On this day in history: 79 – Mount Vesuvius erupts. The cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae are buried in volcanic ash (note: this traditional date has been challenged, and many scholars believe that the event occurred on October 24). 410 – The Visigoths under king Alaric I begin to pillage Rome. 455 – The Vandals, led by king Genseric, begin to plunder Rome. Pope Leo I requests Genseric not destroy the ancient city or murder its citizens. He agrees and the gates of Rome are opened. However, the Vandals loot a great amount of treasure. 1215 – Pope Innocent III declares Magna Carta invalid. 1456 – The printing of the Gutenberg Bible is completed. 1869 - American Cornelius Swarthout patented the first U.S. waffle iron. 1875 – Captain Matthew Webb became first person to swim the English Channel 1891 – Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera. 1909 – Workers start pouring concrete for the Panama Canal. 1932 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the United States non-stop (from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey). 1967 – Led by Abbie Hoffman, the Youth International Party temporarily disrupts trading at the NYSE by throwing dollar bills from the viewing gallery, causing trading to cease as brokers scramble to grab them. 1998 – First radio-frequency identification (RFID) human implantation tested in the United Kingdom. 2006 – The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term "planet" such that Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Aug 2013 09:31:33 +0000
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