Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in History for Dec. 7: On this date: In AD 374, Ambrose, an early church father, was consecrated Bishop of Milan, Italy.

Celebrity Birthdays for Nov. 24: Ray Perkins of the '50s vocal group The Crew Cuts is 90. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson is 85. Country singer Johnny Carver is 83. Author Eric Wilson is 83. Former Beatles drummer Pete Best is 82.

Today in History for Nov. 24: In 1639, astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks first observed the transit of Venus across the Sun. In 1642, Dutch mariner Abel Tasman discovered Tasmania, a triangular-shaped island lying to the southeast of Australia.

Today in Music History for Nov. 24: In 1868, Scott Joplin, the foremost composer of ragtime music, was born in Texarkana, Texas. Ragtime was the earliest form of jazz to become widely popular.

Celebrity Birthdays for Nov. 23: Movie producer-director Robert Towne is 89. Actor Franco Nero is 82. Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas ("Basic Instinct," ''Showgirls") is 79. Comedy writer Bruce Vilanch ("Hollywood Squares") is 75.

Today in Music History for Nov. 23: In 1889, the Pacific Phonograph Company, owned by Louis Glass, installed the world's first jukebox at his Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco.

Today in History for Nov. 23: In 1621, poet John Donne was elected dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. In 1765, Frederick County, Maryland, became the first colonial entity to repudiate the British Stamp Act.

Celebrity Birthdays for Nov. 22: Comedian-director Terry Gilliam (Monty Python) is 83. Actor Tom Conti is 82. Singer Jesse Colin Young (The Youngbloods) is 82. Retired NASA astronaut Guion Bluford is 81.

Today in History for Nov. 22: In 1718, the English pirate Blackbeard was killed during a battle off the Virginia coast.

Today in Music History for Nov. 22: In 1899, songwriter, singer and actor Hoagy Carmichael, composer of the standards "Star Dust" and "Georgia on My Mind," was born in Bloomington, Ind. "Star Dust" was Carmichael's first major success.