All times in UTC ·
Dashed edge = started before, or continues beyond, this day
Events on Tuesday 31 August 1886 1
1886Charleston earthquakeMajor earthquake devastates South CarolinaA magnitude-7 earthquake struck near Charleston, South Carolina, killing around 60 people and destroying much of the city's downtown. It remains the most powerful and damaging earthquake recorded in the southeastern United States. Reconstruction reshaped the city's architecture for decades afterward.