TODAY IN HISTORY

August 24, 1949

The North Atlantic Treaty came into force. ON THIS DATE

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.

1954

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

1981

Mark David Chapman was sentenced in New York to 20 years to life in prison for murdering John Lennon. (Chapman remains imprisoned.)