1755 Lisbon earthquake a benevolent deity. The Lisbon disaster provided a counterexample. As Theodor Adorno wrote, "[t]he earthquake of Lisbon sufficed to cure Voltaire of the theodicy of Leibniz" ("Negative Dialectics" 361). In the later twentieth century, the 1755 earthquake has sometimes been compared to the Holocaust as a catastrophe that transformed European culture and philosophy. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was also influenced by the devastation following the earthquake, whose severity he believed was due to too many people living within the close quarters of the city. Rousseau used the earthquake as an argument against cities as part of his desire for a more naturalistic
1780 Tabriz earthquake neighbouring area. The degree of destruction may in part relate to the weakening affects of the 1721 earthquake, which also caused severe damage to the city. The number of reported casualties varies from 40,000 to as many as 200,00, with 50,000 being a more likely estimate. 1780 Tabriz earthquake The 1780 Tabriz earthquake occurred at 01:15 local time on 8 January. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.7 and a maximum felt intensity of IX on the Mercalli intensity scale. The city of Tabriz was almost completely destroyed. Approximately 50,000 people were killed. Tabriz lies within the complex zone of