How the Lisbon Earthquake Shook the Enlightenment

Kempf talks about how the Lisbon earthquake shook the Enlightenment. In the morning of Nov 1, 1755, a violent earthquake devastated the capital of Portugal. It was the greatest cataclysm to have struck Western Europe. A series of tremors transformed Lisbon into a heap of ruins. A tsunami soon engulf...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:History today 2024-07, Vol.74 (7), p.1
Main Author: Kempf, Damien
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Age of Enlightenment
Earthquake damage
Earthquakes
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Kempf talks about how the Lisbon earthquake shook the Enlightenment. In the morning of Nov 1, 1755, a violent earthquake devastated the capital of Portugal. It was the greatest cataclysm to have struck Western Europe. A series of tremors transformed Lisbon into a heap of ruins. A tsunami soon engulfed the riverbank where hundreds of people had found refuge. As buildings collapsed, a great fire spread and swept through the city for more than a week. The earthquake destroyed Lisbon and much of southern Portugal, and caused extensive damage in Spain and Morocco. The tsunami triggered by the quake was felt as far away as the British islands, Newfoundland and the Caribbean Sea.
ISSN:0018-2753