CAMILLE BOHANNON

On August 24, 79 AD after centuries of dormancy, Mount Vesuvius
erupted in southern Italy, devastating the prosperous Roman cities
of  Pompeii and Herculaneum and killing thousands. The cities,
buried under a thick layer of volcanic material and mud, were
never rebuilt and largely forgotten in the course of history.

In the 18th century, Pompeii and Herculaneum were rediscovered and
excavated, providing an  unprecedented archaeological record of
the everyday life of an ancient civilization, startlingly preserved in
in sudden death.

On Sunday, at 8:32 a.m. PDT, Mount St. Helens, a volcanic peak in southwestern Washington, suffered a massive eruption, killing 57
people and devastating some 210 square miles of wilderness.

USGS geologist Don Swanson (in red) and his colleague, Jim Moore, view a car filled with ash deposits from the May 18, 1980, eruption
of  Mount St. Helens. (USGS photo)

Harold R. "Harry" Truman (October 30, 1896 – May 18, 1980)
Truman was the owner and caretaker of Mount St. Helens
Lodge at Spirit Lake.

The mountain as it looks today.

CAMILLE
BOHANNON

On this day in 1980, Mt. Saint Helens erupted in Washington state. A
total of 57 people were killed along with 3 billion dollars in damage.

Mt. Saint Helens as it looks today.

ED DANAHUE

One of the major disasters in 19^th century around the world was the eruption
of the volcano Krakatau in western Pacific Ocean, Indonesia.

The volcano erupted on this day in 1883 and killed thousand people on the
other islands near it. The volcanic dust was thrown into the atmosphere
and affected the weather around the world, and people as far away as Britain
and the United States began to see bizarre red sunsets caused by particles
in the atmosphere.

On this day in 1859, the first oil well was successfully drilled in the
U.S. by Colonel Edwin L. Drake (below) near Titusville, PA.

Drake Well Museum in Titusville, PA is on the site where Edwin L.
Drake drilled the world’s first oil well in 1859 and launched the
modern petroleum industry.

It was on this day in 1979.

Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten was born
Prince Louis of Battenberg
(June 25, 1900 – August 27, 1979)  

President John F. Kennedy (left) Meets with Lord Louis Mountbatten (center) in 1961.  Mountbatten was Chief of the Defense Staff of the British Armed Forces at the time.

Brian Epstein was found dead in his home from an overdose of
sleeping pills on this day in 1967. Epstein first discovered The
Beatles in November 1961.

Brian Samuel Epstein
(September 19, 1934 – August 27, 1967)

Brian Epstein (center) with The Beatles.