The oldest bookstore in the world is in Lisbon
Having spent years building Lisbon up as a buzzing capital city, it was completely undone in a day and it took decades to rebuild into what it is today. The earthquake also had economic and political impacts. Around 85% of Lisbon's buildings were destroyed, including famous palaces and libraries, as well as most examples of Portugal's distinctive 16th-century Manueline architecture. It’s unclear how many people died from the disaster but it’s thought to be in the tens of thousands. As the tsunami receded, the city began to burn furiously for hours, asphyxiating people up to 100 feet from the blaze.
To add insult to injury, candles that had been lit all around the city in homes and churches for All Saints’ Day were knocked over in the earthquake’s path. The speed this happened was so rapid people riding on horseback were forced to gallop as fast as possible to avoid being carried away. Approximately 40 minutes after the earthquake, a tsunami engulfed the harbour and downtown area, rushing up the Tagus river. Contemporary reports state the earthquake lasted between three and six minutes, causing fissures 5 meters (16 feet) wide to open in the city centre. On November 1st 1755, the holy celebration of All Saints’ Day, at 9:40am Lisbon was struck by a monumental earthquake that nearly destroyed the city. Lisbon was almost destroyed by an earthquake, followed by a tsunami 40 minutes later