2010 Madeira floods and mudslides
The 2010 Madeira floods and mudslides were the result of an extreme weather event that affected Madeira Island in Portugal's autonomous Madeira archipelago on 20 February 2010. The flash flood killed 51 people, of whom 6 are still to be found, and injured 250. Around 600 people were left homeless.
Bosphorus Bridge construction started
The Bosphorus Bridge, known officially as the 15 July Martyrs Bridge and colloquially as the First Bridge, is the southernmost of the three suspension bridges spanning the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, Turkey, thus connecting Europe and Asia. It is a gravity-anchored suspension bridge with steel towers and inclined hangers. The aerodynamic deck hangs on steel cables. It is 1,560 m (5,118 ft) long with a deck width of 33.40 m (110 ft). The distance between the towers (main span) is 1,074 m (3,524 ft) and the total height of the towers is 165 m (541 ft). The clearance of the bridge from sea level is 64 m (210 ft).
1920 Gori earthquake
The 1920 Gori earthquake hit the Democratic Republic of Georgia on 20 February at 15:45 local time. The shock had a surface wave magnitude of 6.2 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of IX (Violent). Heavy damage (and between 114 and 130 deaths) affected the town of Gori and its medieval fortress.
Jay Johnson Morrow was born
Jay Johnson Morrow was Chief Engineer of the United States First Army and as Deputy Chief Engineer of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I and Governor of the Panama Canal Zone from 1921 to 1924.
1835 Concepcion earthquake
The 1835 Concepcion earthquake occurred near the neighboring cities of Concepcion and Talcahuano in Chile on 20 February at 11:30 local time (15:30 UTC) and has an estimated magnitude of about 8.5 Mw. The earthquake triggered a tsunami which caused the destruction of Talcahuano. A total of at least 50 people died from the effects of the earthquake and the tsunami. The earthquake caused damage from San Fernando in the north to Osorno in the south. It was felt over a still wider area from Copiapo in the north to the island of Chiloe in the south and as far west as the Juan Fernandez Islands.
