The "Hard Shock:" The New Madrid Earthquakes.

The largest recorded earthquakes in the history of the US east of the rocky mountains are still somewhat of a mystery to both scientists and historians, but the few first-hand accounts from this then sparsely populated land paint a grim picture indeed.
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This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
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Script by THG
#history #thehistoryguy #Missouri

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Near the end I say "Great comet of 1911," which, of course, should have been "1811." I apologize for the error. I also mentioned John Reynolds family feeling the shock. As several viewers have noted, Vincennes is in Indiana, not Illinois. However, while his autobiography says he had travelled from Vincennes, the family cabin was actually in Goshen Settlement, near Kaskaskia, Illinois, considerably closer to New Madrid than Vincennes. Again, I apologize for the error.

[@colormedubious4747]

This was certainly an interesting intersection of historic events: a comet, an epic earthquake, and the first-ever steamboat transit of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers - aboard the "New Orleans" with Nicholas Roosevelt in charge (the vessel handled the quake itself like a champ but encountered some navigational "challenges" after the quake rearranged the river). I am VERY surprised that you didn't mention that! Perhaps it's a topic that deserves to be remembered in its own video?

[@lachesisatropos5139]

Have you done anything with the 1859 Carrington Event??

[@glenchapman3899]

@@colormedubious4747 Well that comet also got blamed for the war of 1812, as well as Napoleon's invasion of Russian. Although on the plus side it was claimed to have assisted in creating a great wine harvest that year........go figure lol

[@sherylcascadden4988]

A few misspoken words in a narrative this long are easily forgiven when acknowledged and apologized for.

[@colormedubious4747]

@@glenchapman3899 There are two sides to every coin. :)

[@agairinc]

My family (French Canadian) settled about 5 miles north of New Madrid in 1792 through a Spanish land grant. As far as what records still exist, which are few, they survived the quake only loosing several hundred acres to the river. William Clark , Governor of the territory granted ground to replace what was lost on what was then the west side of what is now Sikeston , Mo. I’m now trustee of the original Spanish land grant north of New Madrid . The farm has been in my family now for 230 yrs.

[@clubmike2910]

What an awesome story. Thanks for sharing

[@deemushroomguy]

Sounds like great mushroom hunting land too, to be honest.

[@babayagaslobbedaknobba]

What kind of farm?

[@agairinc]

@@babayagaslobbedaknobba Row crop. Soy beans, cotton, corn, wheat.

[@chrissmith3509]

I'd sell it for cash.

[@tamaj152]

A few years ago I was on a road trip and decided to stop by New Madrid, just to see the site of the earthquake. They have a nice little history museum there, and the guy working there was So Very Happy that someone stopped to see it. He walked me through the whole thing, telling me all sorts of stories. So if you're in the area stop by! That little museum deserves more visitors!

[@tantraman93]

I grew up in New Madrid...Thank you for your kind words.

[@sr9560]

history museum-was it at the rest stop?

[@tamaj152]

@@sr9560 No it was in New Madrid itself, overlooking the river.

[@sr9560]

@@tamaj152 thanks

[@gonwyte8534]

The building used to be a saloon, among other things in the past. I live close-ish (just over in Arkansas not far) and have been there a few times. Right now we're experiencing a drought and the level where the river meets the bridge next to the museum I believe now is at a record low. Lack of rain has really effected even the great mississippi.

[@tvideo1189]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the fact that the huge Reelfoot Lake near Tiptonville, TN was created by that earthquake. The Mississippi flowed backwards filling the upper and lower Reelfoot basins that even today are large lakes. That history should certainly be remembered. :)

[@TaxPayingContributor]

Thanks for adding that information about retrograde flow of the mighty Mississippi creating Reelfoot lake.

[@josephgarrigan3385]

There is another video about the draining and dredging of the bootheal area.

[@kirkwilson10]

Yes, History Guy! This one deserves a sequel including the legend of Chief Reelfoot, the sunken cypress forest that turned into one of the greatest fish hatcheries of all time, the dark history of the Night Riders, Mr. Calhoun's stump-jumping boats that made it to the Smithsonian ( You can see him and the Reelfoot boats on Reelfoot Lake as one of the extras in U.S. Marshals with Tommy Lee Jones & Wesley Snipes), the facts that 1. You can't buy earthquake insurance there any more 2. If it happened again, Memphis probably would suffer catastrophic damage, Davy Crockett killing 113 bears there after the quakes, the man who recorded 1,927 quakes on his cabin wall and church bells ringing on the east coast. I've been there many times on field trips with TN History students; went to college near there; found my wife there who grew up there. It's a special, DIFFERENT place! You need to finish it out......from the OTHER side of the river! Haha, because of the lingering effects of the Night Riders, my Granny would tell me, " Don't you EVER get out of the car in Samburg!" You can do this.

[@joycecampbell2753]

Great fishing at REELFOOT

[@hks2377]

Wow, that’s very interesting. Thanks!

[@Duschbag]

I'm 62, born and raised in St. Louis... I've feared the New Madrid Fault since I was a young man. Especially after learning that WHEN it moves again, it will completely decimate all that I know and love.

[@LindaMerchant-bq2hp]

Big Midwest major U.S cities now if an 1811-1812 quake occurred now, be ultra disastrous

[@ROGER2095]

In the 70's, when I was young and skinny, my hobby was exploring caves. Missouri is loaded with caves and in many of them you can see clear breaks where the land split and shifted due to that earthquake, sometimes several feet. The surface land has healed and smoothed over, but underground, you can still see the damage.

[@joshuamccormick5497]

I would love to see that. Where in Missouri?

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

@@joshuamccormick5497 I would like to know as well, I live in northwestern Arkansas and would love to take my kids to see that sort of thing when they're old enough. They're 3 and 4 so they wouldn't quite get it yet 😂 I'd assume anywhere in eastern Missouri, arkansas. Closer to New Madrid the better, but from what I've learned of this over the years I'd assume anywhere you could find a cave to explore, if it was large enough youd find evidence somewhere. Never thought to visit caves on that side of the two states.

[@johndillon2060]

@Joshua McCormick it's in the Southeast boot heal area of Missouri. Not far from the Ark Illinois Kentucky borders.

[@marlinweekley51]

I grew up in the ozark foothills southwest of St. Louis. (I was 16 in 1967) . Kids from St. Louis would come out and go in the many caves near where we lived. I remember a group who got stuck in one and it took days to get them all out. We would never tell where the best ones were. They’re still there and still dangerous for the novice.

[@ROGER2095]

@@joshuamccormick5497 I've seen the breaks in many wild caves in the eastern Ozarks. One commercial, show cave that comes to mind is Onandaga which I believe is now managed by the state.

[@russbear31]

My grandmother's family was Missouri French and they were living a few miles up river from New Madrid near St. Genevieve, MO, in 1811. They survived this quake. I have also seen the fury of the Mississippi River myself during the historic 1993 flood. It was terrible. Whole towns up and down the river were almost leveled and swept away. River barges floating down Main Streets and crushing banks and McDonald's. You must always remember and respect the force of nature.

[@aso6437]

Yeah, I remember the 93 flood it was sad.

[@markm2348]

The river was 17 miles wide at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

[@billdurham8477]

I first visited Hannibal MO in 2000 and every guide at a tourist trap talked about that flood. That flood lasted for months, they usually last weeks at most. I met a re-enactor who had to drive to St Louis to cross the river to take her husband to his doctor appointments 15 miles away in Quincy every bridge unusable.

[@workingguy6666]

I once saw a huge, shore to shore ripples, whirlpool in the middle of the Ohio river just outside of Pittsburgh. It had a deep center, but I was on a bridge - on a motorcycle - and didn't have the safety to stop to look better. I may have been the only person who saw it as, on a motorcycle, we're always looking around us vs. the car and pickup truck drivers who were probably trying to get somewhere that day.

[@hks2377]

I was a KU student in ‘93. It rained & rained & rained that summer. I can remember sitting on “the hill”, near Potter Lake. We could literally hear the water squishing around in the soil, like the sound of squeezing a sponge. We were enjoying watching a thunder storm roll in, (little did we know). I went on a trip with my family for 2 weeks, so I happened to miss the height of the flood. When I returned, the clean-up had already started. At my apartment, there was lawn furniture that had washed up from somewhere. Even having grown up around there, it surprised me how quickly it went from “a little too much rain”, to a 100 year flood. I can only imagine how frightening a simultaneous earthquake/ flood/ landslide must have been, especially in 1811.

[@ColdWarAviator]

Today is a monumental day in history! For the first time ever, it is likely that your video will inform more people than ever before with one concise and directly informative presentation about the often forgotten, and widely underestimated destructive power hidden in the New Madrid fault. Your platform has given you a unique opportunity to inform and educate, and you never fail to make the most of it. Thank you, good Sir, for your continued service to the KZbin community, and the public in general.

[@jonslg240]

Agreed, most of his videos are excellent.

[@johnboyle1146]

Well said,Sir!

[@TKCTSTN]

Agreed- I have lived in or near Nashville most of my life. I was well into adulthood before learning about the quake. The majority of Tennesseans I have discussed this with either knew nothing about the quakes & creation of Reelfoot Lake or had absolutely no idea how strong the quakes were. Especially amazing since we can drive there in well under four hours.

[@jenniferfrykman390]

This guy is marvellous. History based in writings of survivors, told with the quiet flair of a bowtie!! Bravissimo! Jenn Frykman

[@littlefeet9231]

Living on the New Madrid fault line here I’ve always known about the past earthquake and we are waiting for the next one. It will be horrendous as there are many more people and buildings than b4.🙏🏽Thank you for sharing this.

[@swaneespeedramsey6080]

The Speed mentioned in video was my ggggrandfather. His writing left quite a memorable record of the event. I was fascinated at the correlation between the comet, earthquake and the religious revival or great awakening. Thank you for this video. I am proud to be a direct descendant of another famous Speed who was the cartographer for the queen of England in the 1500’s. Composing some of the first city maps and pictures for the Gutenberg Bible.

[@abaker4692]

And now, see what's happening today with the Devil comet and the eclipse coming in 2 days.

[@loripiontek]

​@@abaker4692 Just remember God's retribution happens 40 days following the solar (x) eclipse

[@davidmorse8432]

The exquisite quality of The History Guy's employment of the English language, is an additional source of enjoyment for his extensive and loyal audience.

[@theobserver9131]

The History Guy is a true legend! I am so grateful to have access to him via KZbin. He could do much better than KZbin if he wanted to.

[@mahalalel7771]

Yes, simply exquisite. His voice holds a certain nostalgic tone for me. It astounds me how some purposely butcher the English language, turning it into something that when spoken, I can't understand.

[@martind349]

Ha! This is true i'd forgotten to notice with his matter-of-fact reading.

[@jimwilson1889]

Yes, I like the History Guy's language in describing history, too.

[@kcgunesq]

So when people ask, "Why do you have earthquake insurance when you live in Missouri? " . . .

[@MrNicoJac]

Show em this :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZ-VfHl5bciLY8k

[@MrAnderson7372]

They won't pay. If no water damage or fire damage coverage in addition, they'll deny your claim and say it was something else. This will bankrupt insurance companies and some will never see a payout. It will happen likely under the Biden Admin when a divisive plan against Israel shall take place. Mississippi will be known for being the largest inner sea due to the severity of the damage from New Orleans to St.Louis.

[@justanotheroglesby2847]

I do in Evansville IN. Grew up in Springfield MO. Didn’t feel one before I moved here 10-15 yrs ago. Also haven’t had as close of calls with tornados here.

[@vicswincki1124]

I lived in the thumb area of Michigan. We had an earthquake rider policy on our homeowners insurance because the new madrid fault is overdue for a major shift.

[@karenstubbs94]

As a young bride in the early 70s, I lived in Rockford, Illinois. I remember waking up at about 2am to a tremendous roar and our shaking. A small earthquake, but it was impressive.

[@sid2112]

I read that like a commercial. "The New Madrid Earthquake! Now with 10x more destruction!"

[@christineparis5607]

Go big or go home!😂😂😂

[@foofookachoo1136]

Ha!! I love your take on those statements!!!

[@anncarlin8767]

I was lucky to come across an old book at a library sale years ago written by Dale Van Every, "The Trembling Earth." Mr. VanEvery was not only an accomplished screen writer but also a Stanford Univ. history major. Wonderful book ! He writes about accounts of the animals being so frightened there is an account of a man sitting on a hill and a bear came out of the woods and tried to sit beside him during the worst of the quake. I've been interested in this quake ever since reading it.

[@christineparis5607]

Thank you!!! I grew up right next to Stanford (my mom worked at the hospital), so I'm always looking for authors from there! I can't thank you enough, since I've been interested in the New Madrid quake since the 70s, but never heard of this author. I'm looking it up right now!

[@christineparis5607]

Just ordered the last copy (for now) on Amazon, can't wait to read it. He was an incredibly prolific author!

[@anncarlin8767]

@@christineparis5607 At one time he was the highest paid screen writer in Hollywood. I think my favorite book of his is "The Princess Bride." It's a charming story.

[@j.griffin]

That book is historic fiction so I wouldn’t take it as pure truth, of course. He did research the event but all records were secondhand accounts or worse by the time he wrote his tale 140+ years after the quakes. There are several copies on Amazon and they are rather cheap. I do like how his books make history more interesting and exciting... like a certain guy that we all know! Van Every just used fiction,imagination and film as his tools to create a living for himself as he made history come alive for us all. He was ahead of his time because he was a very talented and proficient “content creator”... as he immortalized the times past for all those who come later.

[@christineparis5607]

@@j.griffin Kind of like Tolkien using ancient European history to create his massive empire of Hobbits and wars...

[@fdx997]

You just blowed my mind. Remember growing up and my grandmother tell me the story of my great-grandfather that was on the Mississippi river fishing when the earthquake happened and how his boat was actually sitting on the bottom cuz all the water had disappeared, I thought all these years I was being told a B.S. story because how could the Mississippi as big as it is go dry. Guess I owe granny an apology when I get to heaven. Lol

[@richardmourdock2719]

I live about a hundred crow/flight miles from New Madrid. A retired geologist, I've known of the Hard Shock for many years, but the H.G's. use the old newspapers and firsthand reports, gives it all new meaning. The H.G. is a wonderful 21st Century gift we all can enjoy.

[@Johnrich395]

I’ve lived within an hour’s drive from New Madrid, we all know the stories. In early spring if you fly over the area when fields are being planted, you can still see the sand blows outlined by the light sand in the darker fields. Over 200 years and the land is still scarred.

[@fortusvictus8297]

You can still see the evidence of the fissures in some of the farmland. When digging a drainage ditch in NE Arkansas for an uncle's farm, we found a slice of sand that cut through the clay and soil right up to the top, and went down at least 20 feet because that's as deep as we dug and about 10 feet wide.

[@deborahdanhauer8525]

That would have been what was called a “sand blow” at the time. I don’t know what they call them now. It would have been a fountain of sand shooting many feet into the air.🐝❤️🤗

[@baneverything5580]

Here in the central Louisiana hills the damage from the quakes is still visible in the form of large cracks where hills slid into creek bottoms and I`ve found ancient sand blows containing Indian artifacts and large amounts of what looks like charcoal in NW Louisiana. Check out the book: "The New Madrid Earthquakes" Revised Edition by James Lal Penick Jr. I just bought a physical copy.

[@cheryldenkins1597]

Same down around Malden, Kennet area in s.e. Missouri. Used to you could see old sand blows in the fields . Don't notice it so much anymore, plowed it all back in I guess.

[@coalknob]

While hunting a few years ago near Hickman KY, I observed a sandy patch in an otherwise "normal" agriculture field.

[@cindybonskowski5002]

I grew up in St Louis suburb & learned of this earthquake all through my childhood. We were told it caused the Mississippi to not only flow backwards, but altered its path, causing some boundary issues. How interesting is your”snippet”! Thanks for posting it.

[@jeffking4176]

It did run backwards 2 1/2 minutes, as the earth was pushed up. When it settled, the river did run differently. [ I was born and raised in U.City 😁]. 📻🙂

[@user-lt3lm6me9k]

Not many people outside of Northwest TN know about how devasted Samburg, TN was after the tornados recently. Samburg is on the banks of Reelfoot Lake. Remember these folks!

[@betsykienitz6181]

My dad worked on the Mississippi, and we lived by Alton, IL, and then Dyersburg, TN. The New Madrid earthquake was a big part of local history. In northwest TN, the great Reelfoot Lake was created by the quake. In Dyer Co, we lived in tall bluffs above the floodplain, and I always wondered what those hills were like before the quake. Did they even exist... And when another big one strikes, will they liquify and return to the bottoms.

[@glitterboy2098]

used to live in Weston, Missouri. which at the time was a major river town bigger than what would become kansas city. the earthquake's effect on the missouri river caused it to jump its banks and redirect, and the town went from being riverfront property to landlocked, and kansas city wound up as the main river-port.

[@baneverything5580]

Must have been scary living in the same region as Harry Mobley!

[@neilschlemeel5751]

Entirely possible on both accounts

[@amandaglidewell8451]

I live in Memphis and the fact that I’m basically living on top of a huge pile of quicksand that is going to swallow my house and me with it in the event of an earthquake sometimes keeps me up at night.

[@neilschlemeel5751]

Look up a map showing areas prone to sinkholes. THAT is what I think of every time I feel the rumbling of the trains on the tracks a couple miles west of my house - and I do mean FEEL

[@robertsmith5744]

Look up the term liquefaction earthquake.

[@jillcampbell8019]

Move! -Your peace of mind is too important to ignore.

[@amandaglidewell8451]

@@robertsmith5744 don’t need too, seen the videos years ago, the new Madrid seismic zone is the worst prone to liquifaction in the world. There are mounds of sand out in the middle of the woods near where I live. When an earthquake comes again- it will be the biggest natural disaster this country has ever witnessed. Not just because of the severity, but because of how large an area it covers.

[@amandaglidewell8451]

@@jillcampbell8019 the seismic zone covers hundreds of miles, millions of people, clearing the area isn’t exactly practical.

[@petertimmins6657]

My last assignment before I retired from the Army was as the Operations NCO for the Defense Coordinating Element FEMA Region 10 in Bothell, Washington. The New Madrid fault is one of those things that keeps Emergency Management directors up at night. If it were to move again it would be such a massive event that it boggles the mind. It would drop pretty much every bridge across the Mississippi River. That alone is pretty significant. Not only would that stop all road and rail traffic, but also all river traffic. It gets worse. Those bridges carry a lot more than just rail and road traffic. They also carry all sorts of pipes for a multitude of things, along with a lot of electrical lines, telephone lines and internet lines. Basically, it would bring virtually everything in the US to a halt.

[@Jean2235177]

Folks don’t realize how vital those bridges are. You just can’t build them in a day.

[@appaloosa42]

About 20 years ago a vet posted a dream story describing the ruin of Chicago caused by a quake.

[@diegaspumper8501]

I used to live right outside of Bothell towards Mill Creek not far from Thrashers corner about 30 years ago. It was a very beautiful area.

[@petertimmins6657]

@@diegaspumper8501 yep. Before getting that assignment I was just south of Tacoma at Ft Lewis. My wife worked in Lacey for the State so when I got that assignment we didn’t move. I had a 50 mile one way commute from Lakewood to Bothell every day. The mornings weren’t so bad because I would leave at 5:00 AM and it took about an hour, but the afternoons were horrendous. It was a beautiful area, but too expensive and too many taxes for me to stay there when I retired in 2010. All together I spent about 9 years in that area.

[@pureprairie]

I moved to Missouri almost 10 years ago. I learned that Springfield is the command center for a potential "disaster." I saw FEMA meeting in a downtown library, and people said it had to do with earthquake preparedness. Now with the eclipse coming up next month I learned from a Missouri history site that the same type of eclipse happened just a couple months before that great quake in the early 1800's.

[@eliscanfield3913]

This one's more "History that NEEDS to be remembered."

[@fdx997]

Sadly I know people in New Madrid that has never herd about a earthquake.

[@billd.6847]

I have shirt predicting the Dec. 3, 1990 New Madrid earthquake by Iben Browning that didn't happen.

[@fdx997]

@@billd.6847 Southern Illinois hear. I remember that and everyone freeking out and my school closed that day.

[@kirkmorrison6131]

Here in S.C. we have had 19 small earthquakes about 1.5 miles from my house. What is weird is the bangs I hear during them. What they must have heard is impossible to imagine.

[@mark-ib7sz]

Good old Lugoff , greetings from Lexington.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

I live in northwestern Arkansas and we learned about this in history classes, we've had a couple small ones close enough to feel but nothing major like the west coast. I could only imagine how this would have felt.

[@kirkmorrison6131]

@@goosenotmaverick1156 They are surprisingly noisy when they happen the 3.3 1.5 miles deep on December 27 2021 sounded like an explosion at Ft Jackson. It came from the wrong direction slanted all my pictures and paintings on the walls. I have been through a 4.3 in another state. I can't imagine what such a big one would be like. It would be terrifying to say the least, instead of just surprising and annoying.

[@flagmichael]

I thought I was seasoned about tremors, coming from California. I had no clue that in other places the focus was so near the surface!

[@kirkmorrison6131]

@@flagmichael Yes, the same magnitude here is more shocking than on the West Coast also the rocks here tend to be more shocking

[@russbear31]

Growing up as a kid in Missouri they always said that this quake was so powerful that it caused the church bells in Boston (1500 miles away) to ring like on a Sunday morning. The ground even shook in New England!

[@ProfPoindexter1968]

Boston is "only" 800 miles away--still a huge distance for an earthquake to be felt. Just as an aside, at the latitude of New Madrid, the entire continent of North America is barely 2000 miles wide.

[@ecouturehandmades5166]

In perspective, my parents lived on a lake next to the BWCAW in northern MN. The bedrock is mere inches down. About 25 miles away, there is an iron ore mine that blasts the ore on occasion. We could feel, and hear (thru the rocks!), the blasts, always done at a certain time of day. No doubts that a present day quake on the New Madrid could be felt as far away as Boston. If you don't learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it. FWIW, I still live in North MN, if only not to live in Tornado Alley. I experienced "harmonic tremors" in Hawaii - the hills roared like the groans of a lion, the pool water leapt three feet in the air. That was only a 4.5.

[@jayjaynella4539]

Washington and NYC also felt the quake and many aftershocks.

[@MrNicoJac]

Apparently, the reason the tremors travel so far is because the bedrock layer is ancient - one of the oldest pieces of earth's continental crust kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZ-VfHl5bciLY8k

[@VanillaMacaron551]

Eastern USA is ancient, very hard rock. Quakes there are felt for great distances as the bedrock has little "give". A similar magnitude quake on the west coast likely won't travel so far, or be so dangerous, as one in the east.

[@lorisewsstuff1607]

There are so many living there that have no idea this ever happened. This is history that HAS to be remembered. "Those who forget their history are condemned to repeat it," has never been more true.

[@kylebeach2316]

Like they say "history repeats it self"

[@MrNicoJac]

That makes no sense, in this case. How exactly would people not-remembering this lead to another earthquake?? (I agree when it comes to man-made calamities, like famines or wars, but natural disasters seem less self-evident, to me)

[@MrJest2]

@@MrNicoJac It's not so much that forgetting leads to the *earthquake* - those will always happen - but rather to the lax building standards and infrastructure choices that will lead to utter disaster when the next one does hit. And it will, probably sooner rather than later. When it does, the few hundred killed in 1811 will be trivial to the tens of thousands who might die in a similar event today. Imagine every building from Memphis to St. Louis flattened, and all the millions of people who live in the Missouri/Mississippi river basins homeless, if they weren't crushed by falling debris, burned in fires, or drowned in floods following a 6.9 - 7.5 quake in the region...

[@tomhalla426]

I was in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, about ten miles from the epicenter in the Santa Cruz mountains. The clear memory was watching a light pole sway in a twisting four foot arc. My landlady had a collection of Depression Glass I helped her clean up with a scoop shovel.

[@richardelias1125]

I read a biography of Davy Crockett and he said that the people in the area referred the the location as the “shakes”.

[@samuelklimmek5176]

I was born and raised in Sikeston, MO, just north of New Madrid. We used to do earthquake drills as a kid and even felt a couple minor earthquakes. I read a group history book about the 1811-1812 earthquakes, and there are a few fantastic details that were left out here. One is that observers testified to seeing the ground glowing. This was due to the presence of quartz in the region. Quartz emits light when put under high pressure. Another phenomena recorded was that the earthquakes created horizontally moving waves in the ground 2-3 feet high that could throw people in the air who were in their path. There are other phenomen that I am leaving out, but this is enough for me to mention here. It was truly so astounding, it's hard to believe. I hope it doesn't come again.

[@samuelklimmek5176]

*geological history book, not "group history book"

[@christinatweet6580]

throwed rolls---yum!

[@allanlank]

"just another reason that history deserves to be remembered", could there be a statement of more value? I think not.

[@kevinbirge2130]

I absolutely love this channel. It reminds me of what PBS was in its golden era.

[@ofthedifference]

> Kevin Birge Yes, PBS was one of my favorite "go to" sources - then they veered off to the left and became a sell-out ... sadly, they can no longer be relied upon for unbiased information or truth in news.

[@Geowhiz48]

I'm originally from Paducah, KY and still have family there. They call me to let me know that they've had "Pops" and "Clicks"(as they call them) refering to slight, felt tremors. As a geophysics major during my college years, the New Madrid earthquake was one of the intraplate earthquakes we studied. Very interesting. Thank you for this video. I'd love to see a transcript of it if possible.

[@jerrylee7898]

Greetings from Paducah.

[@snarky_user]

@@jerrylee7898 I had a really good chicken sandwich from a convenience store in Paducah the one time I was there. Apparently the only thing to do there 5am on a Thursday morning.

[@jayjaynella4539]

It rained in every town except Paducah. I have been to Paducah back in the mid 70s. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b36sgqWQn7Vmgq8

[@MrNicoJac]

@Blazin Dad If you were a geophysics major, you'll probably understand this better than I do kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZ-VfHl5bciLY8k

[@TheKyPerson]

I've felt a tremor or two in Bowling Green, KY.

[@jackietyree6268]

My friends grandmother told stories her grandmother her as a girl about rivers flowing backwards. They all thought it was end of the world.

[@theobserver9131]

It would be hard not to think so. It WAS the end of the world for some.

[@MrWeedWacky]

there are always someone looking for the end... almost as if they don't want to live.

[@theobserver9131]

@@MrWeedWacky there are a lot of reasons for having an apocalyptic worldview. Not wanting to live is one of them, but it is usually much more nuanced than that. I am no expert, but I've looked into it enough to know that it's not that simple.

[@notofthisworld5267]

There is nothing wrong with looking for the end or desiring death. Don’t be so cowardly. Death is a doorway to the spiritual realm anyway, lest you’re so materialistic abs shallow to believe this short life is all there is.

[@dennisboulais7905]

Part of the reason we have such good accounts of the earthquakes is the public reliance on newspapers for current events. The general literacy of the population helped.

[@dmark1922]

Speaking of long-delayed aftershocks, we in Japan experienced them in abundance 2-3 years after the March 11 2011 quake/tsunami. The most recent aftershock was just last year, more than ten years later.

[@foofookachoo1136]

WOW!!!!! I guess somthing just needed to shift again! Glad u were alright, after the quake!!

[@dmark1922]

@@foofookachoo1136 It certainly did need to shift! Nine meters to be precise...

[@Dingomush]

People become awestruck when faced with the raw power of our dynamic world. The forces that made the mountains and rifts are still in play to this day……

[@flagmichael]

I wasn't impressed by volcanoes until our family went to the Mt. St. Helens visitor point. As we were driving to it somebody in the car pointed out all the tree trunks on the ground beside the road. They were all pointed in the same direction, too... away from our destination, which was still many miles away. I got a sort of hollow feeling.

[@Dingomush]

@@flagmichael: That has got to be unsettling. Volcanos are, by far, one of the most destructively mesmerizing things this planet can do. Makes you feel really small, in comparison…..

[@russbear31]

@@flagmichael I remember when Mount St. Helen blew. It kicked up so much ash that day turned into night--and I live 2,000 miles away. The street lights were on at noon because the ash had obliterated the sun. There's one folk hero from the Mount St. Helen's event. A little old man named Harry Truman. He refused to evacuate from the area and died during the eruption. Folk hero or fool?

[@clark9992]

@@russbear31 I believe the ash cloud travelled east, but even in Calgary Alberta, which is considerably north of the volcano, I could write my name in the dust on my car. A friend was vacationing near-ish the volcano when the eruption happened. He drove as fast as his car would go down the interstate. They kept closing the highway just behind him as he made his way out of there.

[@sherylcascadden4988]

@@flagmichael in the late 70s I visited Mount Lassen National Park as a teenager. The caldera there is smaller than Yosemite's and larger than Crater Lake. The various exhibits around the park showing the extent of devastation from previous eruptions was mind boggling.

[@snarky_user]

I have been fascinated by this earthquake since I was a kid. I was finally able to visit New Madrid about four years ago. There is a decent museum there that leans heavily on the quake, but also the major Civil War battle that was fought there. I was particularly amused by the sign in the parking lot which proudly proclaims "NEW MADRID, MISSOURI - IT'S OUR FAULT!"

[@kathyadair8552]

I guess so. - They Got THAT right!

[@authorknown1623]

Thank you History Guy, for these fascinating explorations into the past. Your research is presented in a manner that reinforces Rudyard Kipling's posit: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.”

[@ernestweaver9720]

I never even read or heard a hint of that tragedy. Thank you for the teaching. Keep up the awesome work. And may God rest the souls who were lost.

[@catofthecastle1681]

Growing up on the edge of the fault line in Arkansas, during the 70s,we spent a lot of days listening to geologists’ lectures about it happening again! My science teachers seemed to be information gatherers for the studies. It so impressed one of my classmates that he started a business building steel frame houses! It made him one of the few millionaires in our depressed local economy but he’s still waiting for it to happen again. It has caused me to wonder how many people studying family genealogy came to dead ends and never found what happened during that time!

[@neils5539]

The area is not ignored by civil and structural engineers. It is classified as a high seismic zone and as such all large buildings are built to earthquake resistant standards. St Louis falls completely within this zone.

[@mikerawls9619]

Build it. Nature will eventually destroy it

[@jameskosusnik1102]

@@mikerawls9619 build it and they shall rumble

[@MrNicoJac]

@@mikerawls9619 Nature always destroys itself, if one picks a long enough time scale 🤣👌🏼

[@swftwlly]

Much of old St. Louis is brick and mortar construction, which does not do well in quakes.

[@deborahdanhauer8525]

Lots of Memphis is not to earthquake standards🐝❤️🤗

[@GhostCountries]

A really interesting chapter of history that truly deserves to be remembered. I'm also reminded of the Tri-State tornado outbreak, which, in 1925, absolutely devastated parts of the Midwest and Southern US - though it was mostly focused in Missouri, southern Illinois, and Indiana. While considered the deadliest tornado in US history it, likewise, really is just remembered nowadays by those in the immediate area.

[@johnlewton3918]

My family is up river around Hannibal, on both sides of the River.. The New Madrid quake and flood is still remembered and stories are still told.

[@chucklehead2000]

We go to Reelfoot a few times a year. Thank you for sharing this.

[@945hilo]

Live just across the Mississippi in Missouri I got to reelfoot 2-3 times a week in spring and summer to crappie fish and stay with my parents to run trot lines

[@945hilo]

I live south west of New Madrid we recently had a 4.0 quake that was felt as far as St. Louis and Memphis, what makes it worse here in the Bootheel is the sand and silt acts like ocean waves causing a ripple affect. Just like your episode on the floodways there are alot of bridges here and a stronger quake would make evacuation hard if not impossible especially over the Mississippi River.

[@evslone]

A comparable earthquake today would severely impact the entire country. Such a quake would damage or destroy the Mississippi bridges over hundreds of miles, and liquefaction would obliterate extensive stretches of roadway beyond repair, cutting off trucking and rail freight routes. Worst case would be if it occurred in winter, destroying vital natural-gas pipelines from the Gulf that provide a critical source of energy to the frigid Northeast. Buried in the sediment of rivers in the region are heavy metal residues, DDT, and a slew of other toxic chemicals that, shaken and disrupted, would pollute and make those rivers virtually unusable for drinking water and crop irrigation. And of course it would damage or destroy tens of thousands of buildings and homes, and kill many thousands of people. USGS estimates a 7% to 10% likelihood in the next 50 years, so let’s hope none of us has to experience such a terrifying calamity.

[@davidcox3076]

The Marina District in San Francisco got clobbered in the Loma Priata quake in '89. Since it was landfill it suffered severe liquefaction. As you point out, not much is going to be left standing when the ground turns to goo when the Big One hits again.

[@stanbarrington9698]

The next solar eclipse might trigger the quake again

[@notofthisworld5267]

Stan Absolutely could

[@fokkerd3red618]

It's like I say about Nuclear weapons of mass destruction. It's not if, but when.

[@P_RO_]

People just do not realize what such a quake would do today. Most of our available resources would be used simply to keep the multiple millions of affected people alive before any rebuilding could commence. Devastated towns and cities including the large ones would have to be abandoned with the people moved to places where they could be more easily fed and sheltered, for without power, gas, water, and sewer life in cities is unsustainable. Wells and rivers would be muddied and unusable as sources for drinking water for weeks. The mid-nation bridges across the Mississippi which are vital to our economy would take 4-5 years to rebuild as we'd first have to rebuild the roads and infrastructure needed to get to it and build them. It would be like New Orleans after Katrina times 1000 in size and times ten for rebuilding time just to get the bare essentials going again. Our entire national economy would come to a standstill in days or sooner; no jobs to go to, nothing in the stores, no fuel for heating or transportation, nothing. It would take at least a month for things to be slowly restarted, a year before everyone was back to work somewhere doing something which may not be the kind of jobs they're used to, and decades before things got back to what we consider 'normal' today. It can happen in an instant with little or no warning, and even if geologists could predict it a month ahead of time, little could be done to mitigate it's effects and protect against it. The only thing that saved us the misery in 1811 was that the area most affected was sparsely populated and that most people knew how to 'live off the land' and didn't need distant outside support to sustain life as we all do now. It's almost a certainty that it will happen again and with my advancing age I hope to not be alive when it happens, because that's the only hope anyone in the US has to avoid it's effects.

[@larryreese6146]

I've read that Tecumseh, by some way, foretold of both the comet and the earthquake. He was reported to have said something about putting his sign in the sky and that from where he stood he would stamp his foot, that the earth would tremble and that the father of waters would run backwards on its course.

[@karenlarosa1007]

Tecumseh prophecy is noted by Eckert in his book The frontiersman ...or maybe frontiersmen Also Daniel Boones account of landscape upheaval and collapse

[@joesteele9480]

I would like for you to cover the munitions train explosion at Tolar New Mexico during WW2. Thank you for what you do.

[@fastbusiness]

Thanks for the excellent description of this event. I lived within 50 miles of the area from the 1970's to about 2010 and have hunted and fished all around the western side of the Mississippi river in that area. The river is about two miles wide in that section and carries a massive amount of water downstream. I can't imagine the terror that these settlers experienced in their flatboats and barges during the event. The main thing that I knew about the "New Madrid earthquake" was that it formed Reelfoot Lake, which was caused by a sinking of the earth in about a 10-20 square mile area across the river from New Madrid, MO. This lake was previously part of an hardwood timber bottom land which became flooded about twenty feet deep. Over the span of many years the timber in that area was harvested by cutting it at the water level using floating sawmills. After several years of the timber cutting the lake was filled just under the surface with tree stumps and many cypress trees. They seem to be preserved by being underwater, as many are still there today, along with cypress trees. It is a beautiful natural area with good fishing and has a national wildlife refuge nearby. I have spent many a pleasant hour boating on that lake and again, it is mind-boggling to think of the tremendous forces that created it.

[@lancenewman4899]

Thanks for the history lesson! I grew up in California and experienced my share of earthquakes. My mom even blamed us kids for a few of them, haha. When I moved to Southern Illinois, I promptly added an earthquake rider to my homeowner's policy, much to the bewilderment of family and friends. I thank God for his guidance and protection.

[@-jeff-]

In the mid 90's studying Geology at Rend Lake College in Ina Illinois I was in class when a small tremor happened. The instructor segued right into a discussion of the Rend Lake fault, thought to have been formed from a New Madrid quake... several thousand years ago.

[@1stAmbientGrl]

It was so powerful an earthquake that it changed the Kentucky and Tennessee boundary near what is now Land Between The Lakes, shifting Kentucky's southwest territory several miles south.

[@theobserver9131]

Did you know that "Land Between The Lakes" is nearly the English version of "Mesopotamia" [Greek for 'middle (of the) river']

[@hyfy-tr2jy]

@@theobserver9131 Did you know that before it was called "Land Between the Lakes" it was called "Land Betwixt the Rivers"? This goes back to the time before the TVA dammed up the rivers for hydroelectric power and created the lakes we see today

[@theobserver9131]

@@hyfy-tr2jy I did not know that! That's even more literally similar to Mesopotamia.

[@hyfy-tr2jy]

@@theobserver9131 If you ever get a chance to travel there you should visit it. It is a 147,000 acre National Recreation Area that is a hidden gem if you are a lover of the outdoors.

[@cornbreadfedkirkpatrick9647]

Have you heard about what happened in the 80s there in the LBL?

[@bluegreenglue6565]

Thanks so much for the thorough story. I'm in my 50s, and have only ever heard this disaster described as "the time the river ran backwards" with zero mention of casualties or the actual damage to human habitations and security.

[@KB-ke3fi]

That was when the Gulf of Mexico waters on the coast of Texas and Louisiana cleared to Bahama colored clear water for 10 months...none of the sludge and junk from the Mississippi water from 1/3rd of the country was traveling down it to the Gulf.

[@earllutz2663]

Thank you again " History Guy " The New Madrid Earthquake that you informed us of, puts me in mind of an Earthquake, which was located in the state of Virginia, a number of years ago, before the Covid 19 Pandemic. We here on Maryland's Eastern Shore, felt the effects of the quake, all across the Shore. I was working on my lawn mower, and put my hand on the ground to steady myself, and the ground went all wavy. I thought that I had better not say anything to anyone, for fear that some might think that I was crazy, until I went inside, turned on the TV, and saw that there was an Earthquake in Virginia. Thanks again THG.

[@suzanneflowers2230]

Another great video. In Charleston SC we know we are due for a quake as well. There was a big one here in 1886.

[@davidoverturf3465]

Having grown up in east central IL, my first experience with an earthquake came in the early 70s when the metal pull handles started rattling on the upstairs dressers and the crystal chandelier in our dining room swayed and clinked. At first we thought it was a sonic boom from a speeding Air Force jet, but later found out it was a shock from the Madrid fault. I remember thinking, "Illinois doesn't have earthquakes," when my brother cited New Madrid. Thank you for detailing these accounts from the early 1800's. I now live in Los Angeles and have gone through several with Northridge being the "Big One" in recent memory. I hope we don't have to go through another one like that.

[@pamelameeks3772]

I read an Arkansas man witnessed the 1811 earthquake while working in a field. He said as far as he could see every tree in the surrounding area was swaying back and forth, with the branches slapping the ground. Hills moving like quicksand. Must have been terrifying. I live 50 miles from Tyronza AR and my relatives say they have had a few quakes over the years which knocked pictures off walls and dishes out of cabinets. Somewhat jarring because they don't know if its the beginning of a major one.

[@Theywaswrong]

I grew up in Paragould, Northeast Arkansas which is 7 miles from the Missouri bootheel. We would have tremors there from time to time. Once I had a friend over and we were upstairs. The house was very old. A good tremor started. We never ran so fast. Needed to get out because you never knew when "the big one" would hit.

[@charleshanna2089]

@@Theywaswrong I use to go to George Rays every Sunday back in the 70s / 80s

[@dbfry1449]

I've seen old photos of trees that were sticking out of a small hill, parallel to the ground, with half their roots showing. There were descriptions of the ground becoming like liquid. Can't imagine what it would have been like experience it.

[@lisamoore6804]

I used to live near Cincinnati, Ohio. When I was a kid I remember there being a small earthquake. Thought it was a washer off balance on its spin cycle, nope, it was an earthquake, had to have been around 1980-1982 ish.

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

Outstanding presentation. Years ago I read a newspaper report from the event that contained a resident's chilling description of how the earth moved: he stated the ground moved like the sea, in waves exceeding 30 feet high.

[@emilyadams3228]

In June 1987, I was watching TV in my granddad’s attic in Wanatah, Indiana, where I lived for a few months. Then the house started bouncing. I had the footrest on my recliner extended, & that & the back oscillated as though the seat was the axis, about 100 RPM, while everything spilled out of my desk & the TV skated toward the left side of the table. At first, I thought a grain truck hit the house, but after six or seven seconds, I realized that couldn’t be it, a grain truck would just go BONK & that’d be it. This went on for almost a minute. I couldn’t get out of the chair to save the TV, cos every move I made toward that end, the chair would bounce a different way & I’d land right back in it. Then, inexplicably, when two inches of the TV was past the edge, it skated back the other way. Then the bouncing stopped. I picked everything back up, & my granddad called to see if I was OK. He’d been at a friend’s house, where some nice things met their end on the floor. He came back, & we checked the house & garage for cracks, & surprisingly, found none. That night, on the news, they said it was an earthquake whose epicenter was in New Madrid. It registered 4 on the Richter Scale…in Chicago. I’d lived in Long Beach, Calif. in 1984-85, right on the fault line, & never felt a tremor. Then I came back to Indiana & almost got knocked on my ass by an earthquake 400 miles away. Ya can’t make it up.

[@stubby1954]

As a former member of the Missouri Army National Guard this hits close to home!

[@MovieMakingMan]

There are so many caves in Missouri. My brother was in the Air Force and stationed in Illinois. We went on canoe trips and exploring caves west of St Louis. It was fun.

[@birdflipper]

I grew up along the new Madrid fault in St. Charles County, Mo. People always talked about how we were overdue for a major earthquake. It felt kind of like my generation's nuclear cold war.

[@sid2112]

The Cold War directly resulted in Disco. Be careful of fatalism. Bellbottoms lie that way.

[@bearlh40]

@@sid2112 I don't know who you are, but I love you. 😉

[@sid2112]

@@bearlh40 I love you too, man.

[@christineparis5607]

@@sid2112 Bell bottoms make your feet look nine months pregnant too...but even worse were huge ties and polyester shirts, I really thought it was the end of the world...

[@sid2112]

@@christineparis5607 So did they. Which is why they did it. Nothing says fk it like impending nuclear fire.

[@aldenconsolver3428]

Good job sir. As a geologist the New Madrid quakes are fascinating and you did a good job of describing the effects on the population within your short time framework. I wish more people would look at the building codes in Nashville and the other 'new' metropolitan areas that have grown up near the New Madrid seismic zone. Everyone should remember that the Northridge earthquake had 57 fatalities and the great Haiti earthquake had over 200,000 fatalities and the quakes were of about the same severity, the only real difference was building codes.

[@johnstevenson9956]

I live close enough to think about it almost every day. The results of another earthquake of that magnitude are just unimaginable to me.

[@stevenbender66]

I read an article that said this earthquake was so strong that it caused church bells to ring on their own as far away as Maine. That's terrifying. Great video. Thank you.

[@orbyfan]

The Feb. 7, 1812 earthquake occurred on the day Charles Dickens was born; the events were apparently unconnected.

[@MrWeedWacky]

So you are saying his mother Didn't scream so loud it caused the fault line to shift! :o

[@rabbi120348]

It was the best of days, it was the worst of days.

[@w.m.woodward2833]

Well, that's an interesting footnote. Of the two which do you think had a greater impact on people? 😉

[@sherylcascadden4988]

Another case of correlation doesn't mean causation.

[@VanillaMacaron551]

The decade 1810-20 seems to have been wild - NM earthquake, Mt Tambora in 1815, British troops burning down the US Capitol, Napoleon on the rampage in Europe.

[@lm9640]

Thank you Mr. History Guy! My husband sent me your New Madrid earthquake video. We still have the house and farm on the fault line in TN where I grew up. My parents always had earthquake insurance on the place, but when I inherited it, the insurance changed, and does not cover earthquakes. My husband always said he didn't think we needed earthquake coverage. Thanks to your video, maybe now he will reconsider.

[@echoromeo384]

I was visiting Sendai in 2011 when the tohoku earthquake hit. I witnessed liquifaction of soil around our hotel and roads in the area, and I was mesmerized by it's movements. I still think about that for some reason even more so than the tsunami that came. It's even more terrifying in a building, but I was more curious than scared and was glad I could help.

[@benjaminrees6665]

I cannot imagine what feelings it would induce in me to watch such a large river start flowing backwards

[@grapeshot]

Just think if that earthquake happen now in an area that has been greatly populated since 1812 the cities of Memphis and St. Louis would suffer catastrophic damage. Earthquake so powerful that it caused church bells to ring in Boston.

[@christineparis5607]

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and heard since birth (1961) that any SECOND, San Francisco was going to have a repeat of 1906 and would fall into the Pacific... There have been some nasty quakes over the years, but not the end of the world kind. A lot of people moved away, thinking it would save their lives, others just got into "prepping", and most just enjoyed living in a beautiful city. I was afraid of quakes, but learned over the years that it's more likely to get nailed by a LOT of other things. I've been in car accidents,had cancer, went through the LA riots, big fires, a tornado (in Texas), the 70s gas shortage, Y2K and was once faced by a crazy guy waving a gun around in a drunken rage. I hadn't worried about ANY of those things. My feeling since (especially since I lived through cancer, by far the worst and most likely to happen to the average person besides a heart attack) has been to just develop a resilience of character to deal with whatever comes your way and keep a sense of humor, it's more protective than thousands of packages of top ramen and stored weapons! Don't ruin your life adventure by dying a thousand imaginary deaths, it's a waste of time. Enjoy whatever you have as much as you can, and try to help others along the way...

[@grapeshot]

@@christineparis5607 yeah when I was five years old I witnessed the McDuffie riot in Miami in 1980. It most definitely was an eye-opener. And I've also served in the military, so I've seen some pretty interesting things to say the least.

[@johnlinton6118]

I lived in st Louis and nothing would bring me greater pleasure than to see an earthquake level that place.

[@christineparis5607]

@@grapeshot Wow! You have been through fire! Thank you so much for your service! I live in San Antonio and one thing I love about it is the fact that with several military bases and Brooks Hospital, there are so many people here from around the world. At any time you get to meet fantastic friends. I've been so lucky to live in a place with a wide world view, and a sense of everyone always ready to help each other and care. People here tend to always check on each other, are polite and there is the added benefit of every kind of restaurant, food truck or street food from around the world! We love great food! Even the pandemic didn't really slow up anyone, they just all chipped in to make sure everyone is ok.

[@GVLF1517]

My fifth great grandfather, Moses Carlock, and his son were camped on the hill above New Madrid on the night of the quake (not sure which of the three, but think it was the first on December 11). They were there to trade their tobacco crop for supplies for the winter. As the Mississippi started to flood the town, they rushed down with their wagon to transport the town's citizens to higher ground. We are told that he is known as the "Hero of New Madrid."

[@MICHAELJOHNSON-pb3jn]

Moses Carlock came “to trade their tobacco crop”, where did they come from? Were they from Kentucky? This story is really fascinating.

[@GVLF1517]

@@MICHAELJOHNSON-pb3jn he came from NW TN near the MO-KY state lines. About a 2 day journey with a team of oxen. The whole story is published in "The History of the Carlock Family, an adventure of pioneer Americans" by Marion Pomeroy Carlock 1929 republished and copywrite in 2007 by Sacred Truth Publishing, PO Box 18, Mountain City, TN 37683

[@dennisanderson3895]

GREAT video! I'd heard of the 1812 New Madrid quake before but only as a trivia footnote about the Mississippi briefly running backwards. This really gave a scope of the devastation!

[@T4T556]

My introduction to the New Madrid Earthquake was in high school when I wrote a paper on the everyday lives of Kentucky settlers. One of my sources was Boynton Merrill Jr.’s book “Jefferson’s Nephews.” The quake exposed the murder by Lilburn and Isham Lewis (their mother being Lucy Jefferson, sister to Thomas Jefferson) of a slave known only as George. They endeavored to burn the mutilated corpse in a fireplace but the quakes kept knocking the chimney down. Lilburn committed suicide and Isham escaped justice for the crime. He enlisted in the Army and was killed at the Battle of New Orleans.

[@ow4744]

I had recently been wondering if you were going to do an episode on this event! Amazing how many eyewitness accounts there are even given how few lived in the area.

[@andyharman3022]

Being from central Ohio, we learned about the New Madrid earthquake in Ohio History class in 7th grade. Shawnee Indian chief Tecumseh was said to have predicted the earthquake which would make the waters of the Mississippi flow backwards. Tecumseh was born near Chillocothe, Ohio, so he figures large in central Ohio history.

[@southilgurl2003]

Never knew about this until I moved to Southern Illinois in '00, and was handed an earthquake brochure by the university. Having just arrived from Alaska, just kind of laughed it off until my first geology classes at the university...

[@BlueBaron3339]

This one was a true tour de force, Lance. Nothing short of brilliant! Thank you 👍

[@bigchieftrucker9757]

A woefully forgotten bit of history. Thank you.

[@johnlansing2902]

Thank you . Knowledge of things like this event help keep modern problems in prospective.

[@bertwesler1181]

I love that I stumbled on your site some time ago. I am a data junkie in general and a history buff for sure. I've always described history as the "Soap Opera" that people really lived.

[@chrisvickers7928]

The Charlevoix Earthquake of 1663 in the St Lawrence River Valley northeast of Quebec City seems similar to New Madrid in size and effect. It was felt as far away as Massachusetts where chimneys were toppled.

[@splifstar85]

History Guy is the best! research and subsequent info of every video is great!

[@WX4EMT]

Good things come to those who wait. It's been a couple of years since I suggested a piece on the New Madrid earthquake after you touched on it in one of your videos. An earthquake powerful enough to create a lake (Reelfoot) and make the Mississippi river flow backwards definitely deserves to be remembered. Another history lesson delivered with a touch of class in true THG style! Thanks' Lance, I really enjoyed this one.

[@jameskosusnik1102]

Man I know how this all too feels like, I experienced the anchorage earthquake of 2018, and man I understand, we're just lucky to be geographically blessed up here in Anchorage. Its sad to know that many cities aren't as lucky

[@dirtydz]

I was in Lexington Kentucky in the 70's and experienced an earthquake that lasted about 30 seconds. Was very mild but I was 7 or 8 and was scared as I had never experienced anything like that before. The only one I have ever been in. Thanks for your videos.

[@thomfisher1100]

Another great show! Years ago I did an NPR show through the university on the Madrid quake, mostly as to the potential threat of renewed seismic activity. I most appreciated hearing the first-hand historical accounts given in your presentation. The human side of these phenomena is always the most interesting.

[@johnk8825]

I would imagine that the local residents have grown accustomed to it, but when we visited New Madrid 30+ years ago and stood on the levy there was a very strange and eerie feeling that made you want to leave.

[@dovbarleib3256]

If you look into the matter, the Big quakes in New Madrid of Biblical proportions come once every 400 to 600 yrs. The interim yrs are seismically active but relatively minor compared to being at the edge of a tectonic plate.

[@thomaswilson517]

Great memorial recounting of a keystone event in early American history. Never lost but forgotten often til that Mississippi Valley ground starts trembling.

[@revade6698]

Hi, History Guy (Lance). An excellent video and summation, as always. I remember, as a young boy of about eight or nine years old, that quite a large tremor went through our town of O'Fallon, Illinois. It was strong enough to knock me off my feet and cause our garage door to bang loudly for about 30 seconds. My dad, who was playing a round of golf with some friends at the Scott Air Force Base Golf Course, said his ball moved 18 inches sideways while he stood over his six foot birdie putt! Anyway, please keep on doing what you're doing so well. Signed, a Canadian Fan 🇨🇦

[@rzorbcksfan5747]

My home town is 60 miles west of Memphis in eastern Arkansas. Between Memphis and Brinkley, Arkansas lies Crowley's Ridge. That ridge was created by this earthquake. I really enjoyed learning more from the survivors perspective. It has long been rumored that Reelfoot lake was created from the Mississippi as it ran backwards during this.

[@swinde]

Crawley's ridge is likely a former boundary of the Mississippi river. This huge river meanders all over the place, even without earthquakes. Many tracks in Arkansas are east of the river and many tracks in Tennessee are west of the river. Same is true in Mississippi and Illinois and other states along the river. The state lines are along the river's course when the territories were first surveyed.

[@ianstradian]

This episode was one of my favorites. I saw a history channel show about this earth quake, it was good but this was way better.

[@OkHarley]

I'm originally from New Madrid, lived right by the Mississippi river by the new levee they built. We still have small earthquakes till this day. Have a small museum that will tell you everything that happened during the earthquake. The original town got destroyed.

[@chrisnedbalek2866]

Thank you, Lance! This is not just interesting, but an enormous public service. I have heard about this for a long time, and all the ways wondered what in the world that the damages would be were it to happen today. Probably just unimaginable.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

This is a terrifying thought what damage that quake could do right now 😳! Anything that changes the flow of anything is a sobering thought!

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

Imagine an earthquake that does damage from New Orleans to Quebec, from the eastern seaboard to the rocky mountains. The USGS says that damage outside the immediate area would not be "structural," but being so widespread, it would have massive financial and psychological impact.

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Maybe that's what may be needed for everyone to find their way back to GOD. Look to the skies and see what's coming. Zoinks

[@ajkleipass]

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel ‐‐ my one experience with earthquakes was in NYC of all places. A big quake in Virginia set things shaking in my apartment in Brooklyn, NY. Definitely unsettling. And now I live just south of St Louis, so I'm probably within the New Madrid quake zone. *shudders*

[@goldgeologist5320]

From a geologist perspective I will inform everyone that we live on a very active dynamic planet! There is no stability on I this planet! It is just out time reference. We have short lives and short memories compared the geologic and cosmic time.

[@gerardjohnson2106]

@@goldgeologist5320 : Yes. You make this true statement at a time when politicians tell us we can alter the climate of this planet in 10-20-30 years if we follow their policy. We can become better stewards of our environment but altering the climate in such time frame is BS.

[@corkycobon1481]

I felt the last New Madrid Quake when I worked in Plainfield, IN. I wanna say it was 2009 or 2010. A co-worked and I were talking to each other when everything jumped and moved about an inch from where it was. We both looked at each other and said Earthquake at this same time. I was born in SW AZ and my home town lies on the San Andreas as well as I lived in Los Angeles as my dad was stationed at LAAFB for a couple of years. Earthquakes and tremors are a constant and you get used to them unless a really big one rumbles. My co-worker was from So. Cal as well so he was used to it. Did not know at the time that Indiana sits close to the New Madrid Fault.

[@rhuephus]

ha ha .. The San Aadreas fault is in CALIFORNIA .. Not AZ !

[@corkycobon1481]

@@rhuephus You need to get educated. The San Andreas does run through a portion of AZ...the SW corner of AZ that borders CA is effected by the San Andreas. Check with USGS. They can tell you if you don't believe me.

[@brindahoward4527]

I felt it also. I live about 15 minutes West of Plainfield

[@monicabritt3769]

We lived in Ferguson MO in 1987 and experienced an earthquake. Since we’d previously lived in the West Coast and weren’t shocked by it. It about a 5.7 or so. Our upstairs neo GH Nora had been terrified! Never knew there was a New Madrid Fault. We thought we’d escaped earthquakes! ☺️

[@robertphillips6296]

15:14 You stated that the Great Quake coincided with the Comet of 1911. Also this created the Reelfoot Lake in Northwestern Tennessee.