25. A Macabre All Saints Day
As the Sun rose on November 1st, 1755, the good people of Lisbon began to celebrate the religious festival of All Saints’ Day. At the time, the Portuguese capital was one of Europe’s wealthiest cities and busiest seaports. Before the church bells and cathedral bells tolled noon on that fateful day, Lisbon was a wreck. It was just about completely demolished by a massive earthquake of 9.0 magnitude, whose shocks were felt as far away as Finland, North Africa, and even the Caribbean.
The powerful tremors struck around 9:40 AM, and fissures nearly twenty feet deep suddenly appeared in the city’s streets. The religious festival that day added a macabre twist to the disaster. Because it was All Saints Day, a significant percentage of the population were gathered in churches and cathedrals when the tremors began. Thousands were crushed to death as the houses of worship collapsed atop them. As the tremors subsided, another danger arose as fires erupted all over the city, first individually, then they joined together until most of Lisbon was a giant inferno.
