The most devastating earthquake ever recorded struck China, killing an overwhelming amount of people, and it became considered the worst disaster.

On January 23, 1556, a large earthquake occurred in Shaanxi, China, and killed an estimated 830,000 people. The earthquake struck late evening, in a less wealthy area, with a magnitude of 8.0 to 8.3, which makes it the most death involving a disaster or war in history. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Wei River Valley in the Shaanxi Province, near the cities of Huaxian, Weinan ,and Huayin. In Huaxian, every single building and home collapsed, killing more than half the residents of the city, a number estimated in the tens of thousands. It was a similar story in Weinan and Huayin.

In some places, 60-foot-deep crevices opened in the earth. Serious destruction and death occurred as much as 300 miles away from the epicenter. The earthquake also triggered landslides, which contributed to the massive death toll. Even if this was over-exaggerated by a bit, it would still be considered the most deaths, and the aftershocks even went to the next morning.