Historical eventDecember 22856

856 Damghan earthquake

An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.9 struck the eastern Alborz mountains in Persia, causing an estimated 200,000 deaths.

Everything on December 22Original source

In context

When
Tuesday, December 22 8561170 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
9th century · 850s
Calendar
Julian — as recorded at the time
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Dates before 15 October 1582 are in the Julian calendar, so the weekday shown follows the Julian reckoning of the time.

At a glance

Dates: From 856.

What happened

An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.9 struck the eastern Alborz mountains in Persia, causing an estimated 200,000 deaths.

December 22 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 856856 Damghan earthquake
  2. 2001Richard Reid
  3. 2001Burhanuddin Rabbani
  4. 2008Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill
  5. 2010Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010
  6. 2012Bashir Ahmad Bilour
  7. 2014United States Copyright Office
  8. 2016RVSV-ZEBOV vaccine
  9. 2017United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397
  10. 20182018–2019 United States federal government shutdown
  11. 20182018 Sunda Strait tsunami

Sources

Cite this page

“856 Damghan earthquake”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/856-damghan-earthquake-856-december-22, accessed October 28, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did 856 Damghan earthquake happen?

December 22 856 — 1170 years ago, on a Tuesday.

Is this a Julian or a Gregorian date?

It is the date as recorded at the time, on the Julian calendar. The Gregorian equivalent falls about ten days later; sources from different countries may give either.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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