Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum under ash and pumice and preserving them to this day.
Emperor Titus inaugurates the Flavian Amphitheatre in Rome with games lasting many days.
A great fire destroys much of Rome under Emperor Nero, who afterwards blames the city's Christians.
Under Emperor Claudius, Roman forces invade Britain, gradually making much of the island a province of the empire.
By the end of Emperor Trajan's reign the Roman Empire stretches from Britain to Mesopotamia.
On Emperor Hadrian's orders, the Romans begin building a defensive wall across northern Britain.
Augustus, the first Roman emperor, dies and is succeeded by his adopted son Tiberius.