79
- August 24
- Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae in volcanic ash. [1] [5]
365
- July 21
- In the Greece - Crete - Knossos area, a large earthquake occurs. This earthquake affected the eastern Mediterranean region, including Italy, Greece, Palestine, and North Africa. Coastal towns in the region are leveled and a tsunami destroys the Egyptian port of Alexandria, and the famous lighthouse. Some 50,000 people may have been killed. [53]
526
- May 20
- Earthquake kills 250,000 in Antioch, Byzantium (Syria). [1] [521]
580
-
- In Louraine, a great light is seen crossing the sky, falling to Earth with a crash heard across the countryside. The city of Bordeaux is shaken by an earthquake, villages are burned down, the city of Orleans is burned in a great fire. [521]
1038
- January 9
- In Shensi, China, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake occurs, resulting in 23,000 deaths. [53]
1138
- August 9
- In Aleppo, Syria, one of the world's most destructive earthquakes occurs, claiming 230,000 deaths. [53]
1163
- December 21
- Hurricane hits villages in Holland/Friesland, causing floods. [1]
1196
- December 6
- Northern Dutch coast flooded, "Saint-Nicolaas Flood". [1]
1219
- January 16
- Floods in Northern Netherlands after storm, 1,000s killed. [1]
1262
- January 28
- Flemish/Dutch coast ravaged by north western storm. [1]
1290
- September 27
- Earthquake in Gulf of Chili China, reportedly kills 100,000. [1]
1293
- May 20
- Earthquake strikes Kamakura Japan, 30,000 killed. [1]
1348
- January 25
- In Carinthia (Austria - northern Italy), "fire fell from heaven", an earthquake destroys 16 cities, killing over 40,000. [1] [53] [521]
1421
- November 18
- Zuider Zee floods 72 villages, killing an estimated 10,000 in Netherlands. [1]
1430
- June
- In (what is now modern day) New Zealand, a huge comet strikes the ocean less than a hundred miles from the Chinese fleet of Zhou Man, destroying at least 173 ships, using a mega-tsunami. Observed by Chinese and Mayan astronomers as a comet in Canis Minor for 26 days. [521]
1456
- December 5
- Earthquake strikes Naples; about 35,000 die. [1]
1490
- February 3
- Chinese record stones raining from the sky in Ch'ing-yang, Shansi, killing over 10,000 people. [521]
1526
- February 8
- Heavy storm strikes Dutch coast, many die. [1]
1531
- January 26
- In Lisbon, Portugal, an Intensity X earthquake occurs, claiming 30,000 deaths. [1] [53]
- February 26
- Earthquake in Lisbon Portugal, kills 20,000. [1]
1539
- December 29
- Saint Jacobs Church burns after being hit by lightning. [1]
1541
- April 25
- Liege flooded after heavy down pour. [1]
1543
- March 18
- Hernan de Soto observes first recorded flood in America (Mississippi River). [1]
1551
- December 19
- Dutch west coast hit by hurricane. [1]
1552
- January 12
- Dutch west coast hit by heavy storm, 100s killed. [1]
- February 15
- Dutch coast hit by heavy storm. [1]
1556
- January 23
- In Shensi Province, China, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake occurs. Worst death toll in history: 830,000 deaths. [1] [53]
1558
- January 11
- Westmunster Church in Middelburg destroyed by heavy storm. [1]
1559
- March 14
- Storm floods ravage Gorinchem, Dordrecht and Woudrichem, Netherlands. [1]
1593
- December 24
- Storm hits Texel: 40 ships hit, 500 killed. [1]
1605
- January 31
- In Tokaido, Japan, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurs, claiming 5,000 deaths and creating a tsunami wave. [53]
1618
- September 4
- "Rodi" avalanche destroys Plurs Switzerland, 1,500 killed. [1]
1631
- December 16
- Mount Vesuvius, Italy erupts, destroys six villages and kills 4,000. [1]
1643
- May 13
- Heavy earthquake strikes Santiago Chile; kills 1/3 of population. [1]
- July 5
- First recorded tornado in US (Essex County, Massachusetts). [1]
1651
- March 5
- South Sea dike in Amsterdam breaks after storm. [1]
- March 31
- Great earthquake at Cuzco Peru. [1]
1654
- January 7
- Fire after heavy storm destroys 2/3 of De Rijp Netherlands, one dies. [1]
1659
- November 5
- In Italy, an earthquake occurs, killing over 2,000 and inflicting severe damage. [53]
1663
- January 6
- Great earthquake in New England. [1]
- February 5
- In the St. Lawrence River valley (Canada), an Intensity X earthquake occurs, causing vast landslides along the St. Maurice, Batiscan, and St. Lawrence Rivers. [1] [53]
1667
- August 27
- Earliest recorded hurricane in USA (Jamestown, Virginia). [1]
1669
- March 11
- Volcano Etna in Italy erupts killing 15,000. [1]
- March 25
- Mount Etna in Sicily erupts, destroying Nicolosi, killing 20,000. [1]
1682
- June 10
- Tornado in Connecticut uproots a 3-foot diameter oak tree. [1]
1689
- December 22
- Heavy earthquake strikes Innsbruck. [1]
1692
- June 7
- Porte Royale Jamaica slides into harbor after earthquake. [1]
- An earthquake at Port Royal, Jamaica, causes a landslide within the harbor, generates a tsunami, and destroys ninety percent of the buildings in the city, killing approximately 2,000 people. [53]
1693
- January 11
- In Sicily, Italy, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs, causing over 60,000 deaths and the total destruction of several villages and towns in the districts of Siracusa, Ragusa, and Catania. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami that struck the Ionian coasts of Sicily and the Messina Strait. [53]
- Mount Etna erupts, Sicily. [1]
1700
- January 26
- In the Cascadia Subduction Zone of western North America, a magnitude 9 earthquake occurs, rocking a region 600 miles long that includes modern northern California, Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia. The earthquake sets off a tsunami that strikes Cascadia's Pacific coast, and crosses the Pacific Ocean to Japan, damaging coastal villages. [53] [383.A8]
1703
- November 26
- Bristol England damaged by hurricane, Royal Navy loses 15 warships. [1]
- A severe storm destroys the Eddystone lighthouse off Plymouth, Devon, England, killing resident designer Mr. Winstanley. [272.623]
- December 30
- Tokyo hit by Earthquake; about 37,000 die. [1]
1706
- November 3
- In Italy, a violent earthquake killed 15,000 inhabitants. [53]
1709
- January 5
- Sudden extreme cold kills 1000s of Europeans. [1]
- March 27
- Dike at Hardinxveld breaks (Alblasserwaard flooded). [1]
1715
- July 30
- Ten Spanish treasure galleons from Cuba heading to Europe sink in a hurricane off Saint Lucie, Florida. [1] [421.68] [516.32] (11 ships, July 31 [493.73])
1717
- December 25
- Floods ravage Dutch coast provinces, 1000s killed. [1]
1718
- January 17
- Avalanche destroys every building in Leukerbad, Switzerland; kills 53. [1]
1727
- October 29
- Severe earthquake in New England. [1]
- November 18
- In Tabriz, Iran, a powerful earthquake occurs, claiming 77,000 deaths. [53]
1737
- October 11
- Earthquake kills 300,000 and destroys half of Calcutta India. [1]
1750
- February 8
- Minor earthquake in London. [1]
1755
- November 1
- In Lisbon, Portugal, a magnitude 8.7 earthquake occurs, claiming 70,000 deaths, one quarter of Lisbon's population. A large tsunami drowns many, and fire ravages the city. [1] [53]
- November 18
- In Cape Ann, Massachusetts, a large earthquake occurs, causing considerable damage in Boston. [1] [53]
1759
- October 31
- Earthquake in Safed Palestine kills hundred. [1]
- November 24
- Destructive eruption of Vesuvius. [1]
1762
- April 2
- In Bangladesh, a very destructive earthquake occurs. Sixty square miles are said to have been permanently submerged. [53]
1772
- August 11
- Explosive eruption blows 4,000' off Papandayan Java, kills 3,000. [1]
- August 31
- Hurricane destroy ships off Dominica. [1]
1775
- March 19
- Four people buried by avalanche for 37 days, three survive (Italy). [1]
1780
- January 4
- Snowstorm hit Washington's army at Morristown New Jersey. [1]
- February 6
- In Northwest Florida, one of the largest historical earthquakes in Florida occurs, Intensity VI. [53]
- August 11
- Barbados hurricane begins. [1]
- October 10
- Great Hurricane of 1780 kills 20,000 to 30,000 in Caribbean. [1]
1783
- February 4
- In Calabria, Italy, one of the world's most destructive earthquakes occurs, responsible for 50,000 deaths and enormous property loss. This is the first earthquake to be investigated scientifically. [1] [53]
- June 8
- Laki Volcano in southern Iceland begins 18-month eruption, pumping more ash into the atmosphere than any previous volcano in recorded history, 15 cubic kilometres. [1] [135.132]
- June 22
- A poisonous cloud from Laki volcanic eruption in Iceland reaches Le Havre in France. [5]
- November 30
- In New Jersey, a magnitude 5.3 earthquake occurs. The largest historical earthquake in New Jersey. [53]
1784
- May 8
- Only known deaths by hailstones in US (Winnsborough South Carolina). [1]
1791
- May 16
- In Near Moodus, Connecticut, an earthquake occurs, the largest historical earthquake in Connecticut. Reported felt at Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City, New York. [53]
1793
- April 1
- Volcano Unsen on Japan erupts killing about 53,000. [1]
1797
- February 4
- Earthquake in Quito, Ecuador kills 40,000. [1]
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