Today In History

Today is Friday, Aug. 24, the 236th day of 2018. There are 129 days left in the year.

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT

› A.D. 79: Long-dormant Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in volcanic ash; an estimated 20,000 people died.

ON THIS DATE

› 1814: During the War of 1812, British forces invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to the Capitol (which was still under construction) and the White House, as well as other public buildings.

› 1912: Congress passed a measure creating the Alaska Territory. Congress approved legislation establishing parcel post delivery by the U.S. Post Office Department, slated to begin on January 1, 1913.

› 1959: Three days after Hawaiian statehood, Hiram L. Fong was sworn in as the first Chinese-American U.S. Senator while Daniel K. Inouye was sworn in as the first Japanese-American U.S. Representative.

› 1968: France became the world’s fifth thermonuclear power as it exploded a hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific.

› 1989: The Voyager 2 space probe flew by Neptune, sending back striking photographs.

› 2006: The International Astronomical Union declared that Pluto was no longer a fullfledged planet, demoting it to the status of a “dwarf planet.”

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Composer-musician Mason Williams is 80. Rhythm and blues singer Marshall Thompson (The Chi-Lites) is 76. Rock musician Ken Hensley is

73. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is 63. Actor-writer Stephen Fry is 61. Actor Steve Guttenberg is 60. Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. is

58. Actor Jared Harris is

57. Talk show host Craig Kilborn is 56. CBS News correspondent Major Garrett is 56. Rock singer John Bush is 55. Actress Marlee Matlin is 53. Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller is 53. Broadcast journalist David Gregory is 48. Movie director Ava DuVernay is 46. Actor-comedian Dave Chappelle is

45. Actor James D’Arcy is

45. Actor Alex O’Loughlin is 42. Actress Beth Riesgraf is 40. Actor Chad Michael Murray is 37. Christian rock musician Jeffrey Gilbert (Kutless) is 35. Singer Mika is 35. Actor Blake Berris is

34. Actor Rupert Grint (“Harry Potter” films) is

30.