I'm from Lisbon and we know this story. All details that I knew are correct and I've learned some new information I had never heard before. Well done. Your prenouciation is very acceptable.
Eric, Thanks to @ktpinnacle’s comment here, I have become aware of James Hutton, the ‘father of modern geology’. I wonder if you are of this lineage. :) Regarding earthquake study, there is interesting work being done which looks at electric phenomena involved. Here is a YT vid giving a rough description, and below is a website that focuses on this. The main man (and YT voice) is Ben Davidson of Albuquerque, NM, USA. I catch his daily (Sun & Earth+) morning news (~4:30 Mountain Time) at ua-cam.com/users/Suspicious0bservers?app=desktop. Cheers. - John Campbell m.ua-cam.com/video/hWEn5JZ22dk/v-deo.html quakewatch.net edit: website correction
It was a very sad day not only for the lost of lifes but also because of the lots of magnificent buildings, art and documents. Lisbon was the jewell of Europe.
I think the History Guy could read the ingredients on a box of cereal... and keep us enthralled in every single word. He has found his true calling, I think.
The Bonesaw .. ...Haaa....I agree...Love these historical accounts from all different peoples and places. In some ways, it goes to show that humanity as a whole, has remained very much the same in some opinions....as to how and why some very normal and very natural, though rare, climatic and geological occurrences happen.
A quick curiosity about the royal fifth. In Portuguese, the word for fifth is Quinto and because for the tax, it became a cussing expression, "Quinto dos Infernos", or Fifth from Hell. We still use this expression in Brazil, even if the majority of the population doesn't know its origin.
Been to Lisbon many times...there is a memorial on the 'promenade' that commemorates the tsunami that landed that day....It is built to the height of that wave as it hit landfall....12 metres high. pretty sobering when viewed in real life. The city is vibrant and has it's historical places too...You would be hard pushed to find anywhere in the world where the food is better and the hospitality so welcoming. The tsunami even killed dozens on the south coast of England and even reached the port city of Dundee, on Scotland's east coast......killing 15 or so people in that port....now buried under newer port structures etc
I was downtown in Anchorage for the cat.9 quake of ‘64. I heard the same rumble. It started with a barely perceptible tremble, then all the store windows suddenly exploded. Our quake lasted over 4 minutes. No tsunami, no fire. The store I was in fell 20 feet, but I had made it to the sidewalk just in time. We thought it was the end of the world. Seward had both a Tsunami and major fires that devastated that city.
Gordon Lawrence No, I was right in the middle of the action and had no hearing loss. To my knowledge that was not an issue for anyone. There was no ringing in the ears that indicates hearing damage.
Valdez was wiped out a Tsunami from that earthquake. My wife was in Fairbanks, over 300 miles away and felt the slow low roll. It was on Good Friday and she and her sisters were dyeing eggs with their mother. Another friend was driving his truck toward Anchorage from Wasilla and said the highway in front of him looked like waves on the ocean. He just pulled over and waited for it to pass. I think that was a 9.1 earthquake.
I had one very good history teacher in high school that told us at the beginning of the semester that we were there, not to learn history but rather to learn 'From' history. I always enjoy your presentations. Thank you for posting.
You certainly cannot tell that Lisbon suffered this much damage now...A testament to the Portuguese people and their will to live in a Beautiful City. of all of the places visited in my servitude in the U. S Canoe Club this city always set itself apart from others as visually awesome and its inhabitants were friendly almost (but not quite) to a fault. Thank you again for an outstanding and informative video. If anyone is contemplating a sightseeing vacation abroad, put Portugal at the top of your list and and make an evening of the Top-pa bars and sights in Lisbon. You will not be disappointed!
Well, given the destruction of that earthquake, most of the oldest buildings in Lisbon date from after the earthquake. It's like Tokyo, which even if you subtract out the World War II bombing raids had few buildings that predated the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake.
Hi, History Guy. As a former teacher of history I have to admire how you can distill an event into the essential elements - without agenda or prejudice. While the textbooks and curricula focus on the official history, what is often lost are the smaller stories that you tell - the real stuff that is largely forgotten and does need to be remembered. I would like to shake your hand but, failing that, all I can do is thank you sincerely for your dedication and work in posting these stories.
Hi, from Portugal. I am Portuguese. Very good job. Congrats. Your pronunciation of the Portuguese names are well above normal for the circumstances. Thank you. HM
History class was the only one that did not seem like work. For me that was and still is entertainment. You are right about The History Guy. He can spin a yarn about paint drying and make it interesting.
Rightly so you should have hated history in school...a lot of it was lies and understated events that our wonderful government is trying to suppress and obfuscate...because it continues to do the same.
the earthquake occurred at a time and a place which made it a part of the debate over modernity. Its location in Europe made it a topic in the intellectual debates of the times. These debates had greater impact on the changing cultural context than the physical intensity of the earthquake might imply. The earthquake occurred when there were many strains between tradition and new ideas about progress. It was a time when traditional ideas and institutions were being challenged, when nation states were being created, and when rivalries among states led to tensions and conflict. Further, it was a time when the bonds of traditional religious authority were being challenged by a growing enthusiasm for intellectual freedom and for reason. These major political and institutional shifts were reflected in the meanings that were assigned to the Lisbon earthquake.
I have one comment. I’m addicted to your channel. You pack more information into 10 minutes than most hour long lectures. As a history junkie, I am so glad to have found your channel. I have learned so much. Thanks for your hard work researching the lesser known events that made large impacts!
Portugal became allied to England in 1386 with the signing of the Treaty of Windsor. That treaty is still in force today and was last invoked by Britain in 1982 when the Royal Navy needed to use naval facilities on the Azores during the Falklands War. Prior to that it was invoked by Portugal in 1961 for Britain to apply diplomatic pressure on India during the invasion of Goa.
Interesting, thanks for that input. My first exposure to Goa was from the movie "The Sea Wolves" - taken from the book "The Boarding Party" which might make an interesting topic for THG to discuss. (edited to correct the name of the book)
The economist David Ricardo - the most influential thinker on “free trade” in the early 19th Century - used trade between UK and Portugal as his primary exemplar. Interestingly, he showed that Portugal was the lower-cost producer of textiles and wine but trade made it worthwhile for Portugal to sell Port wine and buy UK textiles. His analysis, in the face of much opposition from the landed Establishment in UK of the time, underpinned the UK’s subsequent dominance of the 19th Century economy. Portugal has been a great friend of the UK, and long before either country were in the European Union, we learned how to collaborate without abandoning our respective sovereignty.
One would think that the citizens of Lisbon would have learned from the city’s previous terrible earthquake in 1531 that going to the river was a very bad idea. If you’re ever in Lisbon, the ruins of the Convento da Ordem do Carmo (Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel), and its church, destroyed in the 1755 quake are definitely worth seeing. Beautiful examples of Gothic architecture that impress upon visitors the enormity of the destruction from the quake, tsunami and fire. The silver lining in the dark cloud of devastation was the beginning of the science of seismology. You can’t go wrong with stories of science! As always, you’ve given us a superb episode, History Guy. 😊
I have been to Lisbon twice and love the city. I can only imagine how grand the city would be today had this earthquake not hit. Pombal deserves much credit for rebuilding the city.
I was in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. That shook for something like 15 seconds, and it felt like 5 minutes. I can't even imagine what an actual 5 minute Earthquake would feel like.
The buildings and squares if the pombaline lisbon downtown are the world's first earthquake proof buildings. Marques de pombal made a significant contribution to the study of seismology by designing a survey that he had sent to every parish in the country. Interesting!!
As a veteran of the 2011 9.0 earthquake in Japan and the recent 7.0 in Alaska, it is difficult to even begin to understand the horror of such a three-fold disaster in a country so completely unprepared and vulnerable. Even Japan, with its phenomenally active seismic environment, was unprepared for the violence of so large a quake and the tsunami that followed. As in Lisbon with the raging of water and fire, so, too, did Japan suffer the affects of raging water and fire - except in Japan, the fire including nuclear reactors set ablaze when their masters lost control of the nuclear dragons once held captive so confidently within cages of concrete and steel. These proved very vulnerable when engineers underestimated the threat from without. Thank you, History Guy. This is definitely history that deserves to be remembered.
Orange County, CA. Prepared for the big one. If you head this way, give me fair warning! Good to see that the folks up there were able to get it together quickly after their quake. Lessons learned, I suppose.
There were stones set at a certain elevation in Japan along the coast warning not to build homes below that line. They were apparently ignored or forgotten.
Fascinating! I've known about the Lisbon Earthquake since I've been interested in earthquakes for 20 years. I did now however have an appreciation for how the Lisbon Earthquake changed history. I also have more appreciation for the light bulb than ever before. If we were still using fire as light, there would be many other earthquake and fire examples, like Lisbon and of course San Francisco in 1906.
A very good historical video, from school we learned Portugal / Lusitania was a world leader in 1400 & 1500, and became very rich.But this terrible earthquake I did not know. Lost many historical documents . sad sad, RIP.
@Marcel Cousineau I read it. It is filth. Your racist, homophobic, sexist, and paranoid religious fundamentalism has no place in civilised company. Please promote it elsewhere.
@@flavourlessjosephus2910 I read it, as well. I saw nothing racist, homophobic, sexist, or paranoid about it. It is anti-terrorist, but "terrorist" is not a race, a gender, a "gender", or an imaginary threat. He is overtly Christian; a compliment would be more appropriate.
As a Portuguese and One who Grew up Looking at the ruins of the Church of our Lady of the Carmo in Lisbon and with tales from my grand parents about those days i can tell you that even from them i never heard so true and faithfull narration if this than here... Sorry for my English... Great episode
Maybe it's been noted, but why I like your episodes so much is that you "converse" with your viewers it seems without a script or teleprompter. I makes me feel like I'm more at a campfire than with my laptop, spellbound by interesting stories as if you were there observing. Thanks HG
I am impressed. My hometown is featured on your channel, which I love to watch. Some buildings were never rebuilt, like the Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, visible from many places around downtown Lisbon. It is believed that this tragic event influenced the people (the culture, the mindset) to be more pessimistic in general (a trait which remains to this date), as opposed to the mindset that drove us to sail around the world and leave a mark wherever we went. An example is "Vindaloo", a typical Indian dish from the region of Goa, a morphed version of the Portuguese name "carne de vinha de alhos" (meat in garlic wine marinade). Thank you for yet another interesting piece of history.
I read a book about it many years ago, and the number of deaths due to flying slate roof tiles, which were in widespread use due to slate roofed houses having previously survived a catastrophic fire. . .
I had no idea about this catastrophe: astounding events of mass destruction and the effect on European economics, philosophical, scientific, and religious thinking. Thanks for this History Lesson. edit - btw: I appreciate the art work your camera pans and provides illustration of the events in you History videos. Perhaps those works of art could be a subject of history worth learning about, too. Thanks for the videos.
Excellent story & visuals. Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote an entertaining poem: "The Deacon's Masterpiece, or the Wonderful One-Hoss Shay" about a deacon who finished making his shay on the very day of the Lisbon quake, making each piece equally strong, so no part of it would ever break. The shay suddenly fell to pieces exactly a hundred years and a day after "Lisbon-earthquake-day." That poem is how I first heard about this quake -- which must have been known to many well-read Americans more than a century later.
When the Hospital of All Saints was destroyed many of the patients were transported to my family's palace, which was on the other side of the street and somehow wasn't damaged during the earthquake.
@@chedarmentosbrown5922 It used to be from my family and now it's not. Not sure how we lost it though. It's now called the "Palácio da Independência" or "Independence Palace". We still hold a few, I'm typing from one of them rigth now ;P Just from memory my family has 3 manors, 2 palaces and 1 "castle". edit: If you look at photos of the palace's facade, it's like you having your back turned towards the old hospital. They're separated by about 40m.
We seldom hear about the effect of Portuguese culture on the history of the world. How little we are exposed to a full vision of history. Thanks History Guy Team.
Two and a half weeks after Lisbon, on November 18, 1755, Boston, in the not-yet-declared-independent United States, experienced their largest earthquake, estimated at between 6.0 and 6.3 (Richter). While Lisbon's quake caused much more damage, Boston's earthquake remains obscure, except to Bostonians, even though another tremor is believed to be inevitable, with severe consequences feared, due to artificial fill, which is expected to shake like a bowl of jelly, potentially causing massive damage. Because Boston and Lisbon are on the same latitude, on opposite sides of the Atlantic, and the nearness in time of the two shocks, IMO as a geologist, whose MS Thesis was written about faults off Cape Ann that were likely involved in the Boston Earthquake, historians should consider a mention of the Boston quake as a footnote to the history of Lisbon, as a possible aftershock. Any seismologists out there want to chime in?
If you are a geologist and you believe that rubbish about the Boston quake being an "aftershock" of the Lisbon one then your education hasn't helped you much. Can seismic stress transfer along fault systems? Yes as things like the sequence of quakes along the North Anatolian Fault over recent decades have shown. How far does that stress transfer go? To ADJACENT AREAS OF THE FAULT SYSTEM. Are Boston and Lisbon adjacent to each other? No. Are Boston and Lisbon on the same fault system? No. Does Boston have any large active fault systems anywhere near it? No. A 6.0 on the US east coast would cause problems, especially given the lack of seismic protection in many of the building codes. However a 6.0 can be produced by a comparatively small fault system, as the fact that the largest earthquakes near the UK are around that level (a 6.1 at Dogger Bank in 1931 and a similar sized quake in the Straits of Dover in 1583 for example), and no one considers the UK itself to have a serious seismic threat present. Historians should ignore crackpot notions about Boston and Lisbon quakes being linked. What they should not ignore is the real potential for liquifaction of soil fill caused by a 6.0 earthquake in Boston leading to greatly enhanced damage around Boston harbour.
@@MtnTow the OP claims to be a geologist, which implies a certain level of education concerning earthquakes and seismology. They then launch into something so outlandish that it calls into serious question whether they actually are what they say they are. It would be like me claiming to have a chemistry degree (which I do) and then not knowing that quantum mechanics is what determines the form of the periodic table. We are not talking about something more advanced like earthquake moment tensors here. We are talking about basic geography combined with basic seismology here. It is as ridiculous as claiming a 6.0 in Boston and a 6.0 in Crescent City California are related because of similar latitude of the cities, assuming we were talking about a 6.0 aftershock in Crescent City following a Cascadia subduction zone event.
Where I live, Wales (UK), there is an old legend of the `lost village of Kenfig`; as a child visited the lake called Kenfig Pool that is unique in that it has a, now ruined, church tower half to the centre of the fresh water inland pool that it is hundreds of yards across. I marvelled at the church tower and when I asked why it was there I was told that there had once been a village of Kenfig that had been connected to the coast but there was a storm that had flooded and washed away all the old cottages leaving only the stone built church in the centre standing. Years later I came across several archive photos contained in a local history book about Port Talbot that showed the remains of stone arches lost in the sand dunes of Morfa Beach and exposed during the construction of the Port by Sir Christopher Talbot when he attempted to enlarge the coal and steel trade of the town that had been Aberafan before being renamed by the Talbots who were the major landowners. This excellent piece of history telling made me think of these when you described the extent of the Tsunamis consequent to the initial earthquake; Port Talbot and Kenfig are on the north shore of the Severn Estuary - which is peculiar in that it twice daily exhibits the Severn Bore that washes up as far inland as Cheltenham - the unique topography channels the waters of the incoming tide to reverse the flow of the river to an extend that surfers ride the inland rising wave. The question is: was the Lisbon Earthquake the catastrophe that swept away Kenfig and emptied the north shore of the Severn estuary of all habitation for decades if not centuries because the beaches along the estuary have only in the last 50 years been seen as viable housing development land with huge sea defences erected in the Sandfields Estate area of Port Talbot to protect the house behind?
Dear Mr History Guy, You could read the phonebook and somehow make it into a riveting story. Thanks for the work your wife and you put into this channel.
I've been checking the like ratios of videos I've watched over the last few weeks. 2100+ likes to 8 dislikes is the best I've seen anywhere. It shows just how much value people get out of this channel.
One thing we must think about, when we consider the loss of such magnificent buildings: They weren't any more "magnificent" in their day than a four-story commercial building is today. They were just their normal structures; this made it easier for them to knock down their palace because the danger to life and limb outweighed the thoughts of historic preservation. Loss of life, loss of the great libraries, those were true tragedies.
Yes, the all saints hospital manueline portal was the envy of Europe. But the greatest lost besides lifes was the royal archive of Torre do Tombo in the castle. Many of the discoveries maps were there....all forever lost. The Ribeira palace, the Opera house, the clock tower, the new Basilica and the castle tower and palace were all lost. What a pitty, LIsbon is magnificent city, imagine with all these still standing
Bravo, History Guy!! I had encountered the Earthquake only in Voltaire's "Candide*, as one of several episodes he used to refute optimism. But further-reaching interpretations could even go so far as to negate the existence of a benevolent god. What god would wait until All Saints' Day, when all his most pious believers were in churches praising him, to drop the steeples and arches on their unsuspecting heads? This was VERY radical thinking back then. But you went further, History Guy, to include the global effects of the earthquake, the political aftermath and the question of cause, which we only started to unravel two centuries later. For all this: Thanks! And, um ... merry Christmas!
I've never really bought the "bad natural things happen therefore a powerful God can't be benevolent" argument. It presumes a lot of things, but primarily that: a benevolent God should always avert natural disasters, that his purposes should involve preventing bad things happening, etc. I can explain my thoughts below and would love to hear your views on it. I understand that people think this because this is the way our governments are organized, but if you really think about it, such intervention is really magical thinking and a construct. If you presume the world is natural with its own forces, then every action has a reaction. Our idea that God could step in and fix it all without natural consequences is magical thinking. Suppose a powerful God still has to act in physical ways (imagine a very powerful alien with a masterful understanding of nature and advanced methods of controlling it). If humanity had the power to stop an earthquake from occurring at a moment in time or stop bad weather phenomena, that could very easily cause worse problems down the line. It is possible that intervening would be too disruptive and that these natural hiccups are necessary. And if you say something like: "well couldn't these disasters be meted out in smaller, less destructive measures to satisfy natural congruity", then I would say, how do we know that hasn't already happened? For all we know a benevolent God could have averted lots of world-shattering disasters after the rise of humanity, including those that man would have caused. It is a logical fault to assume that just because SOME bad things happen a God never acts benevolently. If he acts to avert something horrible we wouldn't know. For all we know things like the "coincidences" that led to the Cuban missile crisis not resulting in nuclear war was the result of God's work on that Russian nuclear submarine, which was one decision short of firing. On a deeper philosophical level, it is also possible that the precedent of a God averting all bad things would be counter to his purposes as well. We don't know what his purpose is. For all we know, averting disasters could go against that purpose even though he wants the best for humanity. As an example: suppose the Christian idea that "God wants his people to grow in autonomy and become more like him (more perfect)" is true. Can people really grow if they never face hardship? Will they have the chance to practice helping each other out and being self-sacrificial if everyone is taken care of equally? After every disaster there is a surge of relief efforts, goodwill, people giving up their money and parts of their year to help out. Maybe the goal from a god's perspective is not to make human life comfortable and fair equally (a modern democratic idea), but for us to have the chance to grow, improve, and become better people individually (less selfish). The standard argument I've heard is "well that wouldn't be benevolent or fair because God let some people die", but for all we know maybe it is fair. Maybe God gives the people who died another life and chance. If people really do have immortal souls, death is not the terrible, chance-ending thing people who don't believe in an immortal soul think of it as. Anyway, I'm not saying Voltaire's logic has no merit, but like all philosophers I've read, they create false dichotomies and make the world way less complex than it really is. TLDR; In short, you can't make a claim about "benevolence/good/evil" without having a basis for distinguishing that morally. If your basis for distinguishing this is an agreed-upon societal idea of good/evil then you have to admit it is A) Arbitrary and B) Imperfect. It doesn't apply to God as he may have different purposes or even better purposes based on his greater understanding of the world and how it works. Also, the argument presupposes that God can act in the world with no physical consequences. This is magical thinking, which is false based on our understanding of physics. Every known action has a reaction, and this should include any action by a godlike being on any level of physical order. We don't know if acting to prevent a disaster wouldn't have had worse reactions. We also don't know if God hasn't averted worse world-scale disasters from affecting humanity, only letting minor ones through.
Living in Seattle area for the last 64 years, I still clearly remember the one in 1965, I was almost 10. We've had larger ones since then, but going through the '64 one affected me so deeply as a child, it took a long time to get over. So thankful to God for granting me His peace! But thank you for this very informative and eye opening video!
King joao I became excessively paranoid after the quake and refused to live in walled buildings. The entire royal court was transferred to a giant tented complex outside of Lisbon where he remained until his death.
I'm humbled to say that at banging on the door of 50, I knew nothing of that. Figures that I've seen the F1 at Estoril and never visited the capital. The way things are going, I likely never will. But grateful all the same to be so well.informed, so often on just so much. Thumbs up earned.
That was quite a mindwaving history lesson. I only knew about this eathquake being mentioned in Voltaire's satirical novel Candide, but I never guessed about the far reaching effects in terms of geography, society and science this event had. Thank you again for enlightening us.
I found a really good description of the event in The Scots Magazine: Monday 02 February 1756 Called "Accounts of the earth quake: Letters from Lisbon. A letter from a merchant in Lisbon."
Thanks for reminding about this event. I saw a BBC TV programme about this some years ago. It was really the first time I had heard the word tsunami. I was both shocked and surprised about how powerful they are. And how far reaching.
HUGE thumbs up! Great story! I had always wondered what happened to Portugal, whose fortunes were so suddenly reversed - I got a good education in school, but they never taught us about this. Thank you, History Guy!
Great episode Living in Alaska were we just had a 7.0 earthquake Nov 30 2018. I could relate to this story. And in 1964 we had one that was 9.2 That lasted 4.5 minutes
Thank you for covering such interesting and obscure historical events. I've been watching your videos all afternoon. My adblock is off you you buddy. Keep making awesome content!
In Italy, a magnitude-6.7 quake in 1638 permanently tweaked the Calabria region's dialects, according to a study published in the journal Annali di Geofisica in 1995.
I really love Portugal, they put love in to building Brazil and places like downtown Lapa in Rio but the glory days of Brazil and Portugal can still be seen there
I am a recent subscriber here, your videos have continued to fascinate and impress. The direct approach you take is very relieving, as you never linger on certain topics (something I'm a victim of) .
On January 17, 1994 I was living in the San Fernando Valley. Life had pretty rough going for me; living with a friend as I had lost my job about a year before and barely able to keep my car. Then, I sat up in bed, strangely enough, and thought to myself: "Life's pretty good, I got a place to stay, good friends, a nice house to live in, and..." Than the earthquake hit and the house felt like it had been hit by a bus. That's some history that deserves to be remembered! And what happened in Kyobe Japan one year to the day later!
I have been to Lisbon twice and love the city. I can only imagine how grand the city would be today had this earthquake not hit. Pombal deserves much credit for rebuilding the city, but the loss to the country and to history must be incalculable.
I just discovered your channel a few weeks ago. I absolutely love your oration on history. You have great subject matter and I appreciate your work. Thank you. I am a subscribed fan now.
Great story, but I take issue with one minor thing. Voltaire liked to call himself a "philosophe," but he's not studied in philosophy departments, because he was a social commentator and a wit, but not a philosopher. His "Candide" demonstrates how deeply in over his head was with regard to the optimism of Leibniz, whose phrase, "the best of all possible worlds" was parodied by Voltaire. Leibniz' notion of "possible worlds" had to do with the avoidance of metaphysical self-contradiction and so on, not some nitwit's notion of a safe-space utopia. I'm not a huge fan of Leibniz' monadology and much of his metaphysics, but he was among the first to realize that the common assumption that the world is comprised of plural distinct entities, if carried through to absoluteness, dictated that there could be no such thing as causation. (Causation is a connection between things, and "connected" is a direct contradiction of "distinct.") -- Leibniz also invented the calculus that we use today. Newton also invented a calculus, but his notation wasn't as good as Leibniz. Both of them had reasons to pursue mathematics of infinite series, and both of them were, at the time, speculative philosophers. (Newton was engaged in "natural philosophy," not science. Today, looking back in retrospect, we see his virtual invention of modern mathematical science as science, but his inquiries were highly speculative. The introduction of his "Principia Mathematica" was a plea to persuade his readers that it would be fruitful to look at physical phenomena through a mathematical lens.) -- At any rate, the level of thinking that both Leibniz and Newton engaged in were FAR out of Voltaire's league. Voltaire was more of a Bill Maher of his time. Well, maybe a Christopher Hitchens, but not a real philosopher.
It has been compared with other natural catastrophes before and, as he said in the video, it was the foundation for seismology studies. However, because that one happened in the mid-1700s, its outcome has been vastly based on estimates whereas more recent tsunamis offer more accurate data.
i am coming a bit late to respond but i enjoy to enlight those who are interested. This earthquake was the one that started the discipline of sismology in the first place, i imagine the fear of the rulers of other countries trying to avoid such tragedy on their side. Human kind is so strong, we thrive in the face of destruction, we learn we evolve. sadly it destroyed a beautiful city... imagine, the city we have today is fantastic in many ways, i can olny imagine how it was back in the day
I read about this fascinating disaster In a book many years ago. It is quite amazing how the Lisbon earthquake affected the lives and history of so many people and events in Europe, Africa and the Americas for so many years after it happened. Also, mostly by tsunami but also by the quake itself Morocco in North Africa which is fairly close to Portugal suffered just as many if not more casualties in the quake as Lisbon did. It just wasn't widely reported as much by the papers as such in the 1700's.
Wow very cool. I visited Lisbon last year and went on an all day tour of the earthquake some 300 years ago. Effects and monuments still show what happened.
I'm from Lisbon and we know this story. All details that I knew are correct and I've learned some new information I had never heard before. Well done. Your prenouciation is very acceptable.
Olá. Tudo bem? Sou de Leiria
POrtugal deserved it. I hopecovid19continues this year the same way like italy
@@samlsd9711 What the hell?
@@henriquebraga5266 Ou ele é um troll ou um homem muito triste e desiludido..
@@samlsd9711 Keep taking the medication.
The rise of the systematic study of earthquakes. Quite an important event in the world of geology.
And you have a very important last name in the world of geology.
Eric,
Thanks to @ktpinnacle’s comment here, I have become aware of James Hutton, the ‘father of modern geology’. I wonder if you are of this lineage. :)
Regarding earthquake study, there is interesting work being done which looks at electric phenomena involved. Here is a YT vid giving a rough description, and below is a website that focuses on this. The main man (and YT voice) is Ben Davidson of Albuquerque, NM, USA. I catch his daily (Sun & Earth+) morning news (~4:30 Mountain Time) at ua-cam.com/users/Suspicious0bservers?app=desktop. Cheers. - John Campbell
m.ua-cam.com/video/hWEn5JZ22dk/v-deo.html
quakewatch.net
edit: website correction
Yes James... ;-7
@@johnnyliminal8032 I don't know if I am of his lineage, but I am quite fascinated by geology. Such an interesting subject.
The Chinese also invented an instrument to measure the strength of an earthquake (i believe over 1000 years ago).
It was a very sad day not only for the lost of lifes but also because of the lots of magnificent buildings, art and documents. Lisbon was the jewell of Europe.
I visited Lisbon four times and each time learned more about the Earthquake. And now I learn even more. Obrigado.
Man, you are a great teacher. Well done. Hi from Amazon Forest, Brazil.
Not verry often i find someone shouting out the Amazon rainforest!!!
Anyways, hello from the Canadian rainforests in British Columbia!
What a coincidence!
It doesn't matter what you talk about it is always very interesting.
I think the History Guy could read the ingredients on a box of cereal... and keep us enthralled in every single word. He has found his true calling, I think.
The Bonesaw .. ...Haaa....I agree...Love these historical accounts from all different peoples and places. In some ways, it goes to show that humanity as a whole, has remained very much the same in some opinions....as to how and why some very normal and very natural, though rare, climatic and geological occurrences happen.
I know, right?
A quick curiosity about the royal fifth. In Portuguese, the word for fifth is Quinto and because for the tax, it became a cussing expression, "Quinto dos Infernos", or Fifth from Hell. We still use this expression in Brazil, even if the majority of the population doesn't know its origin.
@Carlton B in Canada a dime is a 10c coin so the original meaning might be lost a bit but the use is still fairly common :P
@phuck ewe Ha ha ha!
I just asked my Brazilian wife about this - you’re right,she had no idea the origins of this saying.
Snaggle Toothed
No, but thank you for asking.
Snaggle Toothed ....same here !
Been to Lisbon many times...there is a memorial on the 'promenade' that commemorates the tsunami that landed that day....It is built to the height of that wave as it hit landfall....12 metres high. pretty sobering when viewed in real life. The city is vibrant and has it's historical places too...You would be hard pushed to find anywhere in the world where the food is better and the hospitality so welcoming. The tsunami even killed dozens on the south coast of England and even reached the port city of Dundee, on Scotland's east coast......killing 15 or so people in that port....now buried under newer port structures etc
Hi, can you please say how to find that memorial? Thanks!
"It affected Portugal and North Africa"... What about in the rest of the Iberian Peninsula??? After all they share the same land mass.
I was born in Lisbon and even today we talk about this event.
Great video
I was downtown in Anchorage for the cat.9 quake of ‘64. I heard the same rumble. It started with a barely perceptible tremble, then all the store windows suddenly exploded. Our quake lasted over 4 minutes. No tsunami, no fire. The store I was in fell 20 feet, but I had made it to the sidewalk just in time. We thought it was the end of the world. Seward had both a Tsunami and major fires that devastated that city.
I heard that was extremely loud to the point of deafening some people at it's most violent, do you know if that is true?
Gordon Lawrence No, I was right in the middle of the action and had no hearing loss. To my knowledge that was not an issue for anyone. There was no ringing in the ears that indicates hearing damage.
I've about that earthquake, but never from someone who survived it.
Valdez was wiped out a Tsunami from that earthquake. My wife was in Fairbanks, over 300 miles away and felt the slow low roll. It was on Good Friday and she and her sisters were dyeing eggs with their mother. Another friend was driving his truck toward Anchorage from Wasilla and said the highway in front of him looked like waves on the ocean. He just pulled over and waited for it to pass. I think that was a 9.1 earthquake.
OMG, can’t even imagine.. I’ve experienced 3 small quakes in my lifetime but nothing like that, glad you made it through unharmed
I had one very good history teacher in high school that told us at the beginning of the semester that we were there, not to learn history but rather to learn 'From' history.
I always enjoy your presentations. Thank you for posting.
You certainly cannot tell that Lisbon suffered this much damage now...A testament to the Portuguese people and their will to live in a Beautiful City. of all of the places visited in my servitude in the U. S Canoe Club this city always set itself apart from others as visually awesome and its inhabitants were friendly almost (but not quite) to a fault. Thank you again for an outstanding and informative video. If anyone is contemplating a sightseeing vacation abroad, put Portugal at the top of your list and and make an evening of the Top-pa bars and sights in Lisbon. You will not be disappointed!
Well, given the destruction of that earthquake, most of the oldest buildings in Lisbon date from after the earthquake. It's like Tokyo, which even if you subtract out the World War II bombing raids had few buildings that predated the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake.
Hi, History Guy. As a former teacher of history I have to admire how you can distill an event into the essential elements - without agenda or prejudice. While the textbooks and curricula focus on the official history, what is often lost are the smaller stories that you tell - the real stuff that is largely forgotten and does need to be remembered. I would like to shake your hand but, failing that, all I can do is thank you sincerely for your dedication and work in posting these stories.
Hi, from Portugal. I am Portuguese.
Very good job. Congrats.
Your pronunciation of the Portuguese names are well above normal for the circumstances.
Thank you.
HM
Thank you for uploading, your content is incredible! I hated history in school but now you make it come to life! Please continue what your doing!!!!
History class was the only one that did not seem like work. For me that was and still is entertainment. You are right about The History Guy. He can spin a yarn about paint drying and make it interesting.
As can Mrs. H. G.! And when she wears that bow tie.. well darn, it is hard to focus on the story.
Rightly so you should have hated history in school...a lot of it was lies and understated events that our wonderful government is trying to suppress and obfuscate...because it continues to do the same.
the earthquake occurred at a time and a place which made it a part of the debate over modernity. Its location in Europe made it a topic in the intellectual debates of the times. These debates had greater impact on the changing cultural context than the physical intensity of the earthquake might imply. The earthquake occurred when there were many strains between tradition and new ideas about progress. It was a time when traditional ideas and institutions were being challenged, when nation states were being created, and when rivalries among states led to tensions and conflict. Further, it was a time when the bonds of traditional religious authority were being challenged by a growing enthusiasm for intellectual freedom and for reason. These major political and institutional shifts were reflected in the meanings that were assigned to the Lisbon earthquake.
This is one of the best channels on UA-cam!
I have one comment. I’m addicted to your channel. You pack more information into 10 minutes than most hour long lectures. As a history junkie, I am so glad to have found your channel. I have learned so much. Thanks for your hard work researching the lesser known events that made large impacts!
Portugal became allied to England in 1386 with the signing of the Treaty of Windsor. That treaty is still in force today and was last invoked by Britain in 1982 when the Royal Navy needed to use naval facilities on the Azores during the Falklands War. Prior to that it was invoked by Portugal in 1961 for Britain to apply diplomatic pressure on India during the invasion of Goa.
Interesting, thanks for that input. My first exposure to Goa was from the movie "The Sea Wolves" - taken from the book "The Boarding Party" which might make an interesting topic for THG to discuss.
(edited to correct the name of the book)
I could be wrong, but I believe it was also invoked in WW2 when Portugal wanted to follow suit w/ Spain & stay "neutral"
@@arachnonixonWas invoked by UK and USA, during WW2 for facilities on use the Lages Air Force base in the Azores. And the States are still using it.
The economist David Ricardo - the most influential thinker on “free trade” in the early 19th Century - used trade between UK and Portugal as his primary exemplar. Interestingly, he showed that Portugal was the lower-cost producer of textiles and wine but trade made it worthwhile for Portugal to sell Port wine and buy UK textiles. His analysis, in the face of much opposition from the landed Establishment in UK of the time, underpinned the UK’s subsequent dominance of the 19th Century economy. Portugal has been a great friend of the UK, and long before either country were in the European Union, we learned how to collaborate without abandoning our respective sovereignty.
@@matthewshaw988 David Ricardo born in London from a Portuguese family. His work about free trade is a reality today.
One would think that the citizens of Lisbon would have learned from the city’s previous terrible earthquake in 1531 that going to the river was a very bad idea.
If you’re ever in Lisbon, the ruins of the Convento da Ordem do Carmo (Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel), and its church, destroyed in the 1755 quake are definitely worth seeing. Beautiful examples of Gothic architecture that impress upon visitors the enormity of the destruction from the quake, tsunami and fire.
The silver lining in the dark cloud of devastation was the beginning of the science of seismology.
You can’t go wrong with stories of science! As always, you’ve given us a superb episode, History Guy. 😊
I have been to Lisbon twice and love the city. I can only imagine how grand the city would be today had this earthquake not hit. Pombal deserves much credit for rebuilding the city.
Assassins Creed Rogue brought me here...... and I learned some new information. Video games really can educate sometimes.
As a portuguese natural i loved your description of the subject at hand. Precise and concise. Well done!
I was in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. That shook for something like 15 seconds, and it felt like 5 minutes. I can't even imagine what an actual 5 minute Earthquake would feel like.
Maybe close to the epicenter, time breaks down, like a black hole, so for you it actually was longer than the official time says.
Hi from Tenderloin
The buildings and squares if the pombaline lisbon downtown are the world's first earthquake proof buildings. Marques de pombal made a significant contribution to the study of seismology by designing a survey that he had sent to every parish in the country. Interesting!!
As a veteran of the 2011 9.0 earthquake in Japan and the recent 7.0 in Alaska, it is difficult to even begin to understand the horror of such a three-fold disaster in a country so completely unprepared and vulnerable. Even Japan, with its phenomenally active seismic environment, was unprepared for the violence of so large a quake and the tsunami that followed. As in Lisbon with the raging of water and fire, so, too, did Japan suffer the affects of raging water and fire - except in Japan, the fire including nuclear reactors set ablaze when their masters lost control of the nuclear dragons once held captive so confidently within cages of concrete and steel. These proved very vulnerable when engineers underestimated the threat from without. Thank you, History Guy. This is definitely history that deserves to be remembered.
Where are you now (asking for a friend)?
Palmer, AK. Yourself?
Orange County, CA. Prepared for the big one. If you head this way, give me fair warning!
Good to see that the folks up there were able to get it together quickly after their quake. Lessons learned, I suppose.
There were stones set at a certain elevation in Japan along the coast warning not to build homes below that line. They were apparently ignored or forgotten.
@@magellan6108 Were you in the valley when it hit? I was at work in Anchorage when it hit and had to drive home to Wasilla in all that traffic
Fascinating! I've known about the Lisbon Earthquake since I've been interested in earthquakes for 20 years.
I did now however have an appreciation for how the Lisbon Earthquake changed history.
I also have more appreciation for the light bulb than ever before. If we were still using fire as light, there would be many other earthquake and fire examples, like Lisbon and of course San Francisco in 1906.
Addicted to this channel. I watch every episode. Been in firestorms, earthquakes, and tsunami threats.. History is important.
Right On Bro.
A very good historical video, from school we learned Portugal / Lusitania was a world leader in 1400 & 1500, and became very rich.But this terrible earthquake I did not know. Lost many historical documents . sad sad, RIP.
Absolutely amazing
Hi from Portugal!
Hi from Texas
@Marcel Cousineau I read it. It is filth. Your racist, homophobic, sexist, and paranoid religious fundamentalism has no place in civilised company. Please promote it elsewhere.
@@flavourlessjosephus2910 I read it, as well. I saw nothing racist, homophobic, sexist, or paranoid about it. It is anti-terrorist, but "terrorist" is not a race, a gender, a "gender", or an imaginary threat. He is overtly Christian; a compliment would be more appropriate.
Look out for earthquakes!
Hello from Raleighwood NC
History is fascinating!!!
Portugal has fascinating history, fascinating country.
As a Portuguese and One who Grew up Looking at the ruins of the Church of our Lady of the Carmo in Lisbon and with tales from my grand parents about those days i can tell you that even from them i never heard so true and faithfull narration if this than here... Sorry for my English... Great episode
Your English is perfect!
Maybe it's been noted, but why I like your episodes so much is that you "converse" with your viewers it seems without a script or teleprompter. I makes me feel like I'm more at a campfire than with my laptop, spellbound by interesting stories as if you were there observing. Thanks HG
Respect & Gratitude Professor!!
I am impressed. My hometown is featured on your channel, which I love to watch.
Some buildings were never rebuilt, like the Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, visible from many places around downtown Lisbon.
It is believed that this tragic event influenced the people (the culture, the mindset) to be more pessimistic in general (a trait which remains to this date), as opposed to the mindset that drove us to sail around the world and leave a mark wherever we went. An example is "Vindaloo", a typical Indian dish from the region of Goa, a morphed version of the Portuguese name "carne de vinha de alhos" (meat in garlic wine marinade).
Thank you for yet another interesting piece of history.
Amazing channel!!! Thank you :)
By far, my most favorite channel on YT. I bow in respect.
Frailty of life and all it encompasses. New directions come from the ashes of errors of yesterday. Another Great Presentation! Thank you!
New direction comes from yesterday's errors. I like that.
Benjamin I have heard the phrase about laws and regulations being "written in blood."
Also can you do the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. Another pivotal moment that changed history.
Absolutely on the topic list.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Thank You. It is just a big thing here locally in the Texas Gulf Region.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel
The WWII Gerrman and. Turkish POWs in South Texas changed the history of Texas culture.
I read a book about it many years ago, and the number of deaths due to flying slate roof tiles, which were in widespread use due to slate roofed houses having previously survived a catastrophic fire. . .
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered Looking forward to it!
Well done. The Lisbon Earthquake is always an interesting topic
I had no idea about this catastrophe: astounding events of mass destruction and the effect on European economics, philosophical, scientific, and religious thinking. Thanks for this History Lesson.
edit - btw: I appreciate the art work your camera pans and provides illustration of the events in you History videos. Perhaps those works of art could be a subject of history worth learning about, too. Thanks for the videos.
Excellent story & visuals. Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote an entertaining poem: "The Deacon's Masterpiece, or the Wonderful One-Hoss Shay" about a deacon who finished making his shay on the very day of the Lisbon quake, making each piece equally strong, so no part of it would ever break. The shay suddenly fell to pieces exactly a hundred years and a day after "Lisbon-earthquake-day." That poem is how I first heard about this quake -- which must have been known to many well-read Americans more than a century later.
When the Hospital of All Saints was destroyed many of the patients were transported to my family's palace, which was on the other side of the street and somehow wasn't damaged during the earthquake.
Your family has a palace? That's so cool.
You're 300 years old? COOL!
@@chedarmentosbrown5922 It used to be from my family and now it's not. Not sure how we lost it though. It's now called the "Palácio da Independência" or "Independence Palace".
We still hold a few, I'm typing from one of them rigth now ;P Just from memory my family has 3 manors, 2 palaces and 1 "castle".
edit: If you look at photos of the palace's facade, it's like you having your back turned towards the old hospital. They're separated by about 40m.
Intriguing...
Chive more on family palace and the hospital rescue.....
We starve for stories of good works done..
@@lourencoalmada1305 I wonder if that's history that should be remembered.
Outstanding presentation, sir!
Thanks for posting this important but relatively unknown history.
Never knew any of this happen. The best to date I think.
Thank you to both yourself and your Mrs for an awesome series.
Beautiful country with beautiful history. None of us is save. Thank you for this lesson.
We seldom hear about the effect of Portuguese culture on the history of the world. How little we are exposed to a full vision of history. Thanks History Guy Team.
Indeed. How did such a small nation make its language #6 of all languages?
Two and a half weeks after Lisbon, on November 18, 1755, Boston, in the not-yet-declared-independent United States, experienced their largest earthquake, estimated at between 6.0 and 6.3 (Richter). While Lisbon's quake caused much more damage, Boston's earthquake remains obscure, except to Bostonians, even though another tremor is believed to be inevitable, with severe consequences feared, due to artificial fill, which is expected to shake like a bowl of jelly, potentially causing massive damage.
Because Boston and Lisbon are on the same latitude, on opposite sides of the Atlantic, and the nearness in time of the two shocks, IMO as a geologist, whose MS Thesis was written about faults off Cape Ann that were likely involved in the Boston Earthquake, historians should consider a mention of the Boston quake as a footnote to the history of Lisbon, as a possible aftershock. Any seismologists out there want to chime in?
Back Bay in Boston is a disaster waiting to happen! I really fear for my family and friends there!!
I'm not a geologist, seismologist, etc, but I do appreciate this input. History is fascinating, and it doesn't exist in a vacuum.
If you are a geologist and you believe that rubbish about the Boston quake being an "aftershock" of the Lisbon one then your education hasn't helped you much.
Can seismic stress transfer along fault systems? Yes as things like the sequence of quakes along the North Anatolian Fault over recent decades have shown. How far does that stress transfer go? To ADJACENT AREAS OF THE FAULT SYSTEM. Are Boston and Lisbon adjacent to each other? No. Are Boston and Lisbon on the same fault system? No. Does Boston have any large active fault systems anywhere near it? No. A 6.0 on the US east coast would cause problems, especially given the lack of seismic protection in many of the building codes. However a 6.0 can be produced by a comparatively small fault system, as the fact that the largest earthquakes near the UK are around that level (a 6.1 at Dogger Bank in 1931 and a similar sized quake in the Straits of Dover in 1583 for example), and no one considers the UK itself to have a serious seismic threat present.
Historians should ignore crackpot notions about Boston and Lisbon quakes being linked. What they should not ignore is the real potential for liquifaction of soil fill caused by a 6.0 earthquake in Boston leading to greatly enhanced damage around Boston harbour.
@@davidpnewton Op asked for an opinion not a bag of douche.
@@MtnTow the OP claims to be a geologist, which implies a certain level of education concerning earthquakes and seismology. They then launch into something so outlandish that it calls into serious question whether they actually are what they say they are.
It would be like me claiming to have a chemistry degree (which I do) and then not knowing that quantum mechanics is what determines the form of the periodic table.
We are not talking about something more advanced like earthquake moment tensors here. We are talking about basic geography combined with basic seismology here. It is as ridiculous as claiming a 6.0 in Boston and a 6.0 in Crescent City California are related because of similar latitude of the cities, assuming we were talking about a 6.0 aftershock in Crescent City following a Cascadia subduction zone event.
Where I live, Wales (UK), there is an old legend of the `lost village of Kenfig`; as a child visited the lake called Kenfig Pool that is unique in that it has a, now ruined, church tower half to the centre of the fresh water inland pool that it is hundreds of yards across. I marvelled at the church tower and when I asked why it was there I was told that there had once been a village of Kenfig that had been connected to the coast but there was a storm that had flooded and washed away all the old cottages leaving only the stone built church in the centre standing. Years later I came across several archive photos contained in a local history book about Port Talbot that showed the remains of stone arches lost in the sand dunes of Morfa Beach and exposed during the construction of the Port by Sir Christopher Talbot when he attempted to enlarge the coal and steel trade of the town that had been Aberafan before being renamed by the Talbots who were the major landowners. This excellent piece of history telling made me think of these when you described the extent of the Tsunamis consequent to the initial earthquake; Port Talbot and Kenfig are on the north shore of the Severn Estuary - which is peculiar in that it twice daily exhibits the Severn Bore that washes up as far inland as Cheltenham - the unique topography channels the waters of the incoming tide to reverse the flow of the river to an extend that surfers ride the inland rising wave. The question is: was the Lisbon Earthquake the catastrophe that swept away Kenfig and emptied the north shore of the Severn estuary of all habitation for decades if not centuries because the beaches along the estuary have only in the last 50 years been seen as viable housing development land with huge sea defences erected in the Sandfields Estate area of Port Talbot to protect the house behind?
There is SO much stuff I don't know about... but deserves to be remembered.
Thank you so much!! I didn’t know this!!! Good to brush up on my learning!!!!!!
Dear Mr History Guy,
You could read the phonebook and somehow make it into a riveting story. Thanks for the work your wife and you put into this channel.
I've been checking the like ratios of videos I've watched over the last few weeks. 2100+ likes to 8 dislikes is the best I've seen anywhere. It shows just how much value people get out of this channel.
The greatest loss to me was less than a handful of examples of the Manueline Gothic buildings survived. This is my favorite of all the Gothic styles.
One thing we must think about, when we consider the loss of such magnificent buildings: They weren't any more "magnificent" in their day than a four-story commercial building is today. They were just their normal structures; this made it easier for them to knock down their palace because the danger to life and limb outweighed the thoughts of historic preservation. Loss of life, loss of the great libraries, those were true tragedies.
Yes, the all saints hospital manueline portal was the envy of Europe. But the greatest lost besides lifes was the royal archive of Torre do Tombo in the castle. Many of the discoveries maps were there....all forever lost. The Ribeira palace, the Opera house, the clock tower, the new Basilica and the castle tower and palace were all lost. What a pitty, LIsbon is magnificent city, imagine with all these still standing
Bravo, History Guy!!
I had encountered the Earthquake only in Voltaire's "Candide*, as one of several episodes he used to refute optimism. But further-reaching interpretations could even go so far as to negate the existence of a benevolent god. What god would wait until All Saints' Day, when all his most pious believers were in churches praising him, to drop the steeples and arches on their unsuspecting heads? This was VERY radical thinking back then.
But you went further, History Guy, to include the global effects of the earthquake, the political aftermath and the question of cause, which we only started to unravel two centuries later.
For all this: Thanks!
And, um ... merry Christmas!
I've never really bought the "bad natural things happen therefore a powerful God can't be benevolent" argument. It presumes a lot of things, but primarily that: a benevolent God should always avert natural disasters, that his purposes should involve preventing bad things happening, etc. I can explain my thoughts below and would love to hear your views on it.
I understand that people think this because this is the way our governments are organized, but if you really think about it, such intervention is really magical thinking and a construct. If you presume the world is natural with its own forces, then every action has a reaction. Our idea that God could step in and fix it all without natural consequences is magical thinking. Suppose a powerful God still has to act in physical ways (imagine a very powerful alien with a masterful understanding of nature and advanced methods of controlling it). If humanity had the power to stop an earthquake from occurring at a moment in time or stop bad weather phenomena, that could very easily cause worse problems down the line. It is possible that intervening would be too disruptive and that these natural hiccups are necessary. And if you say something like: "well couldn't these disasters be meted out in smaller, less destructive measures to satisfy natural congruity", then I would say, how do we know that hasn't already happened? For all we know a benevolent God could have averted lots of world-shattering disasters after the rise of humanity, including those that man would have caused. It is a logical fault to assume that just because SOME bad things happen a God never acts benevolently. If he acts to avert something horrible we wouldn't know. For all we know things like the "coincidences" that led to the Cuban missile crisis not resulting in nuclear war was the result of God's work on that Russian nuclear submarine, which was one decision short of firing. On a deeper philosophical level, it is also possible that the precedent of a God averting all bad things would be counter to his purposes as well. We don't know what his purpose is. For all we know, averting disasters could go against that purpose even though he wants the best for humanity. As an example: suppose the Christian idea that "God wants his people to grow in autonomy and become more like him (more perfect)" is true. Can people really grow if they never face hardship? Will they have the chance to practice helping each other out and being self-sacrificial if everyone is taken care of equally? After every disaster there is a surge of relief efforts, goodwill, people giving up their money and parts of their year to help out. Maybe the goal from a god's perspective is not to make human life comfortable and fair equally (a modern democratic idea), but for us to have the chance to grow, improve, and become better people individually (less selfish). The standard argument I've heard is "well that wouldn't be benevolent or fair because God let some people die", but for all we know maybe it is fair. Maybe God gives the people who died another life and chance. If people really do have immortal souls, death is not the terrible, chance-ending thing people who don't believe in an immortal soul think of it as. Anyway, I'm not saying Voltaire's logic has no merit, but like all philosophers I've read, they create false dichotomies and make the world way less complex than it really is.
TLDR; In short, you can't make a claim about "benevolence/good/evil" without having a basis for distinguishing that morally. If your basis for distinguishing this is an agreed-upon societal idea of good/evil then you have to admit it is A) Arbitrary and B) Imperfect. It doesn't apply to God as he may have different purposes or even better purposes based on his greater understanding of the world and how it works. Also, the argument presupposes that God can act in the world with no physical consequences. This is magical thinking, which is false based on our understanding of physics. Every known action has a reaction, and this should include any action by a godlike being on any level of physical order. We don't know if acting to prevent a disaster wouldn't have had worse reactions. We also don't know if God hasn't averted worse world-scale disasters from affecting humanity, only letting minor ones through.
Living in Seattle area for the last 64 years, I still clearly remember the one in 1965, I was almost 10. We've had larger ones since then, but going through the '64 one affected me so deeply as a child, it took a long time to get over. So thankful to God for granting me His peace! But thank you for this very informative and eye opening video!
Great to learn that the Marques do Pombal is the father of seismology. Loved living outside Lisboa in the early 80s.
Thank you for this episode. Cheers from Portugal 😉
King joao I became excessively paranoid after the quake and refused to live in walled buildings. The entire royal court was transferred to a giant tented complex outside of Lisbon where he remained until his death.
It was king José I (Joseph I). King João I (John I) ruled in the final of the 14th century.
I'm humbled to say that at banging on the door of 50, I knew nothing of that. Figures that I've seen the F1 at Estoril and never visited the capital. The way things are going, I likely never will. But grateful all the same to be so well.informed, so often on just so much. Thumbs up earned.
Excellent subject and presentation.
That was quite a mindwaving history lesson. I only knew about this eathquake being mentioned in Voltaire's satirical novel Candide, but I never guessed about the far reaching effects in terms of geography, society and science this event had. Thank you again for enlightening us.
Always, always, always interesting and thought-provoking topics. Please keep up the amazing work!
I found a really good description of the event in The Scots Magazine: Monday 02 February 1756 Called "Accounts of the earth quake: Letters from Lisbon. A letter from a merchant in Lisbon."
I have been studying this event and this is the most concise and thorough summary I have found.
Thanks for reminding about this event. I saw a BBC TV programme about this some years ago. It was really the first time I had heard the word tsunami. I was both shocked and surprised about how powerful they are. And how far reaching.
Hi from portugal
Oi, Feliz Natal! From Australia mate! This is a great channel!
@@doonsbury9656 definitely a aussie
History Guy needs to be on The History Channel or have his own show on network TV.
HUGE thumbs up! Great story! I had always wondered what happened to Portugal, whose fortunes were so suddenly reversed - I got a good education in school, but they never taught us about this. Thank you, History Guy!
I am amazed at the previously unknown history you bring us, and the way you tie it to our modern lives. Thank You.
Great episode Living in Alaska were we just had a 7.0 earthquake Nov 30 2018.
I could relate to this story.
And in 1964 we had one that was 9.2
That lasted 4.5 minutes
Shaking that deserves to be remembered. Good job!
Your best yet thank you very much I've always enjoyed candied and you put it in a nice perspective thank you
Once again a superb episode. Never heard of this and I also have a degree in history. Wonderful
Thank you for covering such interesting and obscure historical events. I've been watching your videos all afternoon. My adblock is off you you buddy. Keep making awesome content!
In Italy, a magnitude-6.7 quake in 1638 permanently tweaked the Calabria region's dialects, according to a study published in the journal Annali di Geofisica in 1995.
I really love Portugal, they put love in to building Brazil and places like downtown Lapa in Rio but the glory days of Brazil and Portugal can still be seen there
I am a recent subscriber here, your videos have continued to fascinate and impress. The direct approach you take is very relieving, as you never linger on certain topics (something I'm a victim of) .
This guy explains history so well! Thank you.
Thank you, good lesson once again.
What wonderful knowledge you must have, we appreciate it,thanks.
I’m so glad I stumbled upon this channel! I love history and I’ve learned so many things I never knew before from you! Thank you!
Its history that (rumble) deserves to be remembered.
Excuse me. That might have been my stomach.
I so enjoy your videos. Thank you so much for your work.
Fantastic..the best video yet made by the History Guy.
On January 17, 1994 I was living in the San Fernando Valley. Life had pretty rough going for me; living with a friend as I had lost my job about a year before and barely able to keep my car. Then, I sat up in bed, strangely enough, and thought to myself: "Life's pretty good, I got a place to stay, good friends, a nice house to live in, and..." Than the earthquake hit and the house felt like it had been hit by a bus. That's some history that deserves to be remembered! And what happened in Kyobe Japan one year to the day later!
Assasin's creed rogue bought me here
I have been to Lisbon twice and love the city. I can only imagine how grand the city would be today had this earthquake not hit. Pombal deserves much credit for rebuilding the city, but the loss to the country and to history must be incalculable.
Matalascañas beach in Huelva, Spain. There is an old stone watchtower, it is, in fact, turned down due to this same earthquake and the tsunami.
I find the stories very similar to the late Paul Harvey's, "The rest of the story", Keep them coming they make very good listening materiasl,
Thank you Sir.
I just discovered your channel a few weeks ago. I absolutely love your oration on history. You have great subject matter and I appreciate your work. Thank you. I am a subscribed fan now.
I love your channel. I'm learning history and I have always loved history.
Now I would like to ask you about the shelf behind you .
Great story, but I take issue with one minor thing. Voltaire liked to call himself a "philosophe," but he's not studied in philosophy departments, because he was a social commentator and a wit, but not a philosopher. His "Candide" demonstrates how deeply in over his head was with regard to the optimism of Leibniz, whose phrase, "the best of all possible worlds" was parodied by Voltaire. Leibniz' notion of "possible worlds" had to do with the avoidance of metaphysical self-contradiction and so on, not some nitwit's notion of a safe-space utopia. I'm not a huge fan of Leibniz' monadology and much of his metaphysics, but he was among the first to realize that the common assumption that the world is comprised of plural distinct entities, if carried through to absoluteness, dictated that there could be no such thing as causation. (Causation is a connection between things, and "connected" is a direct contradiction of "distinct.")
-- Leibniz also invented the calculus that we use today. Newton also invented a calculus, but his notation wasn't as good as Leibniz. Both of them had reasons to pursue mathematics of infinite series, and both of them were, at the time, speculative philosophers. (Newton was engaged in "natural philosophy," not science. Today, looking back in retrospect, we see his virtual invention of modern mathematical science as science, but his inquiries were highly speculative. The introduction of his "Principia Mathematica" was a plea to persuade his readers that it would be fruitful to look at physical phenomena through a mathematical lens.)
-- At any rate, the level of thinking that both Leibniz and Newton engaged in were FAR out of Voltaire's league. Voltaire was more of a Bill Maher of his time. Well, maybe a Christopher Hitchens, but not a real philosopher.
I’ve never heard of this catastrophe before!!! I wonder why this massive earthquake was never used to compare with other earthquakes?
It has been compared with other natural catastrophes before and, as he said in the video, it was the foundation for seismology studies. However, because that one happened in the mid-1700s, its outcome has been vastly based on estimates whereas more recent tsunamis offer more accurate data.
i am coming a bit late to respond but i enjoy to enlight those who are interested.
This earthquake was the one that started the discipline of sismology in the first place, i imagine the fear of the rulers of other countries trying to avoid such tragedy on their side. Human kind is so strong, we thrive in the face of destruction, we learn we evolve. sadly it destroyed a beautiful city... imagine, the city we have today is fantastic in many ways, i can olny imagine how it was back in the day
I read about this fascinating disaster In a book many years ago. It is quite amazing how the Lisbon earthquake affected the lives and history of so many people and events in Europe, Africa and the Americas for so many years after it happened. Also, mostly by tsunami but also by the quake itself Morocco in North Africa which is fairly close to Portugal suffered just as many if not more casualties in the quake as Lisbon did. It just wasn't widely reported as much by the papers as such in the 1700's.
Another fascinating episode thank you. Merry Christmas!
Wow very cool. I visited Lisbon last year and went on an all day tour of the earthquake some 300 years ago. Effects and monuments still show what happened.