Subtitled, "The Great Lisbon Earthquake Of 1755". On the 1st November, a six-minute earthquake, measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale, caused avalanches; a following tremor caused buildings to collapse, a series of tsunamis and fires that raged for 6 days. 60,000 people died and 85% of Lisbon had been destroyed, which had massive implications on both the British Empire and European society.