A page from the Gutenberg Bible

Today in History

• Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying the Roman city of Pompeii (79)
• The Visigoths (410) and the Vandals (455) pillage Rome
• The printing of the Gutenberg Bible is completed (1456)
• War of 1812: The British invade Washington, DC, and burn the White House, Capitol, and other buildings (1814)
• Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera (1891)
• Amelia Earhart flies non-stop across the US (1932)
• The US outlaws the American Communist Party (1954)
• Pete Rose is banned from baseball (1989)

Birthdays

• Robert Herrick, poet (1591)
• Max Beerbohm, essayist and caricaturist (1872)
• Jorge Luis Borges, author (1899)
• Carlo Gambino, mob boss (1902)
• Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup, blues musician (1905)
• Durward Kirby, television host (1911)
• James Tiptree, Jr., science fiction writer (1915)
• Dennis James, game show host (1917)
• Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader (1929)
• Kenny Baker, actor known for R2-D2 (1934)
• Mason Williams, musician (1938)
• Gregory Jarvis, astronaut (1944)
• Vince McMahon, wrestling promoter (1945)
• Anne Archer, actress (1947)
• Jean Michel Jarre, musician (1948)
• Charles Rocket, comedian (1949)
• Gerry Cooney, boxer (1956)
• Stephen Fry, actor and author (1957)
• Cal Ripken, Jr., baseball player (1960)
• Marlee Matlin, actress (1965)
• Dave Chappelle, comedian (1973)
• Rupert Grint, actor (1988)

Deaths

• Zhang Ye, Chinese military leader (948)
• Louis Prima, musician (1978)
• Hanna Reitsch, German pilot (1979)
• E. G. Marshall, actor (1998)
• Jane Greer, actress (2001)
• Elisabeth Kühler-Ross, psychiatrist (2004)
• Julie Harris, actress (2013)
• Richard Attenborough, filmmaker (2014)
• Jay Thomas, comedian and talk show host (2017)

Holidays and Observances

• Flag Day (Liberia)
• Independence Day (Ukraine)
• International Strange Music Day
• National Waffle Day (US)
• Nostalgia Night (Uruguay)
• Willika Raymi (Cusco, Peru)

August 24 is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years). There are 129 days remaining until the end of the year.