Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Celebrity Birthdays for Dec. 19: Actress Elaine Joyce is 81. Actor Tim Reid is 80. Musician John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) is 79. Country singer Janie Fricke is 77. Jazz musician Lenny White is 75. Keyboardist Doug Johnson (Loverboy) is 67.

Today in Music History for Dec. 26: In 1791, a cantata by English composer John Bentley was performed in Quebec City at the constitutional meeting which marked the partition of the colony into Upper and Lower Canada.

Today in Music History for Dec. 23: In 1893, the Engelbert Humperdinck opera "Haensel und Gretel" was first performed, in Weimar, Germany. In 1935, singer Little Esther Phillips was born in Galveston, Texas.

Today in History for Dec. 24: In 1524, Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese navigator who found the sea route from Europe to the East, died in Cochin, India.

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

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. 24: In 1818, the Christmas carol "Silent Night" was performed for the first time, at the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

Today in History for Dec. 22: 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. 28: In 1065, Westminster Abbey was founded by Edward the Confessor. In 1694, Queen Mary II of England died after more than five years of joint rule with her husband, King William III.

Today in History for Dec. 26: In 1776, the British suffered a major defeat in the "Battle of Trenton" during the Revolutionary War. In 1791, British legislation creating Upper and Lower Canada (now Ontario and Quebec) came into effect.