The Earthquake That Shook Europe's Faith

At 9:40 AM on November 1, 1755, Lisbon's churches were packed for All Saints' Day Mass. Then the ground began to shake. The earthquake lasted between three and six minutes — an eternity as stone buildings collapsed around terrified crowds. The shaking alone demolished major public buildings and roughly 12,000 homes; the tsunami and fires that followed would push the toll to about 85% of the city's buildings. In a single morning, one of Europe's richest capitals was reduced to rubble — and the disaster would soon shake far more than its stone walls.