This Day In History: 08/24/1979 - Vesuvius Erupts
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.
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