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August 24
79. Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae in volcanic ash.
410. Just a bad day for the Romans in history. The Visigoths under Alaric sack Rome, beginning the traditional three days of rape, pillage and plunder.
1349. Six thousand Jews, blamed for spreading bubonic plague, are killed in Mainz.
1814. Continuing the general theme of humiliation for the Americans in the War of 1812, the British invade Washington, DC, and burn down the White House and several other buildings.
1857. The Panic of 1857, one of the most severe economic crisis in US history, begins.
1932. Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the US, non-stop.
1960. A temperature of -128.6 degrees fahrenheit is recorded in Vostok, Antarctica, a world record low.
1989. Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti bans Pete Rose for life from baseball for betting on games.
1992. Hurricane Andrew, a category 5 hurricane, hits southern Florida.
1995. Microsoft releases Windows 95.
2006. The International Astronomical Union redines the definition of a planet, kicking Pluto out.
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