Pluto Demoted: No Longer a Planet
The International Astronomical Union redraws the solar system's map by stripping Pluto of its planetary status and classifying it as a dwarf planet instead. This decision forces astronomers to confront the messy reality of our neighborhood, where Pluto shares its orbital zone with thousands of other icy bodies rather than standing alone as a distinct world.
August 24, 2006
20 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on August 24
Gaius Scribonius Curio crossed into Africa in 49 BC with two legions, chasing Pompey's allies, certain he had the upper hand. He didn't. Publius Attius Varus ha…
Mount Vesuvius unleashed a pyroclastic surge that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum under meters of ash, instantly erasing two thriving Roman cities and killing th…
In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted, burying the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae in volcanic ash. This catastrophic event preserved these cities under …
Valentinian I elevated his eight-year-old son Gratian to the rank of co-Augustus, formalizing a dynastic succession plan to secure the imperial throne. This mov…
The last known inscription in Egyptian hieroglyphs was carved at the Temple of Isis on the island of Philae in 394 AD, a dedication by a priest named Esmet-Akho…
Alaric I and his Visigoth forces breached the Salarian Gate, initiating the first sack of Rome in eight centuries. This collapse of the city’s perceived invulne…
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