The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE is perhaps the best known eruption in history. Although it was neither history's most powerful eruption nor its deadliest, this event left an indelible mark by encasing the Italian city of Pompeii in ash and rock. Frozen in time, the remnants of Pompeii's buildings, streets, and residents are a permanent and moving reminder of nature's unpredictable power.