So on the Wednesday morning early I wake up about 5 o’clock, feeling my bed rocking as though I am in a ship on the ocean, and for a moment I think I am dreaming that I am crossing the water on my way to my beautiful country. And so I take no notice for the moment, and then, as the rocking continues, I get up and go to the window, raise the shade and look out. And what I see makes me tremble with fear. I see the buildings toppling over, big pieces of masonry falling, and from the street below I hear the cries and screams of men and women and children.

— Enrico Caruso, 1906 · The Sketch (London), 1906 · via the Museum of the City of San Francisco

Why it's here: The world-famous tenor was staying at the Palace Hotel, having sung Carmen the night before, when the earthquake struck at 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906. The fire that followed gutted the hotel. More than 3,000 people died and over 80% of the city was destroyed.