THURSDAY IN HISTORY

Today is Thursday, Aug. 24, the 236th day of 2017. There are 129 days left in the year.

Highlight in History:

On Aug. 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew smashed into Florida, causing $30 billion in damage; 43U.S. deaths were blamed on the storm.

On this date:

In 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.

In 1572, the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre of French Protestants at the hands of Catholics began in Paris.

In 1814, during the War of 1812, British forces invaded Washington, D.C., setting fire to the Capitol (which was still under construction) and the WhiteHouse, as well as other public buildings.

In 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.

In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty came into force.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Communist Control Act, outlawing the Communist Party in the United States.

In 1970, an explosives-laden van left by anti-war extremists blew up outside the University of Wisconsin’s Sterling Hall inMadison, killing 33-year-old researcher Robert Fassnacht.

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

Ten years ago: A judge in Inverness, Fla., sentenced John Evander Couey to death for kidnapping 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, raping her and burying her alive. (Couey died of natural causes in 2009.)

Five years ago: A suit-clad gunman opened fire outside New York’s Empire State Building, killing a former co-worker before being gunned down by police.

One year ago: A 6.2 magnitude earthquake reduced three central Italian towns to rubble and killed nearly 300 people.

Today’s Birthdays: Actorwriter Stephen Fry is 60.. Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. is 57. Talk showhost CraigKilbornis 55. CBSNews correspondent Major Garrett is 55. Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller is 52. Movie director Ava DuVernay is 45. Actor-comedian Dave Chappelle is 44. SingerMika is 34. Actor Rupert Grint is 29.

Thought for Today: “Life begins when a person first realizes how soon it will end.” — Marcelene Cox, American writer.