Today In History August 24th: 2006: Pluto was demoted from planet to dwarf planet after the International Astronomical Union approved a reclassification of the solar system. 1949: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) entered into force, following the signing of its treaty four months earlier. 1929: Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat, believed to have been born this day in Cairo in 1929, was president of the Palestinian Authority (1996–2004), chairman of the PLO (1969–2004), and cowinner of the 1994 Nobel Prize for Peace. 1821: The Treaty of Córdoba was signed, giving Mexico its independence from Spain. 1814: During the War of 1812, British forces captured Washington, D.C., and burned various government buildings, notably the Capitol and the Executive Mansion (now known as the White House). 1803: Irish revolutionary James Napper Tandy died in France. 1572: The Massacre of St. Bartholomews Day, plotted by Catherine de Médicis against the French Huguenots, was carried out by Roman Catholic nobles and other citizens. 410: Alaric, chief of the Visigoths, led an army into Rome, an event that symbolizes the fall of the Western Roman Empire. 79: Eruption of Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupted on this day in AD 79, destroying the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the excavations of these sites in the mid-18th century precipitated the modern science of archaeology.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 00:18:41 +0000
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