On this day, 1,930 years ago, Mt. Vesuvius erupted burying the neighboring cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum beneath ash and mud. A bad day for Romans living in the bay of Naples, but as it turns out, a very useful one for folks interested in studying the social history of the Roman world. Pliny the Younger wrote an account of the eruption in a letter to his friend Tacitus (the historian). You can read a translation of the letter on the web at: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pompeii.htm