The Destruction of Pompeii | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror

"On or around the 17th of October, 79AD, Mount Vesuvius - a volcano in southern Italy - erupted. Ash, dust and poisonous gases were blasted high into the sky..."
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/ fascinatinghorror
TRANSLATIONS:
► This video is also available in German ( • Die Zerstörung von Pom... )
SOCIAL MEDIA:
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:43 - Background
02:34 - The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius
08:03 - After the Disaster
MUSIC:
► "Glass Pond" by Public Memory
► "The Plan's Working" by Cooper Cannell
SOURCES:
► "The A.D. 79 Eruption at Mt. Vesuvius" published by UC San Diego. Link: web.archive.org/web/200810190....
► "The Economy of Pompeii" by Miko Flohr and Andrew Wilson, published by Oxford University Press, 2016. Link: oxford.universitypressscholar....
► "Benchmarks: March 17, 1944: The most recent eruption of Mount Vesuvius" by Sara E Pratt, published by Earth Magazine, March 2016. Link: www.earthmagazine.org/article....
► "Pompeii" published by History.com, August 2010. Link: www.history.com/topics/ancien....
​​​​​​​#Documentary​​​​ #History​​​​​​​​​ #TrueStories​

[@TXnine7nine]

Granted it’s more well known, Pompeii was just one of several cities in the area that were covered by Vesuvius. Herculaneum was another and many historians consider it better preserved than Pompeii. When visiting Naples, that was where my family and I visited. Didn’t have the huge crowds of tourists that Pompeii had.

[@eliz_scubavn]

I actually preferred Herculaneum for much this reason.

[@nikkydasilva1785]

Yes I watched a really good documentary on Herculaneum amazingly well preserved it’s my dream to visit one day!

[@Fusilier7]

There are also lesser known settlements, such as Stabiae, Oplontis, and Villa Boscoraele, which were also impacted by the eruption.

[@nikkydasilva1785]

@@Fusilier7 oh wow really? I wonder if I can find anything to watch on them?

[@SolaScientia]

It also helped that Herculaneum was buried under a different type of flow from Pompeii, but it and many others were more quickly forgotten than Pompeii, so Naples was built on top of it.

[@shewolfsiren]

You know, you REALLY should do the sequel to this: The Destruction of Herculaneum. Everyone keeps talking about Pompeii, and as a result, they forget about her sister city, that was ALSO destroyed when Vesuvius blew its top--but was destroyed in a completely different manner by that volcano

[@chloewebb94]

This was my first thought before even watching… Everyone forgets about Herculaneum. It’s actually more preserved than Pompeii! They found some amazing furniture and mosaics.

[@doggolovescheese1310]

The documentaries about that event are fascinating

[@roxbuchanan6357]

@@chloewebb94 And parchments! I saw a story the other day saying that scientists were possibly going to try and work out a way to unroll some of the Herculaneum scrolls, to be able to see what they say.

[@lauriepenner350]

I recommend the documentary "The Other Pompeii", which is readily available on KZbin.

[@Kitty-mb4hy]

@@lauriepenner350 thank you very much.

[@aperturius]

Pliny's account sounds as real and as modern as if it could have been an interview with someone after the Mt St Helens explosion.

[@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures]

That's always fascinated me. I've read his account and it's superb. For a long time many historians thought he was doing a bit of dramatic licence as is a poet's wont. Then the 1902 Mt. Pelee eruption happened and volcanologists realised it was an entirely accurate account.

[@thoraneh7365]

Just written better lol

[@alexing86]

The vividness of the writings from many ancient authors is truly amazing. Makes us feel so close to these men who lived thousands of years ago, and it helps realize that what link all of us humans is much deeper than technological advancement

[@andyjay729]

Yeah, I was reminded of reporter Davy Crockett's* experience lost in ash and darkness after the St. Helens eruption, caught on film. * Yes, that was that reporter's name. He worked for a Portland, OR TV station at the time.

[@NikkiAkaNlg]

Agreed, this is my first time hearing it as well, which is odd with all of the docs I've seen on Pompeii. His account definitely helped with visualization of the survivors.

[@CallumMack]

"From the aftermath, in February 80AD, the Roman Empire Health and Safety Authority decreed that homes should not be built within 5000 emperors feet of volcanoes."

[@homerogarzajr1787]

RESHA!

[@jwalster9412]

"and to this day that, decree still stands to this day, but with modern technology and early warning systems, it tends to be more of a suggestion."

[@Fuzzy_Spork]

I think I was 10 yr old when I first saw a documentary on TV about Pompeii. I was completely mesmerized and horrified by it. And for years after I absorbed any information I could find about Pompeii. I finally got to visit there in person about 10 years ago and it was one of those bucket list moments! So surreal after seeing only photos for so long yet there I was actually touching the stones and seeing the plaster bodies in person.

[@soly-dp-colo6388]

Yes, it's horrifying but it's a "standard" stratovolcano. There just happened to be many people lliving in the vicinity at the time.

[@eliz_scubavn]

Same here. I studied classics and even did a classical history degree. Actually being able to visit the site I’d studied for years was so cool.

[@reikisk8r]

I saw that after I saw Pink Floyd live at Pompeii when they played a concert and recorded amongst the ruins. Big smiles

[@astralbeetle9894]

@@soly-dp-colo6388 holy shit I was so obssessed with pompeii when I was younger

[@robd1329]

I was always curious to know if their are bones inside the plaster bodies?

[@absenttk4213]

I really like this. It’s rare to see historical disasters covered in the same way as modern ones. People often approach them simply as history lessons, which kind of distances you from the lives of the actual people involved.

[@user-ns1jc3ge2o]

Props to Fascinating Horror for traveling back in time to get us all of this information for our entertainment. Respect ✊

[@BradTheThird]

I'm just disappointed about the lack of photographs from the event.

[@mattezhackblip]

@@BradTheThird Yeah, i agree. Didn’t they have iPhones or Androids back then or what?? Where are the selfies?

[@trashcatlinol]

@@mattezhackblip They had to paint all their selfies, unfortunately. Took much longer and getting everyone to stand still long enough for the artist to finish was even more difficult. But the few who managed it in the painting at the beginning of the video were legends. Times before smartphones was rough.

[@JerBuster77]

@@BradTheThird well the photographer didnt survive unfortunately.

[@ashleynills7507]

This thread... FAW-KING CLASSsssiiIICC. 🙅

[@Taladar2003]

It would be interesting to have more of these historic disasters, especially the ones that are not as well known as this one (but still well documented enough for you to find information of course).

[@alison4316]

I second this!

[@xiaria]

yes, nothing as well known as pompeii again pls 😭 its such a boring topic at this point

[@harrisonsaturna3615]

How are they all not historic

[@buckberthod5007]

Something like the 1812 New Madrid quake, which I don't think is well known. The epicenter was in Tennessee but people as far as New York and Boston felt the ground shake. It's even said church bells rang in Boston

[@magyarfull]

@@xiaria a wealth of knowledge is lost when we do not consider those who will come after us as worthy individuals to teach history. It us not all about us.

[@LadyDragonbane]

The part I've always found fascinating is trying to imagine how people reacted to the event, but I'd never heard the bit about some of them being so afraid to die they prayed for death. That level of fear must be truly horrible....

[@SadisticSenpai61]

When you reach the point where the fear of dying is greater than the fear of death... Ofc, it's usually the process of dying that we actually fear, not death itself. When you know that death is inevitable, there's definitely a desire to just get it done and over with as painlessly and quickly as possible - which is why Dying with Dignity is so important to so many ppl.

[@goldiloks08]

@@SadisticSenpai61 and why some people turn to suicide. Depression is genuinely THAT painful.

[@Fusilier7]

You should also cover the eruption of Mount Pelee, which destroyed the city of Saint Pierre, Martinique on 8 May 1902. A Pyroclastic flow cascaded down the volcano, leaving the city in ruins, and killing over 30,000 inhabitants, it was the greatest volcanic catastrophe of the twentieth century.

[@sandrasanders706]

Wow ...

[@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures]

Not only that but is has all the hallmarks for the classic Fascinating Horror line-up. (Spoilers) Long troubling build-up that island authorities refuse to acknowledge? Check. Mini-disasters in the main-event build-up killing over a hundred and fifty? Check. Governor refusing to evacuate because of upcoming election and actually persuading people the city was the safest place on the island? Check. Very few survivors each with hair-raising tales of escape? Check. Horror-movie style 'he's-not-finished!' surprise as volcano explodes again on rescuers and engineers killing thousands more? Check. Giant Kaiju-sized freaky needle of rock emerging from where the volcano once stood rising at a rate of 15m a day? Check. Honestly, this one has it all.

[@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures]

@@sandrasanders706 You don't know the half of it! It's a hair-raising tale.

[@spiritmatter1553]

There should simply be a Volcano 🌋 Channel, inclusive of lava tubes (hat tip to MrBallen).

[@jayjaynella4539]

@@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures Unless you have a bald head!

[@cristinalivi-harris3267]

For all those who are surprised by the date of the eruption: August was widely accepted until 2010, when new discoveries put a question mark on the real month. These findings were against the idea that it happened during summer as they are proof that it can't be before the 17th of October. Since then the general consensus of archeologists approved the new date in autumn. Probably it has not been publicised enough abroad and people are simply not aware of this. In Italy we followed the ongoing discussions for some months!!

[@shamudogsmith1751]

I've been following the debate for the new date for the eruption. It's been fascinating to see how they worked it out using fruit, clothing and a single inscription.

[@andreagriffiths3512]

I was impressed with the inclusion of it.

[@Syclone0044]

Don’t forget all dates are subject to conversion depending on whether you’re using the Julian or Gregorian (current) calendar. The transition happened around 1745 in England (slowly afterwards for the rest of the world) and substantially affects all dates prior. Veritasium (or whatever that channel is with the icon of the bearded bald guy making a funny eyebrow-raised expression) did a great 20 minute video on it with 20 million views. Basically we finally became advanced enough to determine the true length of an orbit around the sun (hint: it is not 365.00 days/yr, nor is it 365.25d/yr. Plus, our orbit isn’t even, it’s elliptical lol! So December has the longest day-lengths (tIme from sunrise to sunrise) while June has the shortest. (Don’t get confused with hours of dayLIGHT which are opposite.)

[@LoneWanderer013]

Hearing that Pliny the Elder trying to sail back to Pompeii to try to rescue survivors but dying is such a human moment. Even in horrific, almost apocalyptic moments our ancient ancestors still tried to help others.

[@Cecily-Pimprenelle]

When you speak of bodies ”partially turned to glass” the associated picture is actually one of a plaster cast - archaeologists noticed there was a cavity (body decayed after the ashes were tassed around it, leaving only bones) and filled it as they would have with a mold. Fascinating as always, thank you!

[@Maatkara1000]

But it is true that organic material turned into glass. We have found bodies with brain matter still inside their skulls, because the brain had turned to glass due to the sudden blast of scorching temperature

[@UnstablePax]

I looked it up now. Looks almost like obsidian. Horrifying and awesome.

[@Cecily-Pimprenelle]

@@Maatkara1000 I didn’t know that, though I trusted our host’s research! I was just nitpicking because the body shown wasn’t an illustration of what he described. ”Horrifying and awesome” sounds right.

[@Kittie28]

@@Cecily-Pimprenelle When you go to Pompeii and see the bodies in glass cases it clearly tells you they are casts and not real bodies

[@gracewsho]

@@Kittie28 consider her comment the plaque telling you, then

[@Dachusblot]

I took a trip to Pompeii a while back, and I remember one of the nicer houses in the city still had a sign up that said basically, "Vote Julius for Senate." And suddenly I thought, this city was alive just yesterday. I also got to climb up to the top of Mt. Vesuvius, and when I was looking down into the crater, some British lady next to me was like, "Aww, I was hoping there'd be some smoke or something!" And I was like, "UM NO, NO YOU DON'T."

[@jeremiahpohl3596]

Did the fissures that emitted bits of 'smoke' not do it for her then?

[@demitrilevantis3427]

I visited Pompeii and climbed up Vesuvius on a high school trip. There was sulphur vapour rising from the pit at the top and one of the guides said it might be close to another eruption, but that was over 15 years ago. It's an eerie feeling wandering the streets of Pompeii as it's fascinating seeing something so well preserved, yet destroyed in such carnage.

[@andrewtaylor940]

“Close to erupting” for a volcano can be measured in centuries or longer. Vesuvius doesn’t seem that close to doing anything much. But the other Volcano that’s next to it, Campi Flegrei is showing more worrying signs, including signs of increasing uplift. Etna has also been particularly active lately. And Vulcano seems to be waking up.

[@thenatespecial]

Fascinating Horror out here becoming our History teacher for future studies to rely on. Good job, FH.

[@gary1961]

That first hand account is awesome. It puts you right in the scene of devastation he was witnessing.

[@loganstroganoff1284]

One of the most fascinating things about pompeii and ancient Rome in general is the quality of life they enjoyed. In many ways they lived better than a huge swaths of the world even into the 20th century.

[@georgebailey8179]

For the rich, maybe. But not the slaves who were brought in their millions from across Europe and the Mediterranean. At least by the early 20th century, much of the world had outlawed that practice and the rest was being pressured to go so by the western powers.

[@RoccosVideos]

It’s 5:18 AM here in the east coast of the US. Watching your videos are part of my Tuesday morning routine.

[@fayeyother7336]

I’m in Ga. And was super excited to see this title.

[@Todomo]

haha yeah i woke up early because i’m used to getting up for work, saw this upload, immediately put it on

[@fayeyother7336]

@@Todomo I’m used to getting up early because my doggos are hyper lol.

[@claire040776]

I leave this regular upload and it is part of my Tuesday night wind-down when I climb in to bed! Thanks FH!

[@somethingtothinkabout6556]

@@fayeyother7336 ayy, tuning in from Atlanta here

[@ridethasno]

2:15am here in Washington State USA. Sending love to whoever reads this. ❤️

[@lawshawnharrison7825]

5:19am here in Delaware

[@codycox2465]

420 missouruh

[@DreamItCraftIt]

9:20pm here in Melbourne Australia 😊👋

[@latonyamarie]

4:20 a.m. here in FL.☺️💛

[@rach5668]

10.20am here in the UK 😀

[@StarGuardianKassadin]

wow. I live in Italy, we study this in elementary school, but nobody had never explained these events THAT CLEARLY AND in such DETAIL. Thank you!

[@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368]

Yeah, grade 3 students should be taught the graphic morbid details. No more coddling! An intense fear of vulcanism before age 10!

[@StarGuardianKassadin]

@@oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin1368 What is wrong with you? First of all, there is nothing graphic about this. Second, what I meant was that I was never explained how, what and when it happened with this detail and precision. We were just told one day the volcano erupted and a bunch of people were turned into statues. Stop making everything a socio-political debate. Nobody is saying we should show kids morbid details, just that they should know what happened and not that "people turned into stone", because that is not correct.

[@SacredFire777]

@@StarGuardianKassadin he was being facetious.

[@StarGuardianKassadin]

@@SacredFire777 yeah, I know. Still, it wasn't funny or clever. It was just extremely rude and misleading as I never said any of that.

[@Syclone0044]

Wow I can’t believe it! I would have totally guessed your classes talk nonstop about Vesuvius and Pompeii... Here in USA we had to learn a ridiculous amount about the formation of USA and the 13 original colonies breaking from Great Britain and it’s shady kings, the civil war, slavery, etc.

[@TauTiaLDouglass]

I was so lucky that when I was there we had the whole city to ourselves. We had travelled by train from Roma to Napoli and when we got to Napoli were told we should turn back because Pompeii was closed because of a strike. We decided to continue on because we had already come so far. When we got there the gates were open but no one was around, so we walked in for free and had the whole day looking around. It was a beautiful spot but had a very eerie atmosphere for obvious reasons.

[@Kittie28]

that's kind of terrifying. We were there last year and got lost lol

[@TauTiaLDouglass]

@@Kittie28 there was so much to see, but I loved it there. It was so peaceful, yet eerie. And seeing all those ash people, wow!

[@lot110]

Picket lines should never be crossed!

[@bilindalaw-morley161]

I envy you. I've let go of a lot of my travel dreams since I've seen photos of what they're really like, crowded with hundreds of people

[@TauTiaLDouglass]

@@bilindalaw-morley161 me too, which is why I do feel so blessed. A similar thing happened in Egypt, no one was at the Valley of the Kings because a few weeks before there had been a terror attack.

[@yukiefromoz2573]

Rome was such a fascinating place to visit. It's amazing how they keep uncovering more and more new (well old) things to this day.

[@lauriepenner350]

If you're going to do more historical disasters, do one on the destruction of Doggerland, a flood so massive it wiped out literal civilizations and changed the shape of Europe.

[@Syclone0044]

Oooh I’m so tempted to Wikipedia this but I know I’ll find myself looking up 4 hours later from my phone, 20 topics removed from the original, learning about the bizarre mating habits of some peculiar insect 😂😂

[@lauriepenner350]

@@Syclone0044 The AV Club used to have a series of articles about this very thing. They called it "The Wiki Wormhole." If you want to know more about Doggerland, there's a really good doc with Tony Robinson floating around on KZbin.

[@cypherbrittainnethegodofsl4988]

Fun fact, Vesuvius' 79 AD eruption is "merely" VEI 5. It's relative to Mount Saint Helens' eruption and is around 10 weaker than Pinatubo's eruption and Krakatoa's explosion that both are VEI 6, and is 100 times weaker than Mount Tambora that blew a third of its top off with its VEI 7 eruption that led to the invention of bicycle.

[@mcqueenx75]

When did you learn this and where did you learn this from? There are a lot of inconsistencies. If you learned this in recent times its doctored and not all true.

[@NoJusticeNoPeace]

I remember vividly the brilliantly scarlet sunsets for months after Pinatubo blew from the dust which covered the entire planet.

[@yakacm]

Intently interesting, hey did you know that the great flood, led to the invention of the sewing machine?

[@Vonononie]

And gave us Frankenstein’s Monster thanks to Shelley and Byron being stuck indoors due to the terrible weather! The Mount Tambora explosion is well documented by the Dutch colonists in the region and the stories of the days following are horrific

[@Vonononie]

@@yakacm there’s a fair bit of truth to what they said. Tambora caused the year without summer in the northern hemisphere, which resulted in few years of crop failure. Horses died due to starvation so people were looking for ways to travel. A German came up with the idea of a kind of bicycle that you pushed along with your feet which eventually became what we know as a bicycle. Would he have invented it if horses hadn’t been in short supply? Who knows, but the explosion indirectly meant there was a need for this type of transportation

[@krab1791]

If Pompeii is the type of History you are interested in and you ever travel near Naples, visit the site, it is truly amazing especially the set of “people” they dug out. There are no bodies, obviously, but the pyroplastic flow preserved the shape of the bodies and they were amazing. My 15 year old was amazed by the site and it gave a very good view of life during the era. . But make sure you get an English speaking tour guide (assuming you speak English). Having said that, Herculaneum is the truly forgotten “city” and was also wiped out by the same eruption of Vesuvious.

[@twistoffate4791]

Interesting. There is a town named Herculaneum here in Mid-Missouri.

[@Ardyrezv]

I also went there when I was 15 In 2006. I remember the crosswalks had elevated stones to walk across. Apparently at the time they were made the streets would flow with human waste and people didn’t want to walk in that lol

[@twistoffate4791]

@@Ardyrezv Wow, that would be pretty horrifying.

[@Syclone0044]

@California Dreaming Ikwym but I actually have grown to love guided tours. I am always the one person who takes every opportunity to ask interesting questions, while nobody else ever raises their hand 😂

[@equarg]

This was an unexpected special……. I liked it. Do a part 2 with Hercularioum, the forget city also wiped off the map!

[@motsumilioness]

Herculaneum. Not Hercularioum. It was wiped out by the resulting tsunami from the Vesuvius eruption.

[@straswa]

Yes please FH!

[@Sinc3r3ly]

AS SOMEONE WHOS SPECIAL INTEREST WAS VOLCANOES YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I GOT EXCITED WHEN SEEING THE TITLE!! It’s been a very long time since I’ve been as invested as before but I still really love learning about volcanoes!! I remember I really loved this story. The coolest thing (although very morbid) was the fact that years and years later they were able to make plaster statues of people because of these holes in I believe the ash (it’s been a while since I’ve read about this) that preserved what the people looked like

[@D.Mon.]

A-S-O So much volcano (come on)

[@rileybobbert6527]

as someone who has an interest in random plane accidents you dont see me complaining about his milquetosst video ideas but you actually do and im doing it right now and dont act like you deserve anything WHITE LIVES MATTER!!!

[@86thsamurai]

@@rileybobbert6527 Are you having a siezure? What you wrote makes no sense at all. The OP isn't complaining about anything. If you're going to be a troll then try harder. 😆

[@rileybobbert6527]

@@86thsamurai wheres a single place on planet earth for white people that isnt being ruined by awful diversity? a single beautiful society that whites built that caters to whites

[@SHOrTwiREDdeviantart]

HELLO MY VOLCANO LOVING FRIEND :D !!! Are you also a geologist/volcanologist or student of such?

[@dylanhuculak8458]

I'm very impressed that you found colour footage from 79 A.D.

[@davidhynd4435]

It's interesting to me just how civilised and "modern" the Romans were. It's unfortunate that our insight into their lives came at such a cost. I wonder if they even understood what was happening?

[@fayeyother7336]

I’ve wondered the same thing. There was a previous eruption about 17 years prior to the one in 79 a.d. that they were still reconstructing the damage from that previous one when this one occurred. I also wonder why the people continue to live there.

[@GlennDavey]

@@fayeyother7336 It's amazing how old-fashioned 1979 looks today

[@fayeyother7336]

@@GlennDavey what? Lol

[@NoJusticeNoPeace]

Advanced engineering, sophisticated water and sewage systems, and on the verge of harnessing steam -- imagine where we'd be now without 1500 years of christer barbarism and suppression of knowledge. Worse yet, the sparks of the Enlightenment are going out as the christers rise once more. Many scholars believe we have already entered a new Dark Ages. "What matters at this stage is the construction of local forms of community within which civility and the intellectual and moral life can be sustained through the new dark ages which are already upon us. And if the tradition of the virtues was able to survive the horrors of the last dark ages, we are not entirely without grounds for hope. This time however the barbarians are not waiting beyond the frontiers; they have already been governing us for some time." -- Alasdair MacIntyre

[@molybdomancer195]

@@fayeyother7336 I think it was an earthquake 17 years before

[@Arissiah]

I've always been a little interested in this disaster, yet the only thing I didn't know was that people had time to evacuate. I always thought it was rather sudden and that most of the citizens, if not all of them, were still there. I've never come across the recount either, that was interesting.

[@nlwilson4892]

Well, they did and they didn't. People that chose to flee when things started falling from the sky made the right move. It is quiet typical of volcanoes that you can get a day or two of smallish eruptions then a big one (the recent Tonga one erupted a day before the huge bang). But when the main eruption happened they didn't stand a chance. What generally happens is that the pyroclastic cloud gets blasted into the sky with high pressure and then drops back down with searing hot gas, ash and tephra. I think they estimate it travelled along the ground at about 120kph (but I'm remembering my geology from a few decades ago).

[@Arissiah]

@@nlwilson4892 Thinking about how volcanoes work, it makes a lot of sense. But because I never really looked into it too much for myself, its always kind of sensationalized, as in no one talks about the days leading up to it, just the actual event.

[@noemyemma9035]

I also thought it happened in a matter of minutes but this recreation shows it took hours: kzbin.info/www/bejne/morCZJqdgMxjeMU

[@sansaraee]

Same here. I'm glad people were able to flee.

[@SonsOfBansky]

Was genuinely anticipating "In the aftermath of the incident an investigation was launched."

[@rdarkstorm8414]

Three of my favorite things in one video: geology, history, and disaster breakdowns

[@DamonNomad82]

The last time I was this early, Pliny the Elder was still alive!

[@Matej-wo1ti]

Im amazed you upload every week a different disaster, and so detailed with a lot of research. High quality content

[@Jared_Wignall]

Truly a fascinating and tragic story. You always continue to crank out quality content and I hope everybody has a great day.

[@benmcreynolds8581]

Oh would you ever consider covering the tragic disaster event that completely flooded and sunk a entire village valley in I think Romania? I might be wrong on location but the lake is super toxic, and there is mine run of creeks that I think were a root cause of the event? They also pump in tons of runoff chemicals, and heavy metals. It's crazy, I think I saw a video of a old lady describe how they had to abandon the village, and how poorly the government planned of certain chances of types of possibilities so to not idk, destroy an entire historical village?

[@GlennDavey]

*Atlantis

[@Syclone0044]

Is it the Aberdeen disaster or am I confused

[@flafik]

The village is called Geamana in Apuseni Mountains Romania, I agree this is a good material for another episode

[@ShadowsandCityLights]

I love how people knowing about the dangerous eruptions. Built their homes super close to it. Well I hope if the day does come people evacuate in time.

[@Maatkara1000]

... they didn't know it. Romans had no idea about volcanoes until after the disaster of Pompeii. They didn't even have the word "volcano" before that

[@tanekrune5873]

The number of people living in areas that are prone to disasters in bad conditions is actually really high. The entirety of New Zealand is under threat of volcanic eruption as well as tsunami, for example. Many parts of the US and Canada are prone from everything from wildfire to eruption, with hurricanes and tornados in the mix. Everywhere is dangerous and a 2 week warning with science now might just be the best we could hope for.

[@jamiefhl3217]

You have such a gift. I'm sure you've put countless hours into researching each video you publish and on top of that, you deliver such incredible stories. I look forward to each of your videos. Thank you!

[@Syclone0044]

Subscribe to his Patreon, I’ve been a member for a year now

[@pug_63]

Reminded me of the “Dr Who” episode when he and Donna visited Pompeii. Excuse me while I find the episode on BBC iPlayer. Thanks, as always, for your content.

[@chrispk08]

It's Doctor Who, other wise Torchwood could never have existed ;)

[@molybdomancer195]

That episode is extremely funny to anyone who learnt Latin using the Cambridge Latin course. Many of the characters are taken from those course books

[@fayeyother7336]

Such a fascinating and horrific occurrence in our world history. I have been devastatingly obsessed with this loss since I found out about it. Herculaneum was just as devastated but the destruction wasn’t as bad. Thank you!

[@pantherplatform]

I like how the other horror channels don't cover something until you've covered it.

[@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures]

I know right? Honestly I'm in the 'accept no substitute' camp unless it's a full on documentary or by an expert in the field of a particular disaster. F.H just nails the tone and makes for compelling if unsettling summaries of these horrors. I think the Nutty Putty Caves on remains the one that really grabbed me, even if I had to keep on pausing to wince.

[@Pacmanfan-po9rn]

I was there when this happened, so horrible.

[@Sinc3r3ly]

I smell a woosh coming y’all..

[@MirZee]

I have been appreciating your content for a while now since I found your channel, but this video at least tripled that appreciation! Being a wannabe history nerd, I would love it if you included more videos of disasters from further back in history, every now and then - if you are so inclined, of course. :) either way, thank you flr this video and your excellent quality content!

[@SolaScientia]

As for Vesuvius still being active, what is particularly frightening isn't an eruption from that exact volcano but from the build up of magma and such surrounding it. There's a large area around it, particularly the whole northern area of land above the harbor (so, northwest of the volcano), is dangerous and getting more unstable. Essentially it's a smaller version of the Yellowstone super-volcano.

[@ginnrollins211]

Yep, Campi Flegrei may be smaller than Yellowstone, but it's still capable of causing catastrophic damage.

[@SolaScientia]

@@ginnrollins211 When I visited Pompeii with my parents back in 2009 (I'd studied abroad for the spring semester and then we traveled a little bit after I was done) we stayed at small hotel in that area so we'd be away from the downtown part of Naples (less busy, safer, etc). I didn't know at the time that we were right in the middle of Campi Flegrei until relatively recently. As he said, they constantly monitor the whole area for ground shifts and the like. I believe they're seeing some more activity, but on our scale of time it should be a while before it erupts. I think on the geologic scale it'll be relatively soon, but that's measured differently as compared to how humans measure time.

[@Polymathically]

I was fortunate enough to visit Pompeii back in 2015. I've been to a lot of historic places, but that was one of the most interesting. The sheer effort it took - and still takes - to uncover and preserve the remnants of Pompeii can't be understated.

[@iraqifoodcart8447]

HELL yeah this was one I waited on for a LONG time. Sending love from Commiefornistan, I mean California, USA.

[@j.d.e.7416]

On my first trip to Europe, I got to walk through the streets of Pompeii and go into some of the buildings. It was amazing how advanced they were and then they were just gone in one cataclysmic event.

[@FISTOproductions]

I love this channel! It's the facts, the effort put into the video, no fluff. So many other channels put their opinions on these events and people where they have no business doing so. Keep doing what you've been doing, I'll be here!

[@alberta1st]

Fascinated me since a kid such a awful end to the village and stepping back into time must have been panic.

[@danepatterson8107]

Great episode. I study world war 2 and have for 40 years. This is the first place I ever heard that the volcano erupted in 1944!

[@alaingadbois2276]

Some US bombers were written off because they were damaged by falling ash. Also, while targeting a nearby rail yard, US bombers actually managed to bomb Pompei! See a Toldinstone video about this.

[@Bopperann]

_I was left to my own devices_ _Many days fell away with nothing to show_ _And the walls kept tumbling down_ _In the city that we love_ _Great clouds roll over the hills_ _Bringing darkness from above_ _But if you close your eyes,_ _Does it almost feel like_ _Nothing changed at all?_ _And if you close your eyes,_ _Does it almost feel like_ _You've been here before?_ _How am I gonna be an optimist about this?_ _How am I gonna be an optimist about this?_

[@TORchic1]

Is it weird that I was waiting for someone to post the lyrics to that song?

[@annahill99]

Literally scrolled to look for this. I originally had been tired of the song but it hits really different these days. Their first live performance of it since the start of the pandemic made me cry

[@jeffjones6951]

Song is "Pompeii" by Bastille

[@cancel1913]

Wow can't believe there was fake news even back then! Great video, well done.

[@tanekrune5873]

There's so many beautiful things in nature that just kill you. I'm glad we developed cameras and stuff so I can watch without dying when certain minor things erupt, for example.

[@Yosetime]

I was so excited to see that you'd made this video of such an historical event. I love your videos for their attention to the details that make it easily digestible in a short period of time. I don't think I've missed even one of your videos. Well done, again!

[@OpaSpielt]

A fascinating video, as always. I hope, that Naples will be fine, even when being located in between two dangerous volcanoes, Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei.

[@natalia_juniper]

Thank you, I really like the theme of volcanoes. Seeing the pyroclastic flows of modern volcanoes fascinates me, I immediately imagine Vesuvius and the people next to it. They didn't have a chance to escape 😟

[@susanzahn4922]

I didn't get to see Pompeii while I was living in Europe back in 1992-93, but I did see the touring exhibition from Herculaneum when it was in Stuttgart, Germany. It was very moving.

[@Bambi_Harris_Author]

Pliny's account was so specific and precise and calmly unbiased. Utterly fascinating! We are going to Pompeii in April ( a dream of mine) and we will stay there so we can see Herculaneum as well). I also recommend to everyone, while vesuvius didn't destroy it, Ostia Antica is an entire city of ruins in Italy to be seen too :-)

[@josephconsoli4128]

Amazing how it stands there, still threatening after so many centuries. You would think everyone would've fled, but it takes time for humans to grasp the reality that they have to run from their homes. This happens today with wildfires and floods. There's a denial that everything will be fine.

[@v-town1980]

Well done. Especially considering how old this event is.

[@tammihunter4700]

Thankyou for renewing my interest into Pompeii. I learned of this in my history books, way back in the 1970's. It scared the beegesis out of me. Not many yrs after learning about it, the famous eruption of Mt. St. Helens erupted. I remember the crazy darkness that came thru the sunny day, and looking to the sky and ash falling into my eyes, felt like a little irritation. My brother and I went roller skating in the ash. We are still alive, however we've experienced quite alot with pancreas problems, leaning towards family history. Thank you so much for renewing my great interest again into Pompeii.

[@elliottprice6084]

Thank you so much for travelling so far back in time for this video. Just hearing the opening was great to hear. A moment in history that never ceases to provoke thought of fascinate however many times you hear it

[@dalekbumps]

It's bizarre how many of these shocking tragedies with massive death tolls end up as plots for Doctor Who episodes

[@RachelXKnight666]

I’ve been to Pompeii and had a guided tour. I would love to go back again someday. It is incredible

[@maebeach3818]

I love these weekly uploads. They are such good quality

[@Liz-cmc313]

Nicely done. Love the details. It's such a sad and haunting story from our past.

[@RoccosVideos]

This is one of histories most interesting topics. If this happened today it could be a real catastrophe for Naples.

[@ethribin4188]

Not only that. But with todays industry and equipment there would not be any well preserved ruins left for the future to find. As wed be digging everything up to rebuild. Conciously leaving ruins for future archeologists is something we can and should do. But dont.

[@menufrog]

Hi Fascinating Horror, have you ever heard of the Granville Train Disaster? Love your work 🌋❤️

[@jenniesingh5932]

I was thinking the same thing. I have travelled that line many, many times in my life. I was about 10 at the time.

[@amandasmith308]

You are a great storyteller. You don't embellish For dramatic effect, you allow the stories to speak for themselves. While the topics are always so sad it's a pleasure to listen to you tell us about a bit of history.

[@thomascook578]

Any tourists visiting the ruins, also try to visit Ercolano, just a wee bit further along the coast, it wasn't as badly destroyed and has some better preservation due to that

[@brendonjc81]

God I love this channel, when you're feeling bad nothing boost you up better then a mass tragedy. Plus most of what's on this channel I can't find anywhere else, should we learn from our mistakes and teach the new generation? Or hide our shame in the closet with our skeletons. Come on 2022 give me more!

[@seaandstorm]

Pliny the younger, writing to Tacitus, states that the eruption took place on the 24th of August. Yet archaeological evidence, such as late autumn fruits and vegetables suggest it must have happened later.

[@Tindometari]

Pliny was not likely to be wrong about the date. But the Roman calendar is a bit tricky and handwritten Roman dates are easily confused. It's believed that a later scribal error in copying Pliny's account changed the date.

[@thoraneh7365]

Romans didn't use the same calendar as us

[@sandy.2016]

I appreciate your videos; I like the accuracy and how you're straight to the point. Well done

[@UnstablePax]

Honestly, I didn't expect this, but I am actually very happily surprised.

[@Louisa.Bowman23]

The first time I heard about this piece of history was in the series 4 Doctor Who episode with David Tennant and Catherine Tate. Though it was also mentioned in Series 1🌋

[@NitroIndigo]

This might be the oldest event you've ever covered.

[@andyjay729]

Maybe he should cover the Missoula floods (between 15,000 and 13,000 years ago). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missoula_floods

[@catladyjai1113]

Your coverage of this was fantastic. As much as I've heard this story. I haven't heard it from this point of view. Thanks again for your work!

[@nowinter7355]

11:30 a.m. in northern Europe. Cuppa coffee, and Fascinating Horror. Good start into a day off...

[@redeye4516]

I remember hearing of a few skeletons unearthed in the vicinity of Pompeii that were dated to around the time of the eruption. Two people and a dog I believe, though it's been a while. It's believed that rather than being killed by the ash or flows, the volcano emitted a cloud of toxic gas that killed these people. Truly, escape by then was impossible for most.

[@quicklern818]

I love how people don't care about the deadly volcano with a history of activity, moving right back where it's most dangerous. One day Chernobyl will be a boom town.

[@JC-rs3nh]

it's mind boggling

[@kingmarsden]

Learned all about this in Classical Studies at School. Terrifying but mystifying that it's almost a time capsule of what life was like back then.

[@JasonFlorida]

Great video as always!!! Thank you so much!!!

[@xeokym223]

Do you think it's possible to run out of interesting disasters to cover?

[@shine111]

It's always surprising to me when I hear people don't know vesuvius is still active, after all the last eruption was so recent, comparatively speaking It makes sense, because I assume the average italian doesn't know which volcanoes in say the us are active, but still. One of the most iconic pictures of the 1944 eruption is of american planes flying in front of the ash plume! (at least. I think they're american. I know about volcanoes, not ww2 planes)

[@hirisk761]

yes they were American bombers

[@fredsalter1915]

My great-grandfather was in Pompeii back in 79AD for the very popular festival of olives when Vesuvius began to erupt. He told me that the thunderous sounds of the eruption struck him physically like giant-wielding planks. And that less than an hour later after the first rumble, the scorching pyroclastic flow hit him broadside as he was rushing here and there encouraging those who remained in the town to flee. He said that the 2000 degree tephra was practically unbearable to his body and that if Zeus himself hadn't stretched down his godly arm from Valhalla to pluck him to safety, he would in no way be alive here in 1897 to tell me the tale of this tragedy.

[@Jedda73]

I have never heard that personal account before. Thank you for reading it out, it was amazing.

[@annvictor9627]

Thank you! I've been interested in Pompeii since I learned about it in a junior high school art class. One of my brothers was lucky enough to visit there.

[@oomazhw]

I think this is one of your best videos! Really well done!

[@lila2028]

Wonderful and very informative video. They are usually more contemporary. This historical recounting is just as intriguing as the more modern ones.

[@turtlerides]

I get so happy when I see a new upload from you!! So great every time!

[@toomanyneutrons]

Incredible as always thank you ❤️

[@stevenrpondue1157]

You do such an amazing job, I absolutely love your videos. Incredible. Thank you so much for your videos.

[@NuggyRC]

Excellent breakdown of an amazing place..... one of the few bucket list items I can say I've already scratched off.

[@dawnraynor8794]

Thank you for doing these stories throughout history - much older to more recent events.

[@kdfulton3152]

What a fantastic video! Great idea 👍👍👏👏 Course, ALL your videos are great! ☮️💟

[@Iamthelolrus]

I think this was the best Pompeii vid I've seen. Jumping on that recent rise in volcano related KZbin content I see, can't blame you, it makes for good content from a great channel like yours.

[@michaelcherry8952]

Superb documentary! You have a genuine talent with bringing out the essential facts. I particularly enjoyed the reading of Pliny the Younger's description of the event. Absolutely terrifying. Thank you for this.

[@wirhannah]

Excellent video! Amazing how the volcano simultaneously destroyed and preserved the city.

[@susanhigh5190]

This was wonderful done. Best Pompeii video I think I've ever seen.