De aardbeving van San Francisco De Aarde en haar Volken, 1907

From the deck of a ferry crossing the bay, listeners are swept into the stunned silence that followed one of America’s most dramatic natural disasters. The narration paints a vivid picture of the shattered streets of San Francisco—once‑straight avenues now warped, ruined storefronts, and the iconic hills cloaked in ash. While the quake itself cracked the earth, it was the ensuing fire that turned the city’s heart to charred ruin, leaving both opulent mansions and modest wooden homes reduced to blackened skeletons.

The story then shifts to the scientists and engineers racing to understand why the catastrophe unfolded so catastrophically. It explores how solid stone foundations and steel frames withstood the shaking, while structures on loose clay ground crumbled, and how the University of Berkeley’s sturdy sit‑c‑down on rock escaped major damage. Listeners will hear about the urgent formation of a state commission, led by a leading geologist, eager to map the hidden fault line that ripped the earth open. This early‑stage investigation sets the stage for a deeper look at how a city learns to rebuild from disaster.