On This Day August 24

At 1.00 pm on August 24, 79 Mount Vesuvius erupted, ejecting a cloud of stones, ashes and volcanic gases to a height of 21 miles (33 km), spewing molten rock and pulverized pumice at the rate of 7.8×105 cubic yards (6×105 cu meters) per second, ultimately releasing a hundred thousand times the thermal energy released by the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombings. The Roman towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae were buried in rock and ash. Over 2,000 people were killed.

The Last Day of Pompeii. Painting by Karl Brullov, 1830–1833

WANT MORE THINGS THAT HAPPENED ON AUGUST 24? CHECK OUT MY ONTHATDAY BLOG. HERE'S A LINK.