1906 San Francisco Earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. Devastating fires broke out in the city and lasted for several days. As a result of the quake and fires, about 3,000 people died and over 80% of San Francisco was destroyed.
The earthquake and resulting fire are remembered as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States alongside the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The death toll from the earthquake and resulting fire is the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in California's history. The economic impact has been compared with the more recent Hurricane Katrina.
Read more about 1906 San Francisco Earthquake: Impact, Magnitude and Geology, Subsequent Fires, U.S. Army's Role, Relocation and Housing, Aftermath and Reconstruction, International Assistance and Insurance Payments, Centennial Commemorations, Analysis, In Popular Culture
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)