Today in History and Celebrity Birthdays

Today in Music History for May 23: In 1889, Mary Susanne Edgar, a Canadian YWCA leader who wrote a number of hymns during her years of leading a Christian camping ministry with girls, was born.

Today in History for May 23: In 1275, King Edward I of England ordered the cessation of the persecution of French Jews. In 1430, Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundians, who sold her to the English.

Celebrity Birthdays for May 22: Actor-director Richard Benjamin is 87. Actor Frank Converse is 87. Actress Barbara Parkins ("Peyton Place," ''Valley of the Dolls") is 83. Songwriter Bernie Taupin is 75. Actor Al Corley ("Dynasty") is 69.

Today in History for May 22: In 337, Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome, died at the age of 47. In 1216, Louis VIII of France invaded England, the last military invasion of the British Isles.

Today in Music History for May 22: In 1813, composer Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany. In 1836, Felix Mendelssohn's oratorio "St. Paul (Paulus)" was first performed in Dusseldorf at the Lower Rhine Festival to great enthusiasm.