In a This Day in History video, host Russ Mitchell takes us through the history of August 24th. On this day in 1814, British invaded Washington and set fire to the White House and the capitol building. On this day in 1989, Major League Baseball suspended Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose for life for gambling on baseball. On this day in 2006, Pluto got demoted; scientists claim that it is not a real planet, but a dwarf planet instead. Also on this day in 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted in southern Italy, devastating the prosperous Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Operation Blue: the German Army fights to take Soviet oil fields and the city of Stalingrad, becoming one of the deadliest battles ever fought and a major turning point on the Eastern Front. See more in this clip from Season 1, Episode 10, "Stalingrad." #WorldWarIIWithTomHanksNew Episodes Mondays 8/7cListen to the World War II with Tom Hanks podcast, with new episodes every Tuesday, available wherever you get your podcasts.