Today is Wednesday, Aug. 24, the 236th day of 2005. There are 129 days left in the year. On this

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 24, the 236th day of 2005. There are 129 days left in the year. On this date in 1992, Hurricane Andrew smashes into Florida, causing record damage; 55 deaths in Florida, Louisiana and the Bahamas are blamed on the storm.
In A.D. 79, long-dormant Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in volcanic ash. An estimated 20,000 people die. In 1814, British forces invade Washington, D.C., setting fire to the Capitol and the White House. In 1932, Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly non-stop across the United States, traveling from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., in just over 19 hours. In 1954, the Communist Control Act goes into effect, virtually outlawing the Communist Party in the United States. In 1968, France becomes the world's fifth thermonuclear power as it explodes a hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific. In 1970, a bomb planted by anti-war extremists explodes at the University of Wisconsin's Army Math Research Center in Madison, killing 33-year-old researcher Robert Fassnacht.
August 24, 1980: A 150- to 250-room Hilton Hotel with adjoining convention facilities is proposed for downtown Youngstown by local developer Andrew Burin.
More than $2.8 million will be spent to spruce up Youngstown Municipal Airport. About $800,000 in bonds issued by the city will be supplemented by federal grants.
Dr. Bernard T. Gillis, formerly academic vice president and provost at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, is named Youngstown State University's new academic vice president, succeeding the late Dr. Earl E. Edgar.
A mass transit center that could be the catalyst for downtown Youngstown's economic revival is proposed on a site fronting on Commerce Street between Phelps Street and Fifth Avenue.
August 24, 1965: A million-dollar national counterfeit stock certificate ring may have been uncovered with the arrest of a 39-year-old New Castle man who attempted to trick the Firestone Bank of Lisbon with bogus stock certificates.
U.S. District Judge Frank J. Battisti finds three brothers of slain racketeer Vince De Niro guilty of two counts each of tax evasion in connection with federal taxes on the estate of their late brother, who died in a car bombing July 17, 1961.
Youngstown teenagers get a peek at the latest fashions during a show at McKelvey's in downtown Youngstown. The show was produced by Pru Hooper, who narrated the Beatles movie, "A Hard Day's Night." Local models were Sandie Evans, Shelly Goldberg, Jo Ann Severlinski and Gwen Wegele.
August 24, 1955: First Lt. Francis L. McShane, 29, a native of Youngstown, is among nine airmen and civilians killed when a crippled C119 Flying Boxcar burst into flames and crashed into three houses near Charleston, S.C.
Margaret Kavesky, 8, dies in St. Elisabeth Hospital, the city of Youngstown's first polio death of the year. A Liberty Township woman and boy died of the disease earlier.
A new Kresge Co. store opens in the Glenwood Plaza, incorporating all the architectural features of a modern variety store, including air conditioning and a 28-stool lunch counter. John V. Nierle Jr., a 19-year company veteran, is manager.
August 24, 1930: Thirty-six persons including three women, many reported to be bootleggers, bookmakers and other vice leaders, are arrested by Youngstown police in a general clean-up drive ordered by Chief Paul E. Lyden in an effort to solve the attempted bombing of Mayor Joseph Heffernan's house.
After 33 years, the body of Swedish balloonist August Andre, who attempted to cross the arctic in a hot air balloon in 1897, is found on White Island by a exploration party.
William P. Barnum defeats W.A. Mason for chairmanship of the Mahoning County Republican Party in the most bitter fight for leadership in the local party's history. John J. Farrell is unanimously elected chairman of the Democratic Party.