Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in Music History for Nov. 10: In 1916, Canadian contralto Marguerite Paquet was born in Quebec City.

Today in History for Nov. 9 On this date: In 1674, the great English poet John Milton died in London. His most famous work was "Paradise Lost," an epic poem about man's fall from God's grace.

Today in Music History for Nov. 6: In 1814, Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, was born in Belgium. In 1854, John Philip Sousa, the king of American march music, was born in Washington, D.C.

Today in History for Nov. 5: In 1605, Guy Fawkes was found in the basement of Britain's Parliament Buildings, along with 36 barrels of gunpowder.

Today in Music History for Nov. 5: In 1946, singer, songwriter and guitarist Gram Parsons was born in Winter Haven, Fla.

Today in History for Nov. 6: In 1689, blacks arrived by ship to Quebec -- probably the first recorded use of black slaves in Canada.

Today in Music History for Nov. 7: In 1920, accordionist Gaby Haas, once proclaimed as "Canada's Mr. Polka," was born in Czechoslovakia. He became a Canadian citizen in 1943.

Today in Music History for Nov. 9: In 1895, George D. Hay, the founder of the "Grand Ole Opry," was born in Attica, Ind. While he was an announcer at WLS in Chicago, Hay helped begin the "National Barn Dance" program.

Today in Music History for Nov. 11: In 1919, the Hart House cultural centre opened at the University of Toronto. It was conceived by Vincent Massey and named after his grandfather, Hart Massey.

Today in Music History for Nov. 8: In 1887, the gramophone was patented by American Thomas Edison. In 1910, "The Dubois String Quartet" gave its first performance at Windsor Hall in Montreal.