1985 a strong earthquake kills thousands and destroys about 400 b 09 19
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1985 41 years ago Selected Events September 19 3 sources

An earthquake registering Mw 8.0 struck Mexico City, killing at least 9,000 people and leaving up to 100,000 homeless.

On September 19, in the year 1985, An earthquake registering Mw 8.0 struck Mexico City, killing at least 9,000 people and leaving up to 100,000 homeless. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of September 19, one of 366 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The 1985 Mexico City earthquake struck in the early morning of 19 September at 07:17:50 (CST) with a moment magnitude of 8.0 and a maximal Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The event caused serious damage to the Greater Mexico City area and the deaths of at least 5,000 people. The sequence of events included a foreshock of magnitude 5.2 that occurred the prior May, the main shock on 19 September, and two large aftershocks. The first of these occurred on 20 September with a magnitude of 7.5 and the second occurred seven months later on 30 April 1986 with a magnitude of 7.0. They were located off the coast along the Middle America Trench, more than 350 kilometres (220 mi) away, but the city suffered major damage due to its large magnitude and the ancient lake bed on which Mexico City sits. The event caused between three and five billion USD in damage as 412 buildings collapsed and another 3,124 were seriously damaged in the city.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on September 19, 1985 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 3 Wikipedia articles.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 12 August 2026.

On This Date in History 366

Type Year Date Event
Historical Events 2023 Sep 19 Azerbaijan launches a military offensive against the Republic of Artsakh in the Nagorno-Karabakh region; this leads to…
Selected Events 2023 Sep 19 Chinese authorities cancelled a run of performances of The Mongol Khan, the first Mongolian play to be performed…
Historical Events 2022 Sep 19 The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is held at Westminster Abbey, London.
Historical Events 2022 Sep 19 A strong earthquake kills 2 and injures over 30 in Mexico's state of Michoacán.
Historical Events 2021 Sep 19 The Cumbre Vieja volcano, on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, erupts. The eruption lasts for almost three…
Notable Deaths 2021 Sep 19 John Challis, English actor (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2021 Sep 19 Jimmy Greaves, English footballer (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2021 Sep 19 Dinky Soliman, Filipino politician, 23rd Secretary of Social Welfare and Development (born 1953)
Notable Deaths 2020 Sep 19 John Turner, Canadian politician, 17th Prime Minister of Canada (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2019 Sep 19 Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisian soldier, politician, 2nd President of Tunisia (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2018 Sep 19 Arthur Mitchell, American ballet dancer & choreographer (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2018 Sep 19 Bernard "Bunny" Carr, Irish TV presenter (born 1927)
Historical Events 2017 Sep 19 The 2017 Puebla earthquake strikes Mexico, causing 370 deaths and over 6,000 injuries, as well as extensive damage.
Notable Deaths 2017 Sep 19 Leonid Kharitonov, Russian bass-baritone (born 1933)
Historical Events 2016 Sep 19 In the wake of a manhunt, the suspect in a series of bombings in New York and New Jersey is apprehended after a…
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 19 Jackie Collins, English novelist (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 19 Todd Ewen, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1966)
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 19 Masajuro Shiokawa, Japanese economist and politician, 63rd Japanese Minister of Finance (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 19 Audrey Long, American actress (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 19 Robert Barnard, English author and critic (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 19 John Reger, American football player (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 19 William Ungar, Polish-American author and philanthropist, founded the National Envelope Corporation (born 1913)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 19 John D. Vanderhoof, American banker and politician, 37th Governor of Colorado (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 19 Hiroshi Yamauchi, Japanese businessman (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 19 Rino Ferrario, Italian footballer (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 19 Itamar Singer, Romanian-Israeli historian and author (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 19 Earl R. Fox, U.S. Navy and Coast Guard veteran; last active U.S. servicemember to serve in World War II (born 1919)
Historical Events 2011 Sep 19 Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees surpasses Trevor Hoffman to become Major League Baseball's all-time career…
Notable Deaths 2011 Sep 19 Thomas Capano, American lawyer and politician, and convicted murderer (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2011 Sep 19 Dolores Hope, American singer (born 1909)
Notable Deaths 2011 Sep 19 George Cadle Price, 1st Prime Minister of Belize (born 1919)
Selected Events 2011 Sep 19 Mariano Rivera surpassed Trevor Hoffman to become Major League Baseball's all-time career leader in saves.
Historical Events 2010 Sep 19 The leaking oil well in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is sealed.
Notable Deaths 2009 Sep 19 Milton Meltzer, American historian and author (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2009 Sep 19 Eduard Zimmermann, German journalist (born 1929)
Historical Events 2008 Sep 19 A Learjet 60 carrying musicians Travis Barker and Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein crashes during a rejected takeoff from…
Notable Deaths 2008 Sep 19 Earl Palmer, American rhythm and blues drummer (born 1924)
Historical Events 2006 Sep 19 The Thai army stages a coup. The Constitution is revoked and martial law is declared.
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 19 Elizabeth Allen, American actress (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 19 Danny Flores, American singer-songwriter and saxophonist (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 19 Martha Holmes, American photographer and journalist (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 19 Roy Schuiten, Dutch cyclist and manager (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2004 Sep 19 Eddie Adams, American photographer and journalist (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2004 Sep 19 Skeeter Davis, American singer-songwriter (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2004 Sep 19 Damayanti Joshi, Indian dancer and choreographer (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2004 Sep 19 Ellis Marsalis Sr., American businessman and activist (born 1908)
Notable Deaths 2003 Sep 19 Slim Dusty, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2002 Sep 19 Robert Guéï, Ivorian politician, 3rd President of Côte d'Ivoire (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2001 Sep 19 Rhys Jones, Welsh-Australian archaeologist and academic (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2000 Sep 19 Ann Doran, American actress (born 1911)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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