In the summer of 64 A.D, Rome burned for six days and seven nights

In the summer of 64 A.D., a terrible fire broke out and Rome burned for six days and seven nights, destroying almost three quarters of the city. Many people believed that the Emperor, Nero, had started the fire for his own amusement. In order to deflect these accusations, Nero quickly blamed the fire on the Christians and had several Christian leaders rounded up and interrogated. Under torture, these leaders implicated others and a mass execution of Christians then commenced for the entertainment of the citizens of Rome who wanted someone to be punished for the fire that had destroyed their city. Although the cruelty of these executions aroused some sympathy for the Christians, most Romans believed that the executions were justified.