Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in History for Dec. 21: On this date: In 1266, the last stand of the first English parliamentarians ended when rebels surrendered Kenilworth Castle to the king after a six-month siege.

Today in History for Dec. 19: On this date: In 1813, fur trader James McGill died in Montreal, leaving 10,000 pounds to establish the university that would bear his name. In 1813, a British-Canadian force took Fort Niagara in the War of 1812.

Today in History for Dec. 22: On this date: In 1216, Pope Honorius III officially approved the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), founded in the same year by St. Dominic.

Today in History for Dec. 20: On this date: In 1699, Russian Czar Peter the Great ordered his people to celebrate the New Year on January 1, instead of Sept. 1.

Today in History for Dec. 23: On this date: In 1771, Mother Marie Marguerite D'Youville, the founder of the Grey Nuns or Sisters of Charity, died in Montreal.

Today in History for Dec. 18: On this date: In 1707, English hymn writer Charles Wesley was born. He wrote more than 6,500 hymns, including "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." In 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

Today in History for Dec. 17: On this date: In 1538, England's King Henry VIII was excommunicated by Pope Paul III. Married and divorced several times, Henry declared himself head of the Church of England.

Today in Music History for Dec. 19: In 1808, Horatius Bonar, Scottish clergyman, poet and hymn writer, was born. He authored several missionary biographies and penned over 600 hymns, including "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say.

Today in Music History for Dec. 22: In 1808, Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, and Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, also known as the "Pastoral Symphony," had their world premieres in Vienna, Austria.

Today in Music History for Dec. 21: In 1672, Benjamin Schmolck, German Lutheran clergyman and prolific hymn writer, was born. Though a busy pastor, he found time to pen 900 hymns, the best remembered of them being "My Jesus, As Thou Wilt.