The deadliest earthquake in history, the Shaanxi earthquake, hits Shaanxi province, China. The death toll may have been as high as 830,000.

The 1556 Shaanxi earthquake, also known as the Jiajing earthquake, is regarded as the deadliest earthquake in recorded history, with an estimated death toll of approximately 830,000 people. Striking on January 23, 1556, during the Ming Dynasty in China, the earthquake reached an estimated magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter scale. Centered in the Wei River Valley in Shaanxi Province, the devastation spread across 97 counties in multiple provinces, including Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Gansu, and Hebei. The disaster’s catastrophic impact was exacerbated by the collapse of loess cave dwellings, which were common in the region and highly susceptible to seismic activity. In addition to the massive loss of life, the earthquake reshaped the landscape, creating large cracks, landslides, and changes in river courses. The Shaanxi earthquake serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities of densely populated regions to natural disasters.