Today's Highlight in History:
On August 24th, 1814, British forces invaded Washington DC, setting fire to the Capitol and the White House.
On this date:
In A.D. 79, long-dormant Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in volcanic¹ ash. An estimated 20,000 people died.

In 1572, the slaughter² of French Protestants at the hands of Catholics began in Paris.

In 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly non-stop across the United States, traveling from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey³, in just over 19 hours.

In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty went into effect.

In 1954, the Communist Control Act went into effect, virtually outlawing⁴ the Communist Party in the United States.

In 1968, France became the world's fifth thermonuclear power as it exploded a hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific.

In 1970, a bomb planted by anti-war extremists exploded at the University of Wisconsin's Army Math Research Center in Madison, killing⁵ 33-year-old researcher Robert Fassnacht.

In 1981, Mark David Chapman was sentenced in New York to 20 years to life in prison for slaying⁶ rock star John Lennon.

In 1989, Baseball Commissioner⁷ A. Bartlett Giamatti banned Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose from the game for gambling⁸.

In 1992, Hurricane "Andrew" smashed into Florida.

Ten years ago: Iraqi troops surrounded foreign missions in Kuwait. Soviet⁹ President Mikhail S. Gorbachev sent a message to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein warning the Persian Gulf¹⁰ situation was "extremely dangerous." Irish hostage Brian Keenan was released by his captors in Lebanon after being held more than four years.

Five years ago: China expelled Chinese-American human rights activist¹¹ Harry¹² Wu, hours after convicting him of spying. Microsoft Corporation began selling its highly publicized Windows 95 personal computer software.

One year ago: The Federal Reserve raised borrowing costs for millions of Americans, increasing its target for the federal funds rate by a quarter point to 5.25 percent, and hiking the discount rate a quarter point to 4.75 percent.