Today in History

Today in Music History for Nov. 17: In 1938, singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who became Canada's most famous, and arguably most important, pop musician in the late 1960s, was born in Orillia, Ont.

Today in Music History for Nov. 16: In 1908, conductor Arturo Toscanini made his debut with the New York Metropolitan Opera with a performance of Verdi's "Aida.

Today in History for Nov. 16: In 1686, Britain and France signed the Treaty of Neutrality governing possession in North America in the event of war in Europe.

Celebrity Birthdays for Nov. 16: Actor Clu Gulager is 89. Journalist Elizabeth Drew is 82. Country singer-songwriter Troy Seals is 79. Blues musician W.C. Clark is 78. Actress Joanna Pettet ("Knots Landing") is 75.

Today in History for Nov. 15: In 1280, German theologian and music theorist Albertus Magnus died. Magnus taught famed philosopher Thomas Aquinas. In 1492, Christopher Columbus noted in his journal the use of tobacco among the Indians.

Celebrity Birthdays for Nov. 15: Country singer C.W. McCall is 89. Actor Ed Asner is 88. Singer Petula Clark is 85. Comedian Jack Burns of Burns and Schreiber is 84. Actress Joanna Barnes ("Spartacus," ''The Parent Trap") is 83.

Today in Music History for Nov. 15: In 1920, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra made its debut at the Plantages Theatre under the direction of Alberta Weaver Winston. The orchestra folded in 1932, but a second Edmonton Symphony was formed in 1952.

Today in History for Nov. 14: In 1606, "The Theatre of Neptune," a form of dramatic spectacle known as a masque, was performed by Frenchmen and Indians in barges and canoes on the waters off Port Royal, now Annapolis Royal, N.S.

Today in Music History for Nov. 14: In 1900, American composer Aaron Copland, famed for using jazz and folk tunes in his works, was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. His many ballets include "Billy the Kid," "Rodeo" and "Appalachian Spring.

Celebrity Birthdays for Nov. 14: Actress Kathleen Hughes ("Babe") is 89. Jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis is 83. Composer Wendy Carlos is 78. Writer P.J. O'Rourke is 70. Prince Charles is 69. Guitarist James Young of Styx is 68.