A hundred years ago, much of San Francisco lay shattered, and much of the rest was ablaze. Hundreds of thousands struggled with shock and grief and the urgent business of survival. The great quake and fire are still the defining events of the city's history.
Just as Katrina's floods affected much more than the Gulf Coast, the destruction of San Francisco reverberated across the continent. In a live Talk of the Nation broadcast from San Francisco, historians and writers talk about the effects of the great quake on San Francisco, the region and the country.
Guests:
Kevin Starr, professor of history at the University of Southern California; California State Librarian Emeritus; author of Americans and the California Dream, 1850-1915
Philip Fradkin, historian and author of The Great Earthquake and Firestorms of 1906: How San Francisco Nearly Destroyed Itself
Sue Lee, executive director, The Chinese Historical Society of America
Simon Winchester, author of many books. His latest is A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906
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