As I am preparing something related to natural disasters, I remembered that when the eruption of Mount Vesuvius began on August 24, 79 AD, Pliny the Younger was staying at his uncle's villa in Misenum, across the bay from Pompeii, 29 kilometers away.

​When the eruption started, Pliny saw a cloud of gas and debris shooting up from Vesuvius. He compared this strange cloud to a pine tree.

​The people in Pompeii, about nine kilometers away from the volcano, would have seen the same strange, unsettling cloud. Even if they had largely ignored the earth tremors of the previous days, they could not do the same with the cloud. Those who left Pompeii immediately at that point still had a chance of survival, unlike those who hesitated or stayed behind.

​That same afternoon, pumice stones began to rain down on Pompeii. They damaged buildings and struck those trying to escape at the last minute. Ash, toxic gases, and debris buried Pompeii early the next day.

​Pliny and his mother were among those who fled around the Bay of Naples. He recalled that as darkness and ash descended on the survivors, chaos ensued: "You could hear the shrieks of women, the wailing of infants, and the shouting of men; some were calling their parents, others their children or their wives, trying to recognize them by their voices."

​After the volcano finally settled down, Pliny and his mother returned to Misenum. They were the lucky ones. For the survivors of Pompeii, there would be no home to return to. It is estimated that 2,000 people in Pompeii lost their lives during the eruption.