Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in History for Jan. 17: In AD 356, Antony of Egypt, considered the founder of Christian monasticism, died at age 105.

Today in History for Jan. 13: In 1691, Englishman George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, died. In 1695, satirist Jonathan Swift, author of "Gulliver's Travels," was ordained an Anglican priest in Ireland.

Today in History for Jan. 15: In AD 345, Paul of Thebes, traditionally considered the first Christian hermit and an inspiration for Antony of Egypt and later Christian monasticism, died.

Today in Music History for Jan. 18: In 1908, composer Henry Herbert Godfrey, who wrote some of Canada's most popular patriotic songs at the turn of the century, died in Montreal at the age of 50.

Today in Music History for Jan. 13: In 1501, Christianity's first vernacular hymnal was printed in Prague, capital of the present-day Czech Republic. It contained 89 hymns in the Czech language.

Today in Music History for Jan. 14: In 1790, the first operatic work to be performed in Canada, "Colas et Colinette ou le Bailli Dupe," premiered in Montreal. In 1900, Puccini's opera "Tosca" had its world premiere in Rome.

Celebrity Birthdays for Jan. 3: Singer-songwriter Van Dyke Parks is 82. Singer Stephen Stills is 80. Bassist John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin is 79. Actress Victoria Principal is 75. Actor-director Mel Gibson is 69. Actress Shannon Sturges is 57.

Today in History for Jan. 3: In 1661, female actors appeared on an English stage for the first time. In 1777, the United States adopted the Stars and Stripes as its official flag.

Today in Music History for Jan. 3: In 1917, Leon McAuliffe, one of the first country musicians to use an electric steel guitar, was born in Houston.

Celebrity Birthdays for Jan 2: Country singer Dick Feller (a.k.a. Deena Kaye Rose) is 82. Chick Churchill, organist with Ten Years After, is 79. TV host Jack Hanna ("Jack Hanna's Into the Wild") is 78. Actress Wendy Phillips is 73.