All Things in Moderation

1975 – British rock band Queen begins to record lead singer Freddie Mercury’s song Bohemian Rhapsody at Rockfield Studios in Wales. The song takes over three weeks to fully record, with sessions going 10 hours a day. EMI, Queen’s record company, was reluctant to release the song as a single, but eventually relented after the band secreted a copy of the song to a Capitol Radio DJ who played the song 14 times over the course of a weekend, to much praise. The song stayed on the UK charts for 9 weeks, reaching number one in 1976, and then climbing back into the top spot in 1991 following the death of Mercury. In the US, the song peaks at number 9 in 1976, but reached all the way to number 2 in 1992 after it was featured in the comedy Wayne’s World.

1812 – British forces defeat the American militia at Bladensburg, Maryland and march unopposed into Washington D.C. The British proceed to set fire to the White House, the House of Representatives, the Library of Congress and the unfinished Capitol building, as well as many private homes. The British retreat from the city 2 days later, leaving it in charred ruins.

79 – Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy erupts for the first time in centuries, destroying the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The eruption is reported to have lasted 18 hours, burying Pompeii under some 15 feet of volcanic ash and pumice, while Herculaneum is buried under 60 feet of mud and volcanic rock. During the 18th century a farmer found traces of Pompeii on his vineyard, prompting an excavation project that continues to this very day. The ash under which the city was buried preserved many artifacts, including the outlines of the bodies of the poor souls who were buried under it, in a kind of plaster mold, providing great insight into the daily life of the time prior to the eruption.

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