1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello History Lovers. I'm Eves and you're listening 3 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,720 Speaker 1: to This Day in History Class, a show that uncovers 4 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: history one day at a time. Today is January. The 5 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: day was January fifty six. A huge earthquake hit Shanshi 6 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: Province in northern China. It's believed to be the deadliest 7 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:40,199 Speaker 1: earthquake in recorded history. The earthquake struck Shani and the 8 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:44,519 Speaker 1: neighboring province of shan She early that morning. The pronunciations 9 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 1: of those two provinces are very similar and have slight 10 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:51,279 Speaker 1: tonal differences, so I'm probably getting them wrong, but I'm 11 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: gonna go with it. The earthquake is estimated to have 12 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: been a magnitude eight on the moment magnitude scale. It's 13 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: not the strongest earthquake ever hoarded, but it caused great 14 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,520 Speaker 1: destruction in the region. The area where it hit was 15 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: heavily populated and buildings were not constructed with earthquakes in mind. 16 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: The quake caused ground fissures, subsidence, and landslides. It destroyed mountains, 17 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:22,400 Speaker 1: caused flooding, and caused fires. Villages near the epicenter were 18 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 1: completely destroyed. The disaster is believed to have reduced the 19 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: population of Shanshi and Shanshi by around. The epicenter of 20 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:34,680 Speaker 1: the earthquake is recorded as being in the Way River 21 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: Valley in Shanshi Province, near the cities of Hawassian, Way 22 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:43,680 Speaker 1: nine and Hawaiian, but damage was recorded as much as 23 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: three hundred miles or five hundred kilometers away from the epicenter. 24 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 1: In some places, crevices as deep as sixty feet were 25 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: carved out of the earth, and estimated eight hundred and 26 00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:00,080 Speaker 1: thirty thousand people died in the disaster. That's say it. 27 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 1: This number could be too high or too low. Monuments 28 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: were also lost in the disaster. The small wild Goose pagoda, 29 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: built around seven oh nine, lost around six ft in height. 30 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,359 Speaker 1: Many of the artifacts in the Steel Forest in China 31 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: were damaged or destroyed, including works from a collection called 32 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: the Tong Stone Classics. The Tong Stone Classics are a 33 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: group of Chinese works that were engraved on fourteen stone tablets. 34 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: Dozens of those tablets were broken in the earthquake. After 35 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:36,519 Speaker 1: shocks continued for half a year after the Shanshi earthquake, 36 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: Many survivors were injured in the disaster or had no shelter. 37 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,679 Speaker 1: Many people in the region previously lived in yallow dongs, 38 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,559 Speaker 1: a type of earth shelter carved out of a hillside. 39 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 1: Because the yallo dongs were made with soft, less soil, 40 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: the people who lived in these homes were extremely vulnerable 41 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 1: to having their homes collapse on them. Because many of 42 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: those who died were killed by following buildings, people began 43 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 1: to think about what they could do to prevent such 44 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: destruction from happening again. People consider the risk of earthquakes 45 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: in construction and used materials like bamboo and wood rather 46 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: than stone and buildings, and tips on how to act 47 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: during an earthquake like staying inside and crouching down were recorded. 48 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,360 Speaker 1: The fifteen fifty six shan Shei earthquake is ranked as 49 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: the third deadliest natural disaster ever, behind the nineteen thirty 50 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: one China floods and the eight seven Yellow River flood. 51 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: I'm Eve Jeff Code, and hopefully you know a little 52 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:42,240 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. If you 53 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:46,200 Speaker 1: have any insight on an accident or pronunciation spoken in 54 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: the show today, you can feel free to send us 55 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: a kind note on social media at t d I 56 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: h C podcast. Our email address is this day at 57 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: i heart media dot com. Thanks for listening, and I 58 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: hope you'll be back tomorrow. For more podcasts from my 59 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,039 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 60 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:18,799 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.