1868: TSUNAMI DESTROYS BIG ISLAND TOWNS, CREATES BIG-WAVE LEGEND

The 7.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Hawaii on April 2, 1868, centered near the southern tip of the Big Island, was the largest to ever strike the island chain. The resulting landslide and tsunami killed 77 people. The account below is from History of the Hawaiian Islands (1872), by James Jackson Jarves. It has been shortened and edited. * * * At about 10 A. M., on [March] 28th, a series of ear...

Subscribe or Login

Plans start at $5, cancel anytimeTrouble logging-in? Contact us.