Which earthquake devastated southern Italy and Sicily on 28 December 1908?

The 1908 Messina earthquake devastated southern Italy and Sicily on 28 December 1908.

The earthquake struck the Strait of Messina at about 5:20 a.m. local time. Severe shaking destroyed much of Messina in Sicily and Reggio Calabria on the Italian mainland. A tsunami followed, worsening destruction along coastal areas.

Estimates of the earthquake’s magnitude generally fall between 7.1 and 7.2, although early twentieth-century measurements were less precise than modern calculations. The disaster killed at least tens of thousands of people; commonly cited totals are about 75,000 to 82,000, making it one of Europe’s deadliest earthquakes.

The event is often confused with earthquakes in Valparaíso or Calabria because all involved Mediterranean or southern European regions. “Messina earthquake” is the standard English name, while “Reggio Calabria earthquake” emphasizes the mainland city that was also heavily damaged.