Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Celebrity Birthdays for Aug. 27: Author Lady Antonia Fraser is 93. Actor Tommy Sands is 88. Phil Shulman, saxophonist with Gentle Giant is 88. Actress Tuesday Weld is 82. Actor G.W. Bailey ("MASH," ''The Closer") is 81.

Today in Music History for Aug. 27: In 1877, James P. Clarke, the first musician in English-speaking Canada to have written and published a sizeable number of compositions, died in Toronto.

Today in History for Aug. 27: On this date: In 1612, landing in his ship "The Discovery," Captain Thomas Button became the first European to winter in Manitoba. In 1758, Fort Frontenac, now Kingston, Ont., was captured and destroyed by the British.

Celebrity Birthdays for Aug. 26: Singer Vic Dana is 83. Musician Moe Tucker (The Velvet Underground) is 81. Singer Valerie Simpson of Ashford and Simpson is 79. Singer Bob Cowsill of The Cowsills is 76. Broadcast journalist Bill Whitaker is 74.

Today in History for Aug. 26: On this date: In 55 BC, Julius Caesar launched his first attempted invasion of Britain, but achieved limited success. In 1346, King Edward III defeated the French at the battle of Crecy.

Today in Music History for Aug. 26: In 1907, the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto opened with the musical revue "Top of the World." It was the world's first fully fireproof theatre and the first to be air-conditioned.

Celebrity birthdays for Aug. 25: Actor Tom Skerritt is 92. Movie director John Badham is 86. Jazz bassist Michel Donato is 83. Actor Anthony Heald ("Boston Public") is 81. Singer Henry Paul of BlackHawk (and The Outlaws) is 76.

Today in Music History for Aug. 25: In 1817, Joseph Mohr began serving as pastor of St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, Austria.

Today in History for Aug. 25: On this date: In 1530, Ivan the Terrible, Czar of Muscovy, was born. He ascended to the Russian throne at the age of three and eventually became the first czar.

Celebrity birthdays for Aug. 24: Composer-musician Mason Williams is 87. Bass guitarist David Freiberg is 87. Singer Marshall Thompson of The Chi-Lites is 84. WWE promoter Vince McMahon is 80. Actress Ann Archer is 78.