On This Day for August 24 - Eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Yāsir ʿArafāt is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, [click here to view](. August 24 [Arafat, Yasser] FEATURED BIOGRAPHY 1929 Yāsir Ê¿Arafāt Palestinian leader [Yāsir Ê¿Arafāt]( believed to have been born this day in Cairo in 1929, was president of the [Palestinian Authority]( (1996–2004), chairman of the [PLO]( (1969–2004), and cowinner of the 1994 Nobel Prize for Peace. [SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY]( [Excavations near Mount Vesuvius in Italy.] FEATURED EVENT 79 ce Eruption of Mount Vesuvius [Mount Vesuvius]( in Italy erupted on this day in 79 , destroying the ancient cities of [Pompeii]( and [Herculaneum]( and the excavations of these sites in the mid-18th century precipitated the modern science of [archaeology](. [SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY]( MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY [To strengthen themselves against possible communist aggression, 12 countries formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949.] 1949: The [North Atlantic Treaty Organization]( (NATO) entered into force, following the signing of its treaty four months earlier. [Mexico] 1821: The Treaty of Córdoba was signed, giving [Mexico]( its independence from [Spain](. [James Napper Tandy, engraving by James Heath, 1815, from an earlier drawing by James Petrie.] 1803: Irish revolutionary [James Napper Tandy]( died in France. [Dubois, François: The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day] 1572: The [Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day]( plotted by [Catherine de Médicis]( against the French [Huguenots]( was carried out by Roman Catholic nobles and other citizens. 410: [Alaric]( chief of the [Visigoths]( led an army into Rome, an event that symbolizes the [fall]( of the Western Roman Empire. [True-colour image of Pluto, created from telescopic data collected between 1985 and 1990 during a period of mutual eclipses of Pluto and its moon Charon. Pluto's slightly reddish hue indicates that its surface does not comprise pure ices, though the nature of the material responsible for the colour remains to be determined.] 2006: [Pluto]( was demoted from [planet]( to [dwarf planet]( after the [International Astronomical Union]( approved a reclassification of the [solar system](. [SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY]( ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1945 Vince McMahon American businessman 1957 Stephen Fry British actor, writer, and director 1973 Dave Chappelle American comedian and actor 1947 Paulo Coelho Brazilian author 1955 Mike Huckabee American politician [SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY]( FOLLOW: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, [click here](. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2018 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. [Privacy Policy]( • [Help](