What Was the San Francisco Earthquake?

Did you know?

The earthquake lasted only about a minute

Fires burned for three days and nights

Much of San Francisco was destroyed

In this addition to the What Was? series, kids will experience what it was like to be in San Francisco in 1906 when the ground buckled in a major, catastrophic earthquake.

One early April morning in 1906, the people of San Francisco were jolted awake by a mammoth earthquake—one that registered 7.8 on the Richter Scale. Not only was there major damage from the quake itself but broken gas lines sparked a fire that ravaged the city for days. More than 500 city blocks were destroyed and over 200,000 people were left homeless. But the city quickly managed to rebuild, rising from the ashes to become the major tourist destination it is today. Here’s an exciting recount of an incredible disaster.

By Dorothy Hoobler, Thomas Hoobler and Who HQ
Illustrated by Ted Hammond

About OLP Selects

Looking for interesting, age appropriate, history books for your young reader? We've done the legwork for you with OLP Selects, History Books for Kids. Our selection of highly rated and reviewed titles are the perfect supplements to your 4th and 5th grade history studies. Great for expanded study of a favorite historical figure or event these books are also perfect for beginner book reports. Our initial offerings are from the acclaimed "Who Was" book series from WhoHQ at Penguin Books.