William John McGee of the US Geological Survey inspects a wrecked brick house on Tradd Street in the aftermath of the massive Charleston earthquake of August 31, 1886. Thought to have had a magnitude of about 7.3, the natural disaster claimed dozens of lives and caused an estimated $197 million in damage (in today’s money) to thousands of buildings across the Southeast. The initial tremor struck at about 9:50 p.m., sending shockwaves felt as far away as Boston and New Orleans and making it one of the most powerful and destructive earthquakes ever to hit the East Coast.