Episode 49: The San Francisco Earthquake


Ruins in vicinity of Post and Grant Avenue looking northeast  after the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. (Photo from U.S. Archives via Wikipedia)
Ruins in vicinity of Post and Grant Avenue looking northeast after the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. (Photo from U.S. Archives via Wikipedia)

April 18th marks the anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

Here are some things you may not have known about the earthquake:

First: More than 3,000 people are estimated to have died in the earthquake that struck at 5:12 a.m. The quake predated the Richter Scale, but has been estimated to have been between 7.7 and 8.2 and centered in the Pacific Ocean about two miles southwest of the city.

Second: It’s been estimated that up to 90 percent of the damage was due to fires that followed the earthquake. Firefighters using dynamite to build firebreaks may have caused more problems than they helped.

Third: There are believed to be two survivors of the earthquake still living as of this recording.

Ruth Newman, who is 113 years old is the oldest survivor, said her most vivid memory was of the city burning. William Del Monte, who is 109 years old, was born months before the temblor.

Our question: What is the name of the fault line that caused the 1906 San Francisco earthquake?

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