Associated Press

On Aug. 24, A.D. 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in ash.

In 1932, Amelia Earhart embarked on a 19-hour flight from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey, making her the first woman to fly solo, non-stop, from coast to coast.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act, outlawing the Communist Party in the United States.

In 1989, Baseball Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti banned Pete Rose from the game for betting on his own team, the Cincinnati Reds.

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew smashed into Florida, causing $30 billion in damage.

In 2016, astronaut Jeffrey Williams marked a U.S. record-breaking 521st day in orbit, a number accumulated over four flights.