On This Day In History
August 24th
79 Believed until 2018 to be the date of the massive eruption of Mt. Vesuvius which buried the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae, killing untold thousands. Latest evidence suggests the eruption occurred after 17 October. [1] [2]
410 Rome overrun by Visigoths under Alaric I for the first time in nearly 800 years, seen as the fall of the Western Roman Empire
1516 Battle of Marj Dabiq: Ottoman forces decisively beat the Mamluk Sultanate
1572 St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of Protestants by Roman Catholics begins in Paris and later spreads to the French provinces
1662 Act of Uniformity requires English to accept Book of Common Prayer
1814 British forces capture Washington, D.C. and destroy many landmarks (War of 1812)
1968 France becomes the world's fifth thermonuclear power with a detonation on Mururoa Atoll in the South Pacific
Did You Know?
The printing of the Gutenberg Bible is completed
Today in History in 1456
Would You Believe?
1st potato chips prepared by chef George Crum at Moon's Lake House, near Saratoga Springs, New York (popular legend says he invented though earlier recipes exist)
Today in History in 1853
This day 31 years ago – 24 August 1990 – Brian Keenan was released from captivity in Lebanon. He was met by Ireland's Foreign Minister, Gerry Collins.
To read more, pick up a copy of This Day in Irish History, available from Sept 13th. Pre-order online: https://t.co/AnQLZt5Vyh pic.twitter.com/tMK40aUlcW
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) August 24, 2021
In 1893, Florence Kelley became Chief Factory Inspector for the state of Illinois, a newly created position and unheard-of for a woman. She created maps of Chicago factories and slums and used them to campaign tirelessly for children's and workers' rights. https://t.co/mD2tLJrLID pic.twitter.com/OTLAxbKJdM
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) August 24, 2022
On this day in 1923, a white mob near Jacksonville, FL, lynched a Black man named Ben Hart after he was accused of "peeping" into a white girl’s room. Police later confirmed he was innocent. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/HYRpPKTWO3
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) August 24, 2022
24 August 1349. Up to 3,000 Jews were killed in the Erfurt (now in Germany), massacre. It resulted from the accusations by locals that Jews were responsible for a recent outbreak of the Black Death. It was believed killing local Jews would prevent the spread of the disease. pic.twitter.com/SYbBR3QytM
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 24, 2022
24 August 1814. British troops captured Washington DC, and set the Presidential Mansion (now the White House) on fire. It was part of the War of 1812, and is the only time since the American Revolutionary War a foreign power captured and occupied the capital of the United States. pic.twitter.com/IoMUpFaZ1r
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 24, 2022
24-25 August 1932. US pilot, Amelia Earhart, became the first woman to fly across the USA from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey. She thereby established a women’s record of 19 hours and 5 minutes and a women’s distance record of 2,447 miles. pic.twitter.com/RoC1rZZt8L
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 24, 2022
24 August 1954. The Communist Control Act went into effect in the USA. It called for the outlawing of the Communist Party in the USA, but the Communist Party of the USA continued to exist, though the law was used to harass Communist Party members. pic.twitter.com/0vo3isKI71
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 24, 2022
24 August 1991. Ukraine declared itself independent from the Soviet Union, after the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR overwhelmingly approved the Act of Independence Declaration by 321 votes in favour and 2 votes against. Today is celebrated as Independence Day in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/R77uVHdfrm
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 24, 2022
24 August 2006. The International Astronomical Union (IAU), demoted Pluto from a “Planet” to a “Dwarf Planet”. The California Institute of Technology researcher Mike Brown announced: “Pluto is dead and there are officially eight planets in the solar system.” pic.twitter.com/mNSq38sHhI
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 24, 2022
24 August 2014. The popular actor and film director, Richard (“Dickie”) Attenborough, died (aged 90). As an actor his best roles were in Brighton Rock, 10 Rillington Place, Jurassic Park and The Great Escape, and as a director: Gandhi, Chaplin, A Bridge Too Far, and Cry Freedom. pic.twitter.com/cWiHHdEA2U
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 24, 2022
24 August 2021. Charlie Watts, the drummer with The Rolling Stones, died (aged 80). Watts only joined the group in January 1963. In 2016, he was ranked 12th on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time". pic.twitter.com/ubjLSS5tEz
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 24, 2022
Today is the International Day of Remembrance for the victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. pic.twitter.com/YtZFgPjnAQ
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 24, 2022
August 25th
1609 Galileo demonstrates his 1st telescope to Venetian lawmakers
1718 Hundreds of French colonists arrive in Louisiana; New Orleans founded
1768 Captain James Cook departs from Plymouth, England, on his first voyage on board the Endeavour, bound for the Pacific Ocean
1894 Japanese scientist Shibasaburo Kitasato discovers the infectious agent of the bubonic plague and publishes his findings in The Lancet
1944 French General Charles de Gaulle walks the Champs Elysees in Paris after the liberation of the city from Nazi occupation
1990 UN security council authorizes military action against Iraq
1991 Linux is born when Linus Torvalds sends off an email announcing his project to create a new computer operating system
Did You Know?
Momofuku Ando markets the first package of precooked instant noodles (Chikin Ramen)
Today in History in 1958
Would You Believe?
Alicia Thornton becomes first female jockey in England riding at Knavesmire in Yorkshire
Today in History in 1804
This day 218 years ago – 25 August 1803 – Robert Emmet was arrested in Dublin. He gave his famous “Let no man write my epitaph” speech a month later.
To read more, pick up a copy of This Day in Irish History, available from Sept 13th. Pre-order online: https://t.co/AnQLZt5Vyh pic.twitter.com/pSSdGhfjMm
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) August 25, 2021
#OTD in 1944—Liberation Day in Paris—Madeleine Riffaud led a final assault on 1,000 SS troops in barracks on the Place de la République. A Résistance fighter in the city since 1941, she had been captured & tortured in July 1944 for shooting an SS officer. https://t.co/NbQOvgGDWu pic.twitter.com/MrfWKlssmy
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) August 25, 2022
On this day in 1956, the home of Montgomery Pastor Robert Graetz was bombed. Pastor Graetz, a white man, had been an outspoken supporter of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/DZxEzeb9XZ
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) August 25, 2022
25 August 1609. The Italian astronomer and philosopher, Galileo Galilei, demonstrated his first telescope to Venetian merchants. His invention would bring him scientific immortality. He discovered the Moon was not, as long believed, completely smooth and that Jupiter had moons. pic.twitter.com/bsnnL4cExw
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 25, 2022