Just after 3 a.m., an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale strikes northwestern Turkey, home to one-third of the country's population and half its industry. The epicenter of the earthquake was Izmit, located 65 miles from Istanbul and on the North Anatolian fault line. The quake came at the worst possible time, when people were at home in their beds, and thousands were killed instantly as their homes collapsed on them. Thousands more died of injuries, suffocation, dehydration, or exhaustion as rescue crews scrambled to pull them from the rubble. All told, more than 17,000 people were killed and damages totaled $6.5 billion, making it one of the most devastating earthquakes of the 20th century.
Also on This Day
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- American Revolution
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- Automotive
- Charles Kettering receives patent for electric self-starter, 1915
- Civil War
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- Cold War
- East Germans kill man trying to cross Berlin Wall, 1962
- Crime
- A serial rapist strikes in England, 1984
- Disaster
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- General Interest
- Patton wins race to Messina, 1943
- Balloon crosses the Atlantic, 1978
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- Hollywood
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- Literary
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- Old West
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- Presidential
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- Sports
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- Vietnam War
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- World War I
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- World War II
- Carlson's Raiders land on Makin Island, 1942
Aug 17, 1999:
Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey
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This Week in History, Aug 17 - Aug 23
- Aug 17, 1943
- Patton wins race to Messina
- Aug 17, 1978
- Balloon crosses the Atlantic
- Aug 17, 1987
- Hitler's last living henchman dies
- Aug 17, 1999
- Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey
- Aug 18, 1227
- Genghis Khan dies
- Aug 18, 1590
- Roanoke Colony deserted
- Aug 18, 1920
- Woman suffrage amendment ratified
- Aug 18, 1963
- Meredith graduates from Ole Miss
- Aug 19, 1812
- Old Ironsides earns its name
- Aug 19, 1942
- Allies raid Dieppe
- Aug 19, 1960
- Captured U.S. spy pilot sentenced in Russia
- Aug 20, 1940
- Trotsky assassinated in Mexico
- Aug 20, 1968
- Soviets Invade Czechoslovakia
- Aug 20, 1975
- Viking 1 launched to Mars
- Aug 20, 1982
- U.S. Marines deployed to Lebanon
- Aug 21, 1831
- Slave revolt erupts in Virginia
- Aug 21, 1858
- Lincoln-Douglas debates begin
- Aug 21, 1961
- Kenyatta freed
- Aug 22, 1485
- Battle of Bosworth Field
- Aug 22, 1851
- U.S. wins first America's Cup
- Aug 22, 1864
- International Red Cross founded
- Aug 22, 1922
- Michael Collins assassinated
- Aug 22, 1992
- Incident at Ruby Ridge
- Aug 23, 1926
- Valentino dies
- Aug 23, 1927
- Sacco and Vanzetti executed
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