On this day

79 AD: Vesuvius erupted, destroying the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killing 2,000 people. Paradoxically, the eruption destroyed Pompeii but also preserved it for the rest of time.

1572: The St Bartholomew’s Day massacre took place in Paris when thousands of French Huguenots were killed by order of the Catholic French court.

1891: The motion picture camera was patented by Thomas Edison.

1965: The 450,000-year-old body of a man was found in a Hungarian limestone quarry.

2006: The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefined the term ‘’planet’’ such that Pluto was then considered a dwaf planet.

2008: Gordon Brown promised the London games would be ‘’the best Olympics ever’’ as the official handover to Mayor Boris Johnson took place in Beijing.