On the 13th of August, 1868, a magnitude 8.5 or 9 earthquake near Arica, Peru (now Chile) killed more than 25 000 people and destroyed much of the southern part of the country.
Damage in Arica in 1868
The tsunami(s) that followed crossed the Pacific Ocean and had effects as far away as Australia and Japan.
USS Wateree beached in Arica
The tsunami drove three ships, two of them US ships, 800 metres inland, and did significant damage both in New Zealand (where it also killed one person) and Hawaii.
In Times Gone By... 