Today in History for March 28: On this date: In 1380, gunpowder was first used in Europe in a battle between the Genoese and the Venetians. In 1515, Spanish mystic St. Teresa of Avila, founder of a reformed Carmelite order, was born.

Today in History for March 29: On this date: In 1139, Pope Innocent II made the Templars an independent unit within the Catholic Church. The order of knights had been created to protect pilgrims from bandits in the Holy Land.

Today in History for March 27: On this date: In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon sighted present-day Florida. In 1613, Newfoundland's first English child was born. In 1625, King James I died.