This Day in History
79: The volcano Mt. Vesuvius erupts in southern Italy, killing an estimated 16,000 people and destroying the cities of Pompeii, Stabiae, and Herculaneum.
1814: In the War of 1812, the British capture Washington, DC, and burn the Capitol and the White House.
1875: Matthew Webb of Britain becomes the first person to swim the English Channel.
1949: NATO is established by the United States, Canada, and 10 Western European nations for mutual defense.
1989: Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose is banned from baseball for life for gambling.
1992: Hurricane Andrew strikes southern Florida, causing severe damage.
Today's Birthdays
1847: Charles F. McKim, architect (Chester County, PA; died 1909)
1900: Jose Luis Borges, short-story writer/poet/essayist (Argentina; died 1986)
1912: Durwood Kirby, TV personality (Covington, KY; died 2000)
1936: A. S. Byatt, writer (Sheffield, England)
1938: Mason Williams, songwriter/composer (Abilene, TX)
1944: Gregory Jarvis, engineer/astronaut who died in the Challenger explosion (Detroit, MI; died 1986)
1947: Paulo Coelho, writer (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
1949: Joe Regalbuto, actor (New York, NY)
1951: Oscar Hijuelos, writer (New York, NY)
1956: Gerry Cooney, boxer (New York, NY)
1958: Steve Guttenberg, actor (New York, NY)
1960: Cal Ripken Jr., baseball player (Havre de Grace, MD)
1962: Craig Kilborn, TV personality (Hastings, MN)
1965: Marlee Matlin, actress (Morton Grove, IL). Reggie Miller, basketball player (Riverside, CA)
1988: Rupert Grint, actor (Hertfordshire, England)
