Thank you Mr Richter

National Richter Scale Day is observed annually on April 26.  This day honors the birth of the Richter Scale inventor, Charles F. Richter (April 26, 1900 – September 30, 1985).

Richter was an American seismologist and physicist most famous as the inventor of the Richter magnitude scale, which quantified the size of earthquakes.  While working at the California Institute of Technology, with Beno Gutenberg, Richter first used the scale in 1935.

After the Richter Scale was published in 1935, it immediately became the standard measure of earthquake intensity.  Since 1935, there have been other magnitude scales developed.  Depending on what data is available, different ones are used however most are not as popularly known as Richter Scale.

The United States Geological Service records show that the biggest earthquake since 1900, was in Chili on May, 1960.  Measuring 9.5 on the Richter Scale it is known as the Great Chilean Earthquake. 

Following is a link of the 10 largest earthquakes: https://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763403.html