Remembering 1906

When natural disasters strike faraway countries, distances suddenly shrink as our compassion grows.

The tragedy that struck Japan is particularly rattling because of the San Francisco Bay Area’s own history with earthquakes beginning with the one 105 years ago that all but destroyed our nascent city at 5:12am on April 18, 1906.

These events remind us of our struggles coping with the 1906 quake and the flaming inferno that followed.

SF Earthquake Silent Film Show
April 16 at 7:30 pm. Cost: $5
The Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum presents the “SF Earthquake Show” with a feature film and two short films in an evening that will last 2 hours. Frederick Hodges plays the piano live to accompany.

— Inside the Edison Theater at 37417 Niles Blvd. in Fremont

1906 Quake Remembrance at Lotta’s Fountain
April 18 at 5:12 am. Cost: FREE
Every year since 1906, survivors gather around the fountain for a reunion at 5:13 am to mark the exact time of the Great Quake. This year, the 105th anniversary of 1906 is dedicated to the Japanese Quake of March 11, 2011 which was—at 9.0 magnitude—the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan.

Meet one of the last remaining 1906 survivors: Bill Del Monte.

— Gather at Lotta’s Fountain at the corner of Kearny & Market Streets in downtown San Francisco

Golden Fire Hydrant Painting Ceremony
April 18 at 5:40 am. Cost: FREE
One lonely working fire hydrant in the Mission District helped saved the city’s churches after the 1906 Earthquake. Every year on the anniversary of the quake the hydrant receives a fresh coast of gold paint in tribute.

— At the corner of Church and 20th Streets at the top of the Mission’s Dolores Park

Documentary and Silent Film on 1906 Disaster
April 21 at 7 pm to 9 pm. Cost: FREE
Watch Ken Joy’s critically acclaimed documentary 60-min-long Disaster by the Bay: The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906. Before that, there’ll be silent film shown that graphically recorded the earthquake’s devastating aftermath with live piano accompaniment.

— Inside the San Leandro Main Library at 300 Estudillo Avenue

Nuclear Crisis in Japan: Beyond the Headlines
April 21 at 5:45 pm. Cost: FREE* but please RSVP
In this Earth Day preview event, USF explores some important long-term implications of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the nuclear crisis that followed. With two PhD experts from the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability and UC Berkeley’s Global Environmental Health program.

— In USF’s Fromm Hall off Parker Street and Golden Gate Avenue