Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Celebrity Birthdays for Aug. 1: Singer Ramblin' Jack Elliott is 94. Baritone opera singer Bruno Laplante is 87. Actor Giancarlo Giannini is 83. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams is 75. Blues musician Robert Cray is 72.

Today in Music History for Aug. 1: In 1927, one of country music's most influential groups, "The Carter Family," made their first recordings for Victor Records at a makeshift studio in Bristol, Tenn.

Today in History for Aug. 1: On this date: In 1534, French explorer Jacques Cartier sighted the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Celebrity Birthdays for July 31: Jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell is 94. Songwriter and producer Barry DeVorzon ("Nadia's Theme) is 91. Actress Susan Flannery ("Bold and the Beautiful") is 86. Actress France Nuyen ("South Pacific") is 86.

Today in History for July 31: On this date: In 1498, Christopher Columbus landed at Trinidad. In 1556, St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus -- the Jesuit order of Catholic priests and brothers -- died in Rome.

Today in Music History for July 31: In 1886, Hungarian pianist and composer Franz Liszt died of pneumonia at 74. In 1877, Thomas Edison patented the first sound-recording device.

Celebrity Birthdays for July 30: Baseball Hall-of-Famer and former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is 91. Blues guitarist Buddy Guy is 89. Singer Paul Anka is 84. Actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is 78.

Today in Music History for July 30: In 1792, the French national anthem "La Marseillaise," by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, was first sung in Paris. In 1941, singer-songwriter Paul Anka was born in Ottawa.

Today in History for July 30: On this date: In 1609, at Ticonderoga, French explorer Samuel de Champlain became the first European to use firearms against natives.

Celebrity Birthdays for July 29: Actor Robert Fuller ("Laramie," ''Emergency!") is 92. Actress Roz Kelly ("Happy Days") is 83. Keyboardist Neal Doughty of REO Speedwagon is 79. Actor Mike Starr ("Ed," ''Goodfellas") is 75.