On Aug. 24, A.D. 79, Mount Vesuvius unleashed its fury and blew its top, literally. Nineteen hours after the eruption the Roman resort towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae were destroyed, buried beneath tons of ash and rock. They remained hidden for the next 1,700 years.
Few lived to tell the tale of that horrifying tragedy, but in the 16th century two letters came to light. At the time of the eruption, a man known as Pliny the Younger was staying at the home of his uncle, Pliny the Elder.
Like a modern-day storm chaser, the older Pliny set out for the heart of Pompeii at the first signs of the volcano's stirring, to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event. He did not survive; however, his nephew, who remained behind with his mother, did live. Pliny the Younger's letters to his friend Tacitus, a Roman historian, recount the events of that terrifying day. This is the only known eyewitness account of the eruption.
