1906 San Francisco Earthquake
On April 18,1906, one of the deadliest earthquakes took place in San Francisco. Believed to be the deadliest earthquake that took place on the San Andreas Fault, the Great San Francisco Earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8 to 8.3, the highest ever recorded in California. On April 12, at 5:12 a.m. the earthquake hit San Francisco and fires broke out, and lasted for several days. During the earthquake, the ground shifted an estimated 4 to 5 feet per second, while the rupture traveled at about 5,900 miles per hour. As a result, over 3,000 lives were lost and about 80% of San Francisco was destroyed.