August 25th 79: Pliny the Elder died
On this day in 79 AD, the famous Roman author and philosopher Pliny the Elder died. The previous day, he witnessed the eruption of Mount Vesuvius which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum. He crossed the Bay of Naples to rescue a friend from the eruption and to observe the phenomenon. Despite the rubble raining down on his boat, Pliny continued and declared “Fortune favours the brave”. Pliny became stranded on the shore and collapsed, supposedly from the toxic fumes.