Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Celebrity Birthdays for Aug. 29: Actor Elliott Gould is 86. Singer-songwriter Tom Northcott is 81. Chris Copping, bass guitarist and organist with Procul Harum, is 79. Actress Deborah Van Valkenburgh ("Too Close For Comfort") is 72.

Today in History for Aug. 29: On this date: In 1583, the "Delight," one of Sir Humphrey Gilbert's ships, ran aground and was lost at Sable Island, drowning 85 people, in one of Canada's first marine disasters.

Today in Music History for Aug. 29: In 1908, Lewis Redner, American Episcopal organist and composer, died at age 78. Redner composed "St. Louis," the tune to which is most commonly sung Phillips Brooks’ Christmas hymn, "O Little Town of Bethlehem.

Celebrity Birthdays for Aug. 28: John Perkins of the 1950s vocal group the Crew Cuts is 93. Actor Sonny Shroyer ("The Dukes of Hazzard") is 89. Former prime minister Paul Martin is 86. Actor Ken Jenkins ("Scrubs") is 84. Actress Barbara Bach is 78.

Today in History for Aug. 28: On this date: In 430, St. Augustine of Hippo, the great early Latin Church father and one of the outstanding theological figures of the ages, died at age 76. It was St.

Today in Music History for Aug. 28: In 1948, Danny Seraphine, the original drummer and founding member of "Chicago," was born in the city from which the group takes its name.

Celebrity Birthdays for Aug. 27: Author Lady Antonia Fraser is 92. Actor Tommy Sands is 87. Phil Shulman, saxophonist with Gentle Giant is 87. Actress Tuesday Weld is 81. Actor G.W. Bailey ("MASH," ''The Closer") is 80.

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.

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.

Celebrity Birthdays for Aug. 26: Singer Vic Dana is 82. Musician Moe Tucker (The Velvet Underground) is 80. Singer Valerie Simpson of Ashford and Simpson is 78. Singer Bob Cowsill of The Cowsills is 75. Broadcast journalist Bill Whitaker is 73.