100 Years After the San Francisco Quake

Remembrances

Early Reenactment Captured Horror of 1906 Quake()  

April 20, 2006 Soon after the San Francisco earthquake and fires of 1906, actors in New York City recorded a dramatic reenactment of the disaster on wax cylinders. This "audio theater," called The Destruction of San Francisco, lasted just two minutes but captured the horrors of the catastrophe.

Transcript

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Around the Nation

Avoiding Quake Talk in San Francisco()  

April 18, 2006 Scientists say a great earthquake could hit the San Francisco area in the next 30 years. But many residents prefer to live in denial. Commentator Louise Rafkin talked to her friends and neighbors for an understanding of how people balance everyday danger with everyday life.

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Art & Design

Artists Commemorate Quake Anniversary()  

April 18, 2006 Artists are commemorating the 1906 earthquake in a variety of ways, some traditional — poetry, prose — and some not-so, including a Jello model of the city by the bay.

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Science

Retracing the Path of the 1906 Earthquake()  

A woman near the 1906 ground rupture.

April 18, 2006 Little was known about the San Andreas fault before a massive earthquake struck San Francisco in 1906. But that changed when a team of scientists mapped the fault and produced a report that gave birth to modern earthquake science.

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U.S.

San Francisco Residents Reenact 1906 Quake ()  

April 18, 2006 As part of the week-long commemoration of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, at 5:12 Tuesday morning, San Franciscans participated in a reenactment of the devastating quake.

Transcript

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U.S.

Feeling Effects of the Great Quake, 100 Years Later()  

Horse-drawn wagons travel past the rubble of stone buildings on Market Street.

April 18, 2006 A hundred years ago, much of San Francisco lay shattered, and much of the rest was ablaze. Hundreds of thousands struggled with shock and grief and the urgent business of survival. The great quake and fire are still the defining events of the city's history.

Transcript

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U.S.

San Francisco: Memories of an Earthquake()  

Refugees from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

April 17, 2006 The San Franciso quake of 1906 killed more than 3,000 people and sent tens of thousands on the run. Many of those were children, paired off with siblings, to find their way to safety. On the 100th anniversary of the quake, through letters and oral histories, a look at what the experience was like for those children.

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U.S.

Rebuilding Chinatown After the 1906 Quake()  

The fire in Chinatown.

April 12, 2006 As San Francisco prepares to mark the centennial of the 1906 earthquake and fire, historians recall how Chinatown, destroyed along with much of the city, almost wasn't rebuilt.

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The 1906 Earthquake: Eyewitness Accounts()  

San Francisco City Hall.

April 11, 2006 Read excerpts of letters from survivors of the 1906 earthquake and fires in San Francisco. Letters are courtesy of the California Historical Society.

Summary

Around the Nation

Remembering the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake()  

'San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, April 18, 1906'

April 11, 2006 One hundred years ago, a 7.8-magnitude quake and rapidly spreading fires dealt San Francisco a stunning blow. Those events are remembered through grainy photos, local legends and survivors' letters.

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Market Street burning after the quake.
California Historical Society

Market Street burning after the quake.

Historic Film

Scene from the film
Library of Congress

This silent film of the aftermath of the 1906 disaster is part of the Library of Congress' National Film Registry, a collection of historically and culturally significant works designated for preservation.

Earthquake Timeline