Mount Vesuvius, in Italy’s Campania region near the Bay of Naples, is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in history. On Aug. 24, A.D. 79, a massive eruption destroyed the nearby Roman cities Herculaneum and Pompeii; at the time, both were centers of wealth and commerce.
Columns of ash shot up six miles and covered the region with volcanic material, killing thousands of residents. The remains of Pompeii lay covered in ash and debris for centuries until discovered by a group of explorers in 1748.
