What history can teach us

Have you ever heard that saying "History repeats itself" but didn't quite understand just how that might happen?

Well, in 79 A.D. Mount Vesuvius exploded and destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum on the Amalfi Coast. From the written account of that time and from the ruins of the cities, we have discovered many things, including ways to prevent such fatalities from natural disaster.

If people don't learn from past events, similar things could happen again. This is how history might "repeat itself."

Many cities near volcanoes now have Emergency Warning systems in place. The Red Cross also publishes an information site about how to prepare for a volcanic emergeny ahead of time.

For more information about Emergency Warning systems visit the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. For more about how volcanoes send out their own warnings, visit NOVA: Deadly Warnings. - and don't miss the short video on the NOVA page.