Largest Earthquake to Ever Rattle New England Destroyed Boston – Way Bigger Than What You Felt on 1/27/2025

So the vast majority of people in New England felt a little baby earthquake today.

And yes, I say "little baby" earthquake, because it was a 3.8 on the Richter Scale... But have you heard about the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that devastated Boston, Massachusetts?

Biggest Earthquake in New England...Ever.

New England's largest earthquake has two names that are used interchangeably: The Boston Earthquake and the Cape Ann Earthquake.

It took place on November 18, 1755. Since the modern-day Richer Scale (now used to track the sizes of earthquakes) was not established, we only have estimates to compare it to others throughout modern history.

According to a Telegram and Gazette article, the Boston Earthquake was estimated between a 6.0 and a 6.3 on the Richer Scale.

Remember the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010? Celebrities worldwide came together to sing "We are the World: 25 for Haiti." That earthquake was a 7.0 on that scale.

The Boston Earthquake was a 6.0-6.3. Less serious, but pretty close in comparison.

Over 1,500 brick chimneys from Portland, Maine, to South Boston reportedly collapsed, according to the Telegram and Gazette. The earthquake felt in Boston was so strong that the gable ends of 15 brick buildings collapsed.

Streets in Boston were so covered with bricks and debris, that getting around on horse-drawn carriages was not even a possibility.

Obviously, there was destruction in individuals' homes. The majority of people in New England who were close to the earthquake lost fine china, liquor bottles, and other glassware.

Since then, New England has never experienced an earthquake of that magnitude...although some people are acting like the one we just felt on January 27, 2025, was the end of the world.