AUGUST 24 ~ ON THiS DAY in History

0079 – Mount Vesuvius erupted on the 24th August in the year 79. The cities of PompeiiHerculaneum, and Stabiae were buried in volcanic ash (note: this traditional date has been challenged, with many scholars believing that the event occurred 2 months later on the 24th October).

Vesuvius volcanic eruption Portici Naples Italy erupting volcano night painting Joseph Wright Derby 18th century 1700s red fire Art
Vesuvius volcanic eruption seen from Portici & painted by Joseph Wright of Derby in the 18th century (1734 – 1797) ~ from the Art collection of the Huntington Library in Pasadena, CA

1456 – The printing of the Gutenberg Bible was completed on the 24th August 1456.

1891 – Thomas Edison patented the motion picture camera on the 24th August 1891.

1909 – Workers start pouring concrete for the Panama Canal on the 24th August 1909.

1912 – Alaska became a United States territory on the 24th August 1912.

1929 – Yasser Arafat the Palestinian engineer and politician was born on the 24th August 1929 (died 2004).

1929 – Betty Dodson the American sex educator and author was born on the 24th August 1929.

1932 – Amelia Earhart became the 1st woman to fly across the United States non-stop on the 24th August 1932, from Los Angeles to NewarkNew Jersey.

1936 – The Australian Antarctic Territory was created on the 24th August 1936.

1941 – Adolf Hitler ordered the cessation of Nazi Germany’s systematic T4 euthanasia program of the mentally ill and the handicapped on the 24th August 1941, due to protests, although killings continued for the remainder of the war.

1947 – Paulo Coelho the Brazilian author was born on the 24th August 1947.

1949 – The treaty creating NATO went into effect on the 24th August 1949.

1950 – Edith Sampson became the 1st black U.S. delegate to the United Nations on the 24th August 1950.

1957 – Stephen Fry the British comedian, actor, journalist, and author was born on the 24th August 1957.

1958 – Steve Guttenberg the American actor was born on the 24th August 1958.

1973 – Dave Chappelle the American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer was born on the 24th August 1973.

1981 – Mark David Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison on the 24th August 1981, for murdering John Lennon.

1989 – Colombian drug barons declared “total war” on the Colombian government on the 24th August 1989.

1992 – Hurricane Andrew made landfall on the 24th August 1992, just south of Miami as a Category 5 hurricane.

Today in History for August 24th ~ video presented by the Associated Press… 

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