Today In History

In 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.

In A.D. 410: Rome was overrun by the Visigoths, an event that symbolized the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

In 1814: Britian invaded Washington, D.C., and burned the Capitol and the White House.

In 1932: Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly nonstop across the United States, traveling from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., in just over 19 hours.

In 1954: The Communist Control Act went into effect, virtually outlawing the Communist Party in the United States.