Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
Aug
24
On August 24, after centuries of dormancy, Mount Vesuvius erupts in southern Italy, devastating the prosperous Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killing thousands. The cities, buried under a thick layer of volcanic material and mud, were never rebuilt and largely forgotten in the course of history. In the 18th century, Pompeii and Herculaneum were rediscovered and excavated, providing an unprecedented archaeological record of the everyday life of an ancient civilization, startlingly preserved in sudden death.
Naples, Vesuvius seen from Mount Somma, Late 19th, Italy, Private collection. (Photo by Photo12/UIG/Getty Images)
Universal Images Group via Getty
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