Question 1

True or false: Buildings in 1906 San Francisco were generally well-built for seismic safety.

Accepted Answer

False. Most structures were unreinforced brick or wood with poor foundations, offering little resistance to shaking.

Question 2

True or false: The earthquake occurred on April 18, 1906, at 5:12 a.m. local time.

Accepted Answer

True. The quake struck early in the morning, catching most residents asleep, which contributed to the chaos.

Question 3

True or false: The 1906 earthquake was the deadliest in U.S. history by a large margin.

Accepted Answer

False. It’s not; the 1906 quake killed about 3,000 people, while the 1900 Galveston hurricane killed 6,000–12,000.

Question 4

True or false: The 1906 earthquake was caused by a rupture along the San Andreas Fault.

Accepted Answer

True. The quake resulted from a massive slip on the San Andreas Fault, shifting the ground up to 21 feet in places.

Question 5

True or false: Fire, not the shaking, caused most of the damage and fatalities in 1906.

Accepted Answer

True. Around 80% of the city was destroyed by fire, which burned for days after the quake, causing the majority of deaths.

Question 6

True or false: The 1906 earthquake was felt as far away as Nevada and Oregon.

Accepted Answer

True. The quake was felt over 350,000 square miles, from southern Oregon to central Nevada and down to Los Angeles.

Question 7

True or false: Insurance companies fully covered all fire losses from the 1906 disaster.

Accepted Answer

False. Many policies excluded fire caused by earthquakes, leading to massive lawsuits and financial ruin for insurers.

Question 8

True or false: Tsunami waves from the 1906 earthquake devastated the San Francisco waterfront.

Accepted Answer

False. No significant tsunami occurred; the fault moved horizontally, not vertically, so little water displacement happened.

San Francisco earthquake 1906 Trivia Questions