1755 Earthquake - Before Facebook

Last night's magnitude 4.5 earthquake rattled a few of us.  Seconds afterwards, Facebook was buzzing!  Between social media, the internet, phones and TV, we not only knew an earthquake had just happened, but pretty much had all the details as well.

Though relatively rare in comparison to other parts of the world, earthquakes do happen in New England, and a rather large one occurred on Cape Ann on November 18, 1755.  Unlike last night's quake, the area sustained lots of damage.  According to an article written by the USGS, chimneys fell down, parts of buildings collapsed, and it was reported that even those on ships felt it.

I thought you might like to read a little about how this event was reported at the time (without the benefit of instant communication)......