Today in History

Celebrity Birthdays for Oct. 28: Jazz singer Cleo Laine is 90. Actress Joan Plowright is 88. Country singer Mitchell Torok is 88. Country musician Charlie Daniels is 81. Player/coach Basketball Hall-of-Famer Lenny Wilkens is 80.

Today in Music History for Oct. 28: In 1820, John H. Hopkins, the author and composer of the Christmas hymn "We Three Kings of Orient Are," was born. In 1936, country-rock musician and bandleader Charlie Daniels was born in Wilmington, N.C.

Today in History for Oct. 28: In 312, Roman emperor Constantine defeated the army of Maxentius, a contender to the throne, at Milvian Bridge, after trusting in a vision he had seen of the cross inscribed with the words, "In this sign conquer.

Today in Music History for Nov. 11: In 1919, the Hart House cultural centre opened at the University of Toronto. It was conceived by Vincent Massey and named after his grandfather, Hart Massey.

Today in Music History for Nov. 10: In 1916, Canadian contralto Marguerite Paquet was born in Quebec City.

Today in Music History for Nov. 9: In 1895, George D. Hay, the founder of the "Grand Ole Opry," was born in Attica, Ind. While he was an announcer at WLS in Chicago, Hay helped begin the "National Barn Dance" program.

Today in Music History for Nov. 8: In 1887, the gramaphone was patented by American Thomas Edison. In 1910, "The Dubois String Quartet" gave its first performance at Windsor Hall in Montreal.

Today in Music History for Nov. 7: In 1920, accordionist Gaby Haas, once proclaimed as "Canada's Mr. Polka," was born in Czechoslovakia. He became a Canadian citizen in 1943.

Today in Music History for Nov. 6: In 1814, Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, was born in Belgium. In 1854, John Philip Sousa, the king of American march music, was born in Washington, D.C.

Today in Music History for Nov. 5: In 1946, singer, songwriter and guitarist Gram Parsons was born in Winter Haven, Fla.