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CHICAGO (AFP) - As the fury of Mount Vesuvius rained down on the ancient city of Pompeii, a small dog tried to save himself by climbing the steadily rising piles of ash and pumice stones.

But the chain attached to his neck proved to be his undoing: 12 hours later his horrific death was frozen in time by the very ash and volcanic gas that smothered him.

The twisted body of the dog is just one of the gruesome casts displayed at Chicago's Field Museum as part of a traveling exhibit that tells the story of the famous eruption that destroyed the Roman city in 79 AD.

The volcanic ash that buried Pompeii and the neighboring resort of Herculaneum preserved the towns so perfectly that excavators were even able to find carbonized loaves of bread in a bakery, offering an unprecedented window into the daily life of ancient Romans.

Read more: Exhibit displays gruesome casts of Pompeii's dead - Yahoo! News

On October 14th, 1979 Wayne Gretzky scores his first NHL goal.
By the way, the card in this image is an ebay auction that ends in 1 hour. It has had 21 bids so far and is currently at $1,401...... for a piece of cardboard!!!

ITEM ENDED UP SELLING FOR $1,529.00!!!!

COLUMBUS REACHES THE NEW WORLD:
October 12, 1492

Most Americans do not know the murderous history of Christopher Columbus. Columbus kidnapped , enslaved, and murdered the Arawak people. He ruled with severe discipline ordering the cutting off of ears or nose as punishment for minor crimes. Women were known to kill their newborn babies, rather than have them raised in such hideous circumstances. Columbus would reward his officers with women to rape. Girls 10 to 12 were especially desired for rape. Read more ...

On September 1st, 1972 Bobby Fischer (US) defeats Boris Spassky (USSR) for world chess title.
I'm reading this book right now about this match. These chess geniuses are completely off their fuckin rockers.

On August 17 1914 Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr. is born and on August 17th 1988 he dies.
That would suck to die on your birthday.

On August 13th 1919, the greatest race horse of all time, Man O' War, suffers his only defeat at Saratoga Racetrack, ironically to a horse named Upset.
Man O' War raced 21 times, winning 20 and coming in 2nd once.
The great horse racing writer Red Smith wrote of Man O' War....
"Man O' War worked 5 furlongs this morning in 57 and 3/5ths seconds.... The trees swayed."

On August 11th 1966 the first Chevy Camaro drove out of the manufacturing plant in Norwood, Ohio. The 1967 Camaro coupe was named just weeks before production; General Manager Elliot Estes, when publicly announcing the name, quipped, "I went into a closet, shut the door and came out with the name." Camaro is actually French for "comrade, pal, or chum." The Camaro was a hit with the public, sporting a base price of only $2,466 for a six-cylinder engine and three-speed manual transmission.

On August 9th 1988, The Cubs beat the Mets 6-4 in their 1st official night game at Wrigley Field.
Yeah, and they've been soooooo successful since then.

On August 2nd, 1876 Wild Bill Hickok is shot dead (from behind uin the back of the head) by Jack McCall in Deadwood, South Dakota while playing poker. He held a pair of Aces & a pair of 8's, which forever after that time became known as a dead man's hand.

July 27th 1880 - AP Abourne was awarded a patent for refining coconut oil. Via http://www.seditionists.org/black/thisweek.html

On July 20th, 1969 Neil Armstrong & Edwin Aldrin became the first men on Moon on their Apollo 11 mission.
Click here to hear Neil Armstrong's actual reaction to being on the moon.
Coincidentally, today Google launched Google Moon, pictured above.

On July 8th 1986 an "Aerobie" flying ring becomes the farthest thrown object, 1,257 feet.

On July 1st, 1869 the US mint at Carson City, Nevada opens.
Though it coined gold and silver only from 1870 to 1893, it has left American numismatics with a rich legacy. Most of its coins are scarce to rare, some of them being tremendous rarities. Others, such as the silver dollars of 1882-84, have survived in vast numbers for reasons that have nothing to do with their original mintage figures. All of these coins, whatever their rarity or market value, carry romantic associations with the Old West and the great bonanza years of the late 19th Century.

On June 12th, 1939 The Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown, NY is opened.

On June 11th, 1979 actor John Wayne dies of cancer.