Before permanently becoming part of the country of Italy, the island Sicily went through a variety of different periods, ruled by the Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Vandals, amongst others during the middle-ages. It became part of Italy in 1860, then after the Italian Republic formed in 1946, it was granted a unique status as an autonomous region as part of Italy.

On this day, January 11, in 1963, a powerful earthquake strikes parts of Sicily as well as mainland Italy in Calabria and the island of Malta. With an estimated magnitude of 7.4, it is considered the most powerful earthquake in Italian history.

It’s estimated that about 70 towns and cities were destroyed by the quake, with around 60,000 total deaths. Following the earthquake was a series of tsunamis that brought harm to the coasts of the Ioanian Sea and the Strait of Messina.