On this date in history, August 24th, thousands of people died and the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy around 79 A.D. Other notable events include Hurricane Andrew killing 15 people and causing over $30 billion in damage when it struck Florida in 1992, and a single winner from Massachusetts winning a record-breaking $758 million lottery jackpot in 2017. The article lists 12 significant historical events that occurred on August 24th throughout the years. These events range from natural disasters to significant cultural and societal milestones.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
In 79 A.D., thousands died and the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy.
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cities → die → Italy
In 1814, the British captured Washington and burned the Capitol and the White House.
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British → capture → Capitol
In 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly non-stop across the United States.
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Earhart → become → States
In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act outlawing the Communist Party.
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Eisenhower → sign → Party
Though the act has never been repealed, the party exists to this day.
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party → repeal → day
In 1981, Mark Chapman, who claimed devils forced him to kill John Lennon and God told him to confess, was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for fatally shooting the former member of the Beatles.
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God → claim → Beatles
In 1989, Pete Rose, whose slashing singles and head-first slides once made him the embodiment of America's national sport, was banished from baseball for life, ending a gambling scandal.
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him → slash → scandal
In 1991, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev quit as general secretary of the Communist Party central committee.
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Gorbachev → quit → committee
He also ordered his Cabinet to resign.
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He → order → Cabinet
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew smashed into Florida south of Miami with sustained winds of 145 mph.
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Andrew → smash → mph
The storm killed 15 people and caused more than $30 billion in damage.
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storm → kill → damage
In 1996, four women became students at The Citadel, a military school in South Carolina that had fought in court to remain all-male.
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that → become → court
In 2004, two Russian passenger jetliners crashed within minutes of each other after taking off from Domodedovo Airport in Moscow.
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jetliners → crash → Moscow
Authorities said terrorist attacks caused the crashes, which killed 89 people.
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which → say → people
In 2006, Pluto, the small, distant astronomic body that has discovered in 1930, was demoted to "dwarf planet" status when the International Astronomical Union adopted a new definition of "planet."
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Union → discover → planet
In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decided to make the "morning-after" contraceptive pill known as Plan B available without a prescription to people 18 and older.
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pill → decide → people
In 2011, Steve Jobs, co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple Inc., resigned, telling his company's board he could "no longer meet my duties and expectations."
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he → resign → duties
Jobs, 56, who stayed on as chairman, had battled cancer for several years.
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who → stay → years
He died Oct. 5, 2011.
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He → die → ?
In 2012, Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway, was sentenced to 21 years in prison, the longest prison term possible for murder and terrorism under Norwegian law.
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who → kill → law
In 2013, Bolivian government officials said inmates at a prison in Santa Cruz used knives, machetes, self-made flamethrowers and other weapons in a gang battle that left 30 people dead and dozens injured.
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that → say → people
In 2017, a single winner from Massachusetts won $758 million for the largest single-ticket lottery jackpot win in U.S. history.
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winner → win → history
In 2022, Belgian 17-year-old Mack Rutherford became the youngest person to fly solo around the world after landing in Bulgaria, ending a 30-country, 30,000-mile trek.
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Rutherford → become → trek
In 2023, former President Donald Trump surrendered at Fulton County Jail in Georgia on a 13-count indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
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Trump → surrender → Georgia
In 2024, French police arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on a warrant accusing him of failing to take steps to curb criminal uses of the social media application, including drug trafficking, child sexual content and fraud.
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police → arrest → trafficking
He was allowed to leave the country in March 2025 though the case against him was active.
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case → allow → him
