Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in History for Jan. 31: In 1561, Menno Simons, whose followers became known as Mennonites, died. Born in the Netherlands in 1496, he started his religious life as a Catholic priest.

Today in History for Jan. 30: In 1649, King Charles I was beheaded. In 1730, Russian Czar Peter II died of smallpox on his wedding day. In 1868, the Nova Scotia legislature opened its first session.

Today in Music History for Jan. 30: In 1917, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded ``Darktown Strutters' Ball.'' Some historians consider this to be the earliest commercially made jazz record.

Celebrity Birthdays for Jan. 30: Actor Gene Hackman is 94. Actress Vanessa Redgrave is 87. Country singer Jeanne Pruett is 87. Chess grandmaster Boris Spassky is 87. Country singer Norma Jean is 86. Horn player William King of The Commodores is 75.

Celebrity Birthdays for Jan. 29: Feminist author Germaine Greer is 85. Actress Katharine Ross is 84. Feminist author Robin Morgan is 83. Actor Tom Selleck is 79. Singer Bettye LaVette is 78. Actor Marc Singer is 76. Actress Ann Jillian is 74.

Today in Music History for Jan. 29: In 1925, Lois Marshall, one of Canada's leading sopranos in the 1950s and '60s, was born in Toronto. She died of cancer on Feb. 19, 1997.

Today in History for Jan. 29: In 993, Ulric, bishop of Augsburg in present-day Germany from 923 to 973, was formally canonized by Pope John XV. It was the first recorded canonization by a Catholic pontiff.

Celebrity Birthdays for Jan. 28: Bluegrass musician Vic Mullen is 91. Actor Nicholas Pryor (``Risky Business'') is 89. Actor Alan Alda is 88. Actress Susan Howard (``Dallas'') is 82. Former NHL player and 1972 Summit Series star Paul Henderson is 81.

Today in History for Jan. 28: In 814, Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, died. In 1547, Henry VIII, who split the church of England from Rome and presided over the founding of the Anglican church, died.

Today in Music History for Jan. 28: In 1834, Sabine Baring-Gould, Anglican clergyman and author, was born. He published numerous books on history, biography, poetry and fiction.