Today's Alamanc--Janurary 23, 2010
On Jan. 23, 1556 the deadliest earthquake in recorded history struck the north central Chinese province of Shaanxi and was felt over much of the Ming Empire. An estimated 830,000 people died, many in the artificial caves dug into soft loess cliffs, the common housing in the region. An estimated magnitude of 8, it was not the strongest quake recorded, though it was the most devastating.