August 24
79 - Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killing an estimated 20,000.
1572 - More than 70,000 French Protestants, or Huguenots, were killed in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.
1814 - The British set fire to the White House and the Capitol when they invaded Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812.
1821 - Mexico gained independence from Spain with the signing of the Treaty of Cordoba.
1912 - Congress passed a measure creating the Alaska Territory.
1932 - Amelia Earhart embarked on a 19-hour flight from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey, making her the first woman to fly solo, non-stop, from coast to coast.
1949 - The North Atlantic Treaty went into effect.
1954 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act, outlawing the Communist Party in the United States.
1968 - France became the world's fifth nuclear power when it detonated a hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific.
1981 - Mark David Chapman was sentenced in New York to 20 years to life in prison for murdering John Lennon.
1991 - Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as general secretary of the Communist Party after a failed coup attempt against him.
1992 - Hurricane Andrew smashed into Florida, causing $30 billion in damage; 43 U.S. deaths were blamed on the storm.
2006 - The International Astronomical Union declared that Pluto was no longer a full-fledged planet, demoting it to the status of a "dwarf planet."
2013 - Tens of thousands of people marched to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and down the National Mall, commemorating the 50th anniversary of King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech (delivered on August 28, 1963).
2016 - A 6.2-magnitude earthquake reduced three central Italian towns to rubble and killed nearly 300 people.
2018 - Robin Leach, host of the 1980s TV show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," died in Las Vegas at the age of 76.
2018 - The S&P 500 index finished at an all-time high of 2,874.69, just two days after the bull market in U.S. stocks became the longest in history.
2019 - Police in Aurora, Colorado, responding to a report of a suspicious person, used a chokehold to subdue Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man; he suffered cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and was later declared brain dead and taken off life support.
2020 - Republicans formally nominated President Donald Trump for a second term on the opening day of a scaled-down convention; during a visit to the convention city of Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump told delegates that "the only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election."
2022 - President Joe Biden announced detailed plans to deliver on a campaign promise to provide $10,000 in student debt cancellation for millions of Americans — and up to $10,000 more for those with the greatest financial need — along with measures to lower the burden of repayment for their remaining federal student debt. (The Supreme Court would later block the plan.)
Birthdays
25 - Sofia Richie (model)
28 - Justine Skye (singer)
33 - Catherine Paiz (model)
35 - Rupert Grint (actor)
39 - Blake Berris (actor)
40 - Mika (singer)
42 - Chad Michael Murray (actor)
45 - Beth Riesgraf (actor)
47 - Alex O'Loughlin (actor)
50 - Carmine Giovinazzo (actress)
50 - James D'Arcy (actor)
50 - Dave Chappelle (actor/comedian)
53 - David Gregory (broadcast journalist)
58 - Reggie Miller (basketball player)
58 - Marlee Matlin (actress)
60 - John Bush (singer)
61 - Major Garrett (broadcast journalist)
61 - Craig Kilborn (TV host)
62 - Jared Harris (actor)
63 - Cal Ripken Jr. (baseball player)
65 - Steve Guttenberg (actor)
66 - Stephen Fry (actor)
68 - Kevin Dunn (actor)
76 - Anne Archer (actress)
78 - Vince McMahon (professional wrestling executive)
==========================================
Today in Sports History - August 24
1945 - Cleveland Indians star pitcher Bob Feller returns from U.S. Navy service and strikes out 12 in his return game.
1972 - Gordie Howe and Jean Beliveau are inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
1975 - Davey Lopes of the Los Angeles Dodgers set a major league baseball record when he stole his 38th consecutive base.
1989 - Pete Rose was banned from baseball for life due to his gambling activities on games he participated in.
2006 - After signing a one-day contract with the San Francisco 49ers, wide receiver Jerry Rice officially retires.
2007 - The NFL suspended quarterback Michael Vick (Atlanta Falcons) for his involvement in dogfighting.
2008 - The U.S. men's basketball team defeats Spain 118-107 to win the gold medal at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
79 - Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killing an estimated 20,000.
1572 - More than 70,000 French Protestants, or Huguenots, were killed in the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.
1814 - The British set fire to the White House and the Capitol when they invaded Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812.
1821 - Mexico gained independence from Spain with the signing of the Treaty of Cordoba.
1912 - Congress passed a measure creating the Alaska Territory.
1932 - Amelia Earhart embarked on a 19-hour flight from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey, making her the first woman to fly solo, non-stop, from coast to coast.
1949 - The North Atlantic Treaty went into effect.
1954 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act, outlawing the Communist Party in the United States.
1968 - France became the world's fifth nuclear power when it detonated a hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific.
1981 - Mark David Chapman was sentenced in New York to 20 years to life in prison for murdering John Lennon.
1991 - Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as general secretary of the Communist Party after a failed coup attempt against him.
1992 - Hurricane Andrew smashed into Florida, causing $30 billion in damage; 43 U.S. deaths were blamed on the storm.
2006 - The International Astronomical Union declared that Pluto was no longer a full-fledged planet, demoting it to the status of a "dwarf planet."
2013 - Tens of thousands of people marched to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and down the National Mall, commemorating the 50th anniversary of King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech (delivered on August 28, 1963).
2016 - A 6.2-magnitude earthquake reduced three central Italian towns to rubble and killed nearly 300 people.
2018 - Robin Leach, host of the 1980s TV show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," died in Las Vegas at the age of 76.
2018 - The S&P 500 index finished at an all-time high of 2,874.69, just two days after the bull market in U.S. stocks became the longest in history.
2019 - Police in Aurora, Colorado, responding to a report of a suspicious person, used a chokehold to subdue Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man; he suffered cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and was later declared brain dead and taken off life support.
2020 - Republicans formally nominated President Donald Trump for a second term on the opening day of a scaled-down convention; during a visit to the convention city of Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump told delegates that "the only way they can take this election away from us is if this is a rigged election."
2022 - President Joe Biden announced detailed plans to deliver on a campaign promise to provide $10,000 in student debt cancellation for millions of Americans — and up to $10,000 more for those with the greatest financial need — along with measures to lower the burden of repayment for their remaining federal student debt. (The Supreme Court would later block the plan.)
Birthdays
25 - Sofia Richie (model)
28 - Justine Skye (singer)
33 - Catherine Paiz (model)
35 - Rupert Grint (actor)
39 - Blake Berris (actor)
40 - Mika (singer)
42 - Chad Michael Murray (actor)
45 - Beth Riesgraf (actor)
47 - Alex O'Loughlin (actor)
50 - Carmine Giovinazzo (actress)
50 - James D'Arcy (actor)
50 - Dave Chappelle (actor/comedian)
53 - David Gregory (broadcast journalist)
58 - Reggie Miller (basketball player)
58 - Marlee Matlin (actress)
60 - John Bush (singer)
61 - Major Garrett (broadcast journalist)
61 - Craig Kilborn (TV host)
62 - Jared Harris (actor)
63 - Cal Ripken Jr. (baseball player)
65 - Steve Guttenberg (actor)
66 - Stephen Fry (actor)
68 - Kevin Dunn (actor)
76 - Anne Archer (actress)
78 - Vince McMahon (professional wrestling executive)
==========================================
Today in Sports History - August 24
1945 - Cleveland Indians star pitcher Bob Feller returns from U.S. Navy service and strikes out 12 in his return game.
1972 - Gordie Howe and Jean Beliveau are inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
1975 - Davey Lopes of the Los Angeles Dodgers set a major league baseball record when he stole his 38th consecutive base.
1989 - Pete Rose was banned from baseball for life due to his gambling activities on games he participated in.
2006 - After signing a one-day contract with the San Francisco 49ers, wide receiver Jerry Rice officially retires.
2007 - The NFL suspended quarterback Michael Vick (Atlanta Falcons) for his involvement in dogfighting.
2008 - The U.S. men's basketball team defeats Spain 118-107 to win the gold medal at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
