United States · Regional archive
Follow the Bay Area’s history across fault lines, waterfronts, industrial corridors, neighborhoods, and institutions where evidence and public action changed the region.
On the ground
Open any marker for the sourced File, or use the chronological index below.
Curated itineraries
Evidence-led sequences for understanding the region. Always check current access and local conditions.
Chronological index
Every result is mapped, sourced, and revision-tracked.
6 March 1900–11 December 1902
San Francisco Chinatown, represented at Portsmouth Square, United States
The first documented locally acquired human plague infection in the continental United States was identified in San Francisco's Chinatown in March 1900. Public-health workers confronted a real …
18–21 April 1906
San Francisco and the San Andreas Fault rupture zone, United States
At 5:12 a.m. on 18 April, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake ruptured hundreds of kilometers of the San Andreas Fault. Severe shaking damaged communities across northern California. In …
22 July 1916
West side of Steuart Street just south of Market Street, United States
At 2:06 p.m. on 22 July 1916, a suitcase bomb exploded beside San Francisco's enormous Preparedness Day parade, killing ten people and wounding about forty. Labor activists …
5 July 1934
Former maritime union headquarters at Mission and Steuart Streets, United States
During the 1934 West Coast maritime strike, employers and city officials tried to reopen San Francisco's port with strikebreakers and police escorts. On 5 July, police fought …
17 July 1944
Port Chicago Naval Magazine explosion pier and national memorial, United States
Two explosions destroyed the ammunition-loading pier at Port Chicago Naval Magazine on 17 July 1944, killing 320 sailors and civilians. Of the dead, 202 were Black enlisted …
20 November 1969–11 June 1971
Alcatraz Island, United States
On 20 November 1969, Native students and activists landed on vacant Alcatraz Island and claimed it as Indian Land. Calling themselves Indians of All Tribes, they demanded …
27 November 1978
San Francisco City Hall, United States
Former San Francisco supervisor Dan White entered City Hall on 27 November 1978 and shot Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in their offices. Moscone had …
17 October 1989
Cypress Street Viaduct collapse zone and memorial park, United States
When the magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake struck on 17 October 1989, a 0.7-mile section of Oakland's double-deck Cypress Street Viaduct collapsed. The upper roadway fell onto …
19–23 October 1991
Fire origin slope above 7151 Buckingham Boulevard, United States
A brush fire above Buckingham Boulevard was controlled on 19 October 1991, then escaped again the next morning under hot, dry Diablo winds. Flames and wind-borne embers …
9 September 2010
Line 132 rupture at Earl Avenue and Glenview Drive, United States
At about 6:11 p.m. on 9 September 2010, Pacific Gas and Electric's 30-inch Line 132 ruptured beneath San Bruno's Crestmoor neighborhood. Escaping natural gas ignited, killing eight …
6 August 2012
No. 4 Crude Unit, Chevron Richmond Refinery, United States
On 6 August 2012, severely corroded piping ruptured in the No. 4 Crude Unit at Chevron's Richmond refinery. Hot hydrocarbon liquid formed a large flammable vapor cloud …