Most people know the story of the ancient city of Pompeii in Italy, which was buried under volcanic ash and frozen in time when Mount Vesuvius erupted. Fewer people are aware that Vesuvius is still an active volcano. It's erupted several times since then and could still in theory go off on any day and bury the towns around it all over again. Isn't that a cheerful thought?
In this picture, the volcano is throwing out a small eruption in 1944, during the Second World War. A US Army Air Base was stationed close to the volcano, and several planes were damaged by ash, molten rock and other debris. The more alert pilots got their planes into the air to avoid the eruption though, and they were able to take incredible photos like this one. It's bad enough having bombs dropped on your city during a war, never mind nature rebelling against you at the same time!