Today is Monday, Aug. 24, the 236th day of 2009. There are 129 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
On Aug. 24, 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to the Capitol (which was still under construction) and the White House, as well as other public buildings.
ON THIS DATE
In A.D. 79, long-dormant Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in volcanic ash; an estimated 20,000 people died.
In 1572, the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre of French Protestants at the hands of Catholics began in Paris.
In 1932, Amelia Earhart embarked on a 19-hour flight from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., making her the first woman to fly solo, nonstop, from coast to coast.
In 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act, outlawing the Communist Party in the United States.
In 1989, Pete Rose was banned from baseball for betting on his own team, the Cincinnati Reds.
In 2004, an independent commission said the blame for abuses at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison lay mainly with the American soldiers who ran the jail, but said senior commanders and top-level Pentagon officials could also be faulted for failed leadership and oversight.
In 2008, on the final day of the Beijing Games, Kobe Bryant hit two 3-pointers in a big fourth quarter to help the United States defeat Spain 118-107 and win the men’s basketball gold medal for the first time since 2000.
Associated Press
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