1755 Lisbon earthquake

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake was a major earthquake that hit Portugal and the rest of the Iberian Peninsula on 1 November 1755. The earthquake caused serious damage to Lisbon. It killed an estimated 60,000 people in Lisbon alone. Violent shaking destroyed about 12,000 homes. Because November 1, when the quake struck, was All Saints' Day, many people were attending mass at the time of the quake. Churches collapsed and many people died.
The earthquake caused a tsunami that produced waves about 20 feet (6 metres) high in Lisbon. Shocks from the earthquake were felt throughout Europe. The disaster became an important event in European history.