August 24, 79 AD – Vesuvius, an active volcano in southern Italy, erupts and destroys the city of Pompeii and also the cities of Stabiae, Oplontis, and Herculaneum.
August 24 and 25, 1814 – During the War of 1812, Washington, D.C. is invaded by British forces who burn the Capitol, the White House, and other public buildings.
August 28, 1830 – The first American-built locomotive, called “Tom Thumb”, races a horse drawn stagecoach from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills. Due to a mechanical problem, the horse wins, but the work of inventor and industrialist Peter Cooper impresses the management of the B&O Railroad and orders are placed to use mechanical power, not horsepower, for all future trains.
August 28, 1963 – The Civil Rights “March on Washington” occurs with over 250,000 attendees. It is at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King delivers his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.