1985 41 years ago Notable Deaths September 30

Charles Francis Richter, American seismologist and physicist (born 1900)

On September 30, in the year 1985, Charles Francis Richter, American seismologist and physicist (born 1900). This event is recorded as a Notable Deaths event in the history of September 30, a notable event in this corner of history.

1 notable person is associated with this event, including Charles Richter. Learn more below.

Charles Francis Richter was an American seismologist and physicist. He is one of the creators of the Richter scale, which, until the development of the moment magnitude scale in 1979, was widely used to quantify the size of earthquakes. Inspired by Kiyoo Wadati's 1928 paper on shallow and deep earthquakes, Richter first used the scale in 1935 after developing it in collaboration with Beno Gutenberg; both worked at the California Institute of Technology.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on September 30, 1985 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Notable Deaths event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 1 Wikipedia article.
  • 1 notable person is recorded as involved in or associated with this event.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 29 August 2026.

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

People Involved

Charles Richter

Seismologist and physicist (1900–1985)

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