In the 9th century, there was one major earthquake; in the 11th century, two; in the 13th century, three; in the 16th, two; 17th, two; 18th, five (including the Lisbon); and in the 19th century, nine major earthquakes. So far in the 20th century, there have been over 40 (including the Peking quake).

From the World Almanac comes another set of facts: there were only 6 earthquakes of strength between 1800 to 1896. But in each decade from 1897, until 1947, there were either 2 or 3, and in the decade from 1947 to 1956, there were 7. From 1957 to 1966, there were 17.

Time magazine’s front cover for its Sept. 1, 1975, issue was a split earth with this inscription: “FORECAST: EARTHQUAKE.” Since that date there have been over 30 significant earthquakes—in China, Guatemala, Italy, Indonesia, Soviet Central Asia, Central America, and many other places.

The year 1976 experienced at least 50 significant quakes (intensity 6.5) and 18 major quakes (over 7.0). An estimated 695,000 deaths—the highest in modern history—in 1976 were reported by the US Geological Survey.

*Note: The facts reported are a little older, so you can imagine how much they’ve increased!