On this date....

...in 1587, Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded.

...in 1725, emperor Peter the Great of Russia died.

...in 1915, the film Birth of a Nation opened.

And, most importantly, in 1932: composer John Williams, the film composer to whose music I return most often, was born. Happy 72nd, Maestro Williams, and stay healthy -- Episode III is still in the offing!

(Historical events courtesy This Day In History by the History Channel.)

UPDATE: In Maestro Williams's honor, I am now listening to the score to The Empire Strikes Back, and as always happens when I listen to this music, I'm sitting here bobbing my head like a goof and thinking, "Best F***ing score ever!" We now end this moment of extreme geekery.