References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2008 June 28.

79-1804	1805-1899	1900-1949	1950-1969	1970-1979	1980-1984	1985-1989	1990-1994	1995-1999	2000-2004
2005-end

1995 January 6 Near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurs. [53] January 12 Major earthquake kills 5,092 in Kobe, Japan. [1] January 16 An avalanche hits the village Súðavík in Iceland, killing 14 people. [29] January 17 A magnitude 6.9 earthquake called the "Great Hanshin earthquake" occurs near Kobe, Japan. 5502 people killed, 36,896 injured, over 200,000 buildings damaged or destroyed. Over 90 percent of the casualties occurred along the southern coast of Honshu between Kobe and Nishinomiya. [1] [29] [53] January 19 In Colombia, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurs. Five people killed, several injured and at least 20 major buildings damaged in the Bogota area. Felt in much of Colombia and western Venezuela and as far as Caracas, Venezuela. [53] February 8 6.4 earthquake at Trujillo, Colombia (46+ killed). [1] In Colombia, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurs. 42 people killed, nearly 400 injured, and over 2,000 buildings damaged or destroyed in the Cali-Pereira area. Felt throughout Colombia. [53] February 21 RAF-pilot Jo Salter is first woman to fly in a tornado. [1] February 23 In Taiwan, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurs. [53] In Cyprus, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurs. Felt throughout Cyprus. Also felt in northern Israel and Lebanon. [53] April 14 In Western Texas, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurs. [53] April 21 In Samar, Philippine Islands, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurs. [53] May 13 An earthquake hits the regions of Kozani and Grevena in Greece, with an intensity of 6.6 on the Richter scale. 25 people injured, 12,000 homes damaged or destroyed. Damage estimate at US$450 million. [1] [29] [53] May 16 In Loyalty Islands region of the south Pacific, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurs. [53] May 27 On Sakhalin Island, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurs. About 1,989 people killed, about 750 injured. [53] May 28 Neftegorsk, Russia is hit by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake, killing at least 2000 people (two-thirds of the town's population). [1] [29] June 15 A powerful earthquake, registering a magnitude of 6.5, hits the city of Egion, Greece, resulting in 26 deaths and significant damage to many buildings. Estimate of damage at US$660 million. [29] [53] July 8 A volcanic eruption begins on the island of Montserrat. [29] July 11 In the Myanmar-China border region, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurs. Six people killed, 99 injured, more than 100,000 houses destroyed and 42,000 damaged. [53] July 13 Dozens of cities in the USA, most notably Chicago and Milwaukee, set all-time record high temperatures. Hundreds of people in these and other cities die as the heat wave reaches its peak. [29] July 21 In Gansu, China, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurs. Fourteen people killed, at least 60 injured, 5,000 left homeless, 4,500 houses destroyed and 5,000 houses damaged in the Yongdeng area. [53] July 30 Near the coast of Northern Chile, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake occurs. Three people were killed, 58 injured, 630 left homeless and 115 houses destroyed. Also felt in southern Peru and at La Paz, Bolivia. Mild tsunami generated, measured at Hawaii, Alaska, Japan. [53] August 14 An avalanche buries Alison Hargreaves, the first woman to climb Mt. Everest without oxygen tank; she is reported dead. [29] September 14 Near the coast of Guerrero, Mexico, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs. Three people killed, 100 injured, 900 homeless. Felt strongly along the Pacific coast of Mexico from Michoacan to Chiapas. [53] October 1 In Turkey, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurs. One hundred one people killed, 348 injured, 50,000 homeless and 4,500 houses and buildings damaged or destroyed in the Dinar area. About 600 buildings were destroyed at Evciler. [53] October 4 Hurricane Opal makes landfall at Pensacola Beach, Florida as a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds. [29] October 6 In Southern Sumatera, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake occurs. Eighty-four people killed, 2,178 injured, nearly 65,000 homeless and over 18,900 homes and buildings damaged or destroyed in Jambi Province. [53] October 9 Near the coast of Jalisco, Mexico, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake occurs. At least 49 people killed, 100 injured, nearly 1,000 homeless and extensive damage in the states of Colima and Jalisco. Felt by people in high-rise buildings as far as Dallas and Houston, Texas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. [53] October 26 An avalanche hits the village Flateyri in Iceland, killing 20 people. [29] November 22 In Egypt, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurs. At least eight people killed and 30 injured in the epicentral region. Felt from Sudan to Lebanon. [29] [53] December 10 Worst snowstorm in Buffalo history, 37.9" in 24 hours, breaking previous record of 25.3" in 1982. [1] December 30 The lowest ever United Kingdom temperature of -27.2 degrees C is recorded at Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands. This equals the record set at Braemar, Aberdeenshire in 1895 and 1982. [29] 1996 January 1 In Minahasa, Sulawesi, Indonesia, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurs. At least eight people killed, more than 350 buildings damaged. [53] January 7 One of the worst blizzards in American history hits the eastern states, killing more than 100 people. [28] February 3 In Yunnan, China, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurs. At least 322 people killed, 3,925 seriously injured and 13,000 slightly injured. About 358,000 housing units collapsed and 654,000 others were damaged. More than 320,000 people were left homeless. [53] February 17 In Irian Jaya Region, Indonesia, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake occurs. At least 164 people killed or missing, 423 injured, 5,043 houses destroyed or damaged. Extensive damage from the tsunami, which reached heights of 7 metres. [53] February 21 Off the coast of Northern Peru, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs. [53] March 19 In Southern Xinjiang, China, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurs. At least 24 people killed, 128 injured and more than 15,314 houses destroyed. [53] March 28 In Ecuador, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurs. At least 27 people killed, 100 injured, several thousand homeless. [53] May 3 In Western Nei Mongol, China, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurs. At least 18 people killed, 300 injured and extensive damage in the Baotou area. [53] May 10 A sudden storm engulfs Mount Everest with several climbing teams high on the mountain, leaving eight dead. By the end of the month, at least four other climbers die in the worst season of fatalities on the mountain to date. [28] May 13 Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600. [28] June 10 In the Andreanof Islands, Alaska, magnitude 7.9 and 7.3 earthquakes occurs. [53] July 15 In France, a magnitude 4.3 earthquake occurs. [53] July 21 Storms provoke severe flooding on the Saguenay River in Quebec, in one of Canada's most costly natural disasters. [28] August 7 Heavy rains kill more than 80 campers near Huesca, Spain. [28] November 7 A devastating Category 4 cyclone strikes Andhra Pradesh, India. The storm surge sweeps fishing villages out to sea, killing over 2,000 people. 95 percent of crops are completely destroyed. [28] November 12 Near the coast of Peru, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurs. At least 14 people killed, 560 injured and 12,000 homeless. [53] November 25 An ice storm strikes the U.S., killing 26 directly, hundreds more from accidents. A powerful windstorm blasts Florida; winds gust to 90 mph. [28] December 2 In Kyushu, Japan, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake occurs. [53] 1997 January 11 In Michoacan, Mexico, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurs. One person killed and extensive damage in the Arteaga area, Michoacan. [53] January 21 In Southern Xinjiang, China, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurs. At least 12 people killed, 40 injured, and 2,500 families homeless; about 31,000 homes destroyed or damaged. [53] February 4 In Northeastern Iran, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurs. At least 88 people killed, nearly 2,000 injured, 16,500 houses destroyed or damaged. [53] February 27 In Pakistan, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurs. At least 60 people killed, hundreds injured, more than 500 houses damaged or destroyed, thousands homeless. [1] [53] February 28 In Northwestern Iran, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake occurs. At least 965 people killed, 2,600 injured, 36,000 homeless, 12,000 houses damaged or destroyed. Severe damage to roads, electrical power lines, communications and water distribution systems. [53] April 11 In Southern Xinjiang, China, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurs. At least 9 people killed, 89 injured, 100,000 homeless, thousands of buildings destroyed. [53] April 18 The Red River of the North breaks through dikes and floods Grand Forks, North Dakota and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, causing US$2 billion in damage. [18] May 10 In Northern Iran, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurs. At least 1,570 people killed, 2,300 injured, 50,000 homeless, 16,000 houses destroyed or damaged. [18] [53] May 12 Tornado narrowly misses downtown Miami, Florida. [1] May 22 In India, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake occurs. At least 38 people killed, more than 1,000 injured, thousands homeless and extensive damage. [53] May 27 The second-deadliest tornado of the 1990s hits in Jarrell, Texas, killing 27 people. [18] (May 28 [1]) July 9 Near the coast of Venezuela, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurs. At least 81 people killed, 522 injured, extensive damage and landslides, at least 3,000 people were left homeless. [53] July 18 In Eastern Caucasus, a magnitude 4.2 earthquake occurs. About 5,000 houses damaged. [53] August 2 Australian ski instructor Stuart Diver is rescued as the sole survivor from the Thredbo landslide in New South Wales, Australia, in which 18 lives were lost. [18] September 26 In Central Italy, magnitude 5.7 and 6.4 earthquakes occurs. As a result of these two earthquakes, a total of eleven people killed, more than 100 injured and about 80,000 homes destroyed. Part of the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi collapses. [18] [53] October 15 Near the coast of central Chile, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurs. 8 people killed, more than 300 people injured, 20,000 houses destroyed or damaged, numerous power and telephone outages, landslides and rockslides. [53] November 6 In Southern Quebec, Canada, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake occurs. Felt as far south as Ottawa, Ontario and as far east as Edmundston, New Brunswick. Felt in western Maine, northern New Hampshire, northern Vermont and parts of northeastern New York in the United States. [53] November 21 In the India-Bangladesh border region, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake occurs. Twenty-three people killed, 200 injured, and a five-story building collapsed at Chittagong, Bangladesh. [53] December 5 In Near the East Coast of Kamchatka, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurs. [53] Year Global mean surface temperature at highest point since accurate measurements in 1880. [58] 1998 January 5 Ice storm knocks out electricity in Québec and Ontario, Canada. [1] January 10 In Northeastern China, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurs. Seventy people killed, about 11,500 injured, 44,000 families left homeless. Over 70,000 houses were damaged or destroyed. Damage to portions of the Great Wall of China in northwestern Hebei Province. [53] In Guatemala, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurs. At least 27 people injured. Felt throughout southern and western Guatemala, in El Salvador and parts of southern Mexico. [53] February 4 In Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurs. At least 2,323 people killed, 818 injured, 8,094 houses destroyed. [19] [53] February 20 In Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurs. One person killed and 11 injured. An earthquake-induced avalanche destroyed 35 houses and a mosque, and left 300 people homeless. Felt in much of northern Pakistan and in northeastern Afghanistan and in parts of Tajikistan. [53] February 23 Tornadoes in central Florida destroy or damage 2,600 structures and kill 42. [1] [19] March 14 In Northern Iran, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurs. Five people killed and 50 injured. Two thousand houses destroyed, 10,000 people left homeless. [19] [53] March 25 In Balleny Islands Region, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurs. Believed to be the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in this area to date. [53] March 29 A series of tornadoes in southern Minnesota kills three people. [19] April 8 A Force 5 tornado strikes the western portion of the Birmingham, Alabama area, killing 32. [19] April 12 In Slovenia, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurs. Felt strongly throughout Slovenia, northeastern Italy, throughout Austria, and in parts of Croatia, Germany, and Hungary. [53] April 16 A Force 3 tornado passes through downtown Nashville, Tennessee - the first tornado in 11 years to directly hit a major city. An F5 tornado travels through rural portions south of Nashville. [19] May 22 In Central Bolivia, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurs. At least 105 people killed and 150 injured. Eighty percent of the buildings at Aiquile and seventy percent at Totora destroyed. [53] May 28 In Southern Xinjiang, China, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurs. Twenty-eight people injured, more than 2,000 buildings destroyed, an additional 3,000 damaged. [53] May 30 In the Afghanistan - Tajikistan border region, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurs. At least 4,000 people killed, many thousands injured and homeless. [19] [53] June 27 In Turkey, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurs. At least 145 people killed and more than 1,500 injured. At least six major buildings collapsed and about 17,000 houses destroyed. Felt in Cyprus, Israel and Syria. [53] July 9 In the Azores Islands, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurs. Ten people killed, about 100 injured and 1,000 left homeless. [53] July 17 In Papua New Guinea, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurs, generating a tsunami up to 10 metres in height. At least 2,183 people killed, thousands injured, about 9,500 homeless. Several villages were completely destroyed and others extensively damaged. [19] [53] August 4 Near the coast of Ecuador, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurs. Few deaths and injuries, but wide-spread damage. [53] August 7 In China the Yangtze River breaks through the main bank, following breaches of periphery levees in Jiayu County Baizhou Bay in recent days. The death toll exceeds 12,000, with many thousands more injured. [19] October 17 (to October 18) Severe flooding takes place in south Central Texas. [19] October 29 Hurricane Mitch makes landfall in Central America, killing an estimated 18,000 people. [19] November 13 In Southern Iran, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurs. Five people killed, 105 injured and at least 850 houses damaged by the earthquake and landslides. [53] November 29 In the Ceram Sea, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurs. [53] December 11 In Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurs. [53] Year Global mean surface temperature at highest point since accurate measurements in 1880. [58] 1999 January 2 A brutal snowstorm smashes into the Midwestern United States, causing 14 inches (359 mm) of snow at Milwaukee, Wisconsin and 19 inches (487 mm) at Chicago, Illinois. In Chicago, temperatures plunge to -13 degrees F (-25 degrees C), and 68 deaths are reported. [20] In Sichuan, China, a magnitude 4.5 earthquake occurs. [53] January 25 In Colombia, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake occurs. At least 1,185 people killed, over 4,750 injured and about 250,000 homeless. 50-60 percent of buildings destroyed in Armenia, Calarca, and Pereira. [20] [53] February 10 Avalanches in the French Alps near Geneva kill at least 10. [20] February 11 In Afghanistan, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurs. Seventy people killed, 500 injured, at least 14,000 homeless and 7,000 houses destroyed. [53] February 23 An avalanche destroys the village of Galtür, Austria, killing 31. [20] March 29 In the Xizang-India border region, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake occurs. At least 100 people killed and 394 injured, over 21,100 houses destroyed. [53] April 8 In China, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurs. Also felt in southern Hokkaido, northern Honshu and at Tokyo, Japan. [53] May 3 A Force 5 tornado slams into Moore, Oklahoma, killing 38 people - the second strongest tornado ever recorded in United States history. [20] May 6 In Southern Iran, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurs. At least 26 people killed, 100 injured and 800 houses destroyed. [53] June 15 In Central Mexico, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurs. 20 people killed, about 275 injured and considerable damage to thousands of buildings and several bridges. [53] July 11 In Honduras, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake occurs. Few injuries, damage to houses, bridges, and highways. Felt throughout most of Honduras and in eastern Guatemala. Felt in Belize, El Salvador and at Villahermosa, Mexico. [53] August 11 An F-2 tornado rips through downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, killing one person and injuring over 100. [20] August 17 A 7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes Izmit and levels much of northwestern Turkey, killing more than 17,000 and injuring 44,000. [20] [53] September 7 In Greece, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurs. 143 people killed, 1,600 injured, 50,000 homeless and at least 53,000 buildings damaged or destroyed in the Athens area. [20] [53] September 15 For the first time in its 28-year history, most of Walt Disney World in Florida is closed for the day, due to the threat of Hurricane Floyd. Disney's Animal Kingdom re-opens at 12:00 PM for resort guests. [6] September 21 A large earthquake registering 7.6 on the Richter scale shakes Taiwan. About 2,400 people killed, 8,700 injured, 600,000 people left homeless and about 82,000 housing units damaged. Damage estimated at US$14 billion, leading to a two-week halt to manufacturing of many components of personal computers. [4] [20] (September 20 [53]) September 30 In Oaxaca, Mexico, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurs. At least 35 people killed, 215 injured, thousands of buildings damaged or destroyed, utilities disrupted and roads blocked by landslides. [53] October 16 In Southern California, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake occurs. Few injuries, light damage. [53] November 12 In northwest Turkey, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake occurs. At least 894 people killed and 4,948 injured. [20] [53] November 26 In Vanuatu Islands, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami occur. At least ten people killed. [20] [53] December 15 Torrential rains cause catastrophic floods and mudslides in the coastal regions of Venezuela, killing an estimated 25,000 people and leaving 100,000 others homeless. [20]