A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
On Dec. 28, 1908, a major earthquake followed by a tsunami devastated the Italian cities of Messina and Reggio Calabria, killing at least 70,000 people.
Per reports, the earthquake registered 7.1 on the magnitude scale in the Strait of Messina, which separates Sicily from the Italian mainland. It is still considered the deadliest earthquake in the history of Europe.
Even in 1908, news of the disaster spread across the world, with the Deseret News and other newspapers reporting on the world event.
Earthquakes followed by tsunami waves have always been a challenge for coastal communities. Coming during the holidays just adds to the devastation.
Twenty years ago, on Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean triggered a tsunami with waves up to 100 feet high, killing an estimated 230,000 people.
On March 11, 2011, a powerful tsunami traveling nearly 500 miles per hour with 10-meter-high waves swept over the east coast of Japan, killing more than 18,000 people.
Here are some stories from Deseret News archives on the earthquake-tsunami whammies and how people deal with them:
“A major tsunami hit 20 years ago. Here’s how the world came together to help the victims”
A cemetery in the commercial area of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, about 2 miles inland, remains covered with seawater that was brought ashore by the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami. | Russ Hill, KSL Newsradio 1160
“Baby in iconic tsunami photo safe with parents”
“Warning systems often don’t help tsunami victims”
“Tsunami-hit towns forgot warnings from ancestors”
“How one Japanese village defied the tsunami”
“Storyteller works to cheer Japan tsunami victims”
The front page of the Deseret News on Dec. 28, 1908, as first reports of an earthquake off the coast of Italy and Sicily came in.
