116 years ago today, on January 2, 1909 (December 11, 1908 lunar calendar), an earthquake struck Messina, Italy 200,000 people died. Messina people fled their homes January 2, 1909. The earthquake struck southern Italy last Monday, and people's fears were not without reason. The earthquake killed more than 200,000 people. Starvation and pneumonia will kill many more. Men and women who lost their families committed suicide. Outlaws robbed jewellery from dead bodies. The economic damage of 1 billion dollars is insignificant compared to the disasters suffered by people. In La Saleto, the Pope provided refuge for refugees, and the Archbishop of Messina was buried under his collapsed palace for five days, and now he is recovering. The king and queen, who survived, are now nursing the wounded. The king had barely passed a wall when it collapsed. The queen was almost trampled underfoot by the fleeing people when aftershocks struck. The governments of France, Greece, Argentina and other countries donated large amounts of disaster relief funds. The US Congress voted for $800,000 in aid. Four US warships laden with food and medicine are en route to Naples through the Suez Canal.