1946 Alaskan tsunami

April 1, 1946: On April Fools’ Day in 1946 an earthquake off the coast of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska spawned a series of waves known as a tsunami. One wave as high as a 13-story building hit locally. People were running through the streets shouting “tidal wave” and people thought it was a joke. Others waves raced across the Pacific, killing dozens and leaving a trail of destruction that stretched to California and even South America. There was a total of 165 casualties.

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