Today in History

Today is Thursday, Aug. 24, the 236th day of 2023. There are 129 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On Aug. 24, A.D. 79, long-dormant Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in volcanic ash; an estimated 20,000 people died.

On this date:

In 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to the still-under-construction Capitol and the White House, as well as other public buildings.

In 1912, Congress passed a measure creating the Alaska Territory.

In 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.

In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty came into force.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act, outlawing the Communist Party in the United States.

In 1981, Mark David Chapman was sentenced in New York to 20 years to life in prison for murdering John Lennon.

In 1989, Baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti (juh-MAH’-tee) banned Pete Rose from the game for betting on his own team, the Cincinnati Reds.

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew smashed into Florida, causing $30 billion in damage; 43 U.S. deaths were blamed on the storm.

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union declared that Pluto was no longer a full-fledged planet, demoting it to the status of a “dwarf planet.”

In 2016, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake reduced three central Italian towns to rubble and killed nearly 300 people.

In 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.

In 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.”

Ten years ago: 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). Julie Harris, one of Broadway’s most honored performers, died in West Chatham, Massachusetts at age 87.

Five years ago: The family of Arizona Sen. John McCain announced that he had discontinued medical treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer; McCain died the following day. Robin Leach, host of the 1980s TV show “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” died in Las Vegas at the age of 76. 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.

One year ago: 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.) Russian forces launched a rocket attack on a train station in central Ukraine on the embattled country’s Independence Day, killing at least 15 people and wounding about 50. Drummer Jerry Allison, who played and co-wrote songs with rock pioneer and childhood friend Buddy Holly and whose future wife inspired the classic “Peggy Sue,” died at age 82.

Today’s Birthdays: Composer-musician Mason Williams is 85. R&B singer Marshall Thompson (The Chi-Lites) is 81. Actor Anne Archer is 76. Actor Joe Regalbuto is 74. Actor Kevin Dunn is 68. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is 68. Actor-writer Stephen Fry is 66. Actor Steve Guttenberg is 65. Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. is 63. Actor Jared Harris is 62. Talk show host Craig Kilborn is 61. CBS News correspondent Major Garrett is 61. Rock singer John Bush is 60. Actor Marlee Matlin is 58. Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller is 58. Broadcast journalist David Gregory is 53. Movie director Ava DuVernay is 51. Actor-comedian Dave Chappelle is 50. Actor James D’Arcy is 50. Actor Carmine Giovinazzo (jee-oh-vihn-AH’-zoh) is 50. Actor Alex O’Loughlin is 47. Actor Beth Riesgraf is 45. Actor Chad Michael Murray is 42. Singer Mika is 40. Actor Blake Berris is 39. Actor Rupert Grint (“Harry Potter” films) is 35.