The Great Hanshin earthquake, also called the Kobe earthquake, struck in the early morning with a magnitude of about 6.9 and a shallow focus close to the city of Kobe, in the Hanshin region of western Japan. Strong shaking collapsed many wooden houses and older buildings, and sections of an elevated expressway toppled, while fires added to the damage. More than six thousand people died, and hundreds of thousands were left homeless, making it the deadliest earthquake in Japan since 1923. The disaster exposed weaknesses in the country's preparedness, and led to stricter building standards, changes in emergency response and a rise in volunteering. The port of Kobe took years to recover.
Before and after
- 1995Discovery of Little Foot
- 1995Samashki massacre
- 1 January 1995Founding of World Trade Organization
- 6 January 1995Founding of The Left in the European Parliament - GUE/NGL
- 17 January 1995Great Hanshin Earthquake
- 20 March 1995Tokyo subway sarin attack
- 19 April 1995Oklahoma City bombing
- 30 April 1995The Internet opens to commercial use
- 23 May 1995Release of MySQL
More in Earth & climate
- 1 January 1954Establishment of Niokolo-Koba National Park
- 22 January 1954Establishment of Teide National Park
- 1971Establishment of Kevladev National Park
- 22 May 1974Establishment of Northeast Greenland National Park
- 1984Establishment of Sundarbans National Park
- 26 August 20262026 Nepal–Tibet floods
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.