Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in History for March 18: In 1314, 39 Knights Templar were burned at the stake in Paris. Created to protect pilgrims going to the Holy Land, the military order had grown wealthy after the Crusades.

Celebrity Birthdays for March 17: Singer-songwriter John Sebastian of the Lovin' Spoonful is 81. Former Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston is 81. Percussionist Harold Ray Brown of War is 79. Rock singer Ian Gomm is 78. Actor Patrick Duffy is 76.

Today in History for March 17: In 461, tradition says St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, died. In 1233, millions of mice invaded the area of Freising, Germany, forcing the evacuation of entire towns.

Today in Music History for March 17: In 1899, the classic Neopolitan song "O Sole Mio!" was published. The composer was E. di Campna with words by G. Capurro.

Celebrity Birthdays for March 16: Country singer Ray Walker (The Jordanaires) is 91. Actor Victor Garber (``Alias'') is 76. Actor Erik Estrada is 76. Actress Kate Nelligan is 75. Country singer Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel is 74.

Today in History for March 16: In AD 37, Roman emperor Tiberius died. He was succeeded by Caligula. In 1521, the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippine Islands.

Today in Music History for March 16: In 1918, "K-K-K-Katy," subtitled "The Stammering Song," written by Chatham, Ont., composer Geoffrey O'Hara, was published.

Celebrity Birthdays for March 15: Actor Judd Hirsch is 90. U.S. evangelist Jimmy Swaggart is 90. Jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd is 87. Singer Mike Love of the Beach Boys is 84. Singer-keyboardist Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone is 82.

Today in History for March 15: In 44 BC, Roman General Julius Caesar was assassinated in Rome by a group of nobles that included Brutus and Cassius. In 453, Attila the Hun died of a nose bleed.

Today in Music History for March 15: In 1927, Carl Smith, a country music hitmaker of the 1950s and 1960s, was born in Tennessee.