<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On October 17, 1989, a devastating earthquake struck northern California, killing 60 people, but hundreds escaped due to the timing of major sports final.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta quake had its epicentre about 100km south-east of San Francisco, and was the most powerful since the catastrophic 1906 earthquake levelled the city.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Like decades before, Californians in 1989 had no warning, and for many, the only thing on their mind that day was baseball.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/russia-ukraine-war-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-to-meet-after-phone-call/065a7608-dd01-4d6c-bdbf-1a08345debbc" rel="" target="_blank" title="Trump announces meeting with Putin after lengthy phone call"><strong><span>Trump announces meeting with Putin after lengthy phone call</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Two local clubs, the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants, had reached the World Series, with the teams facing off in the third game at San Francisco's Candlestick Park.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Just a few minutes before the 5.30pm start of the encounter, the earthquake unleashed 17 seconds of destruction.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Baseball fans felt the stadium shaking, and were asked to leave in "an orderly manner" over loudspeaker as the game was hastily abandoned.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/today-in-history-october-17-what-happened-on-this-day/47a9d7dd-b768-4086-96c5-8a691d6eed65" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But other parts of California weren't so lucky.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The quake's impact ruptured gas pipelines in the San Francisco Marina District, triggering huge fires.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/sydney-weather-hottest-october-on-record-could-happen/54f06329-d148-4eae-99a5-a5c30a1b1d1d" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>One capital on track to shatter heat record, temperatures soar in another</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A 20-metre section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge's upper deck collapsed, killing one person, and the double-deck Interstate 880 Cypress Structure pancaked during rush hour, killing 42 of those who died that day and injuring many others.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But hundreds more could have died on the state's highways, if they hadn't left work early to watch the scheduled World Series game on television at home or in bars.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Traffic on the roads during the evening peak hour was fairly light when the quake's 17-second tremor struck at 5.04pm.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The baseball championship was suspended for 10 days, and would become known as the "Earthquake Series".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Loma Prieta earthquake caused 63 deaths, 3757 injuries and an estimated $10 billion in property damage, according to the Geological Survey.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/faulty-engineering-led-to-implosion-of-titan-submersible-headed-to-titanic-wreckage-ntsb-finds/76b4e8ef-59e5-4d88-9cbb-f870ee576575" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>Faulty engineering led to implosion of Titan submersible that killed five</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It was also a wake-up call for authorities to prepare for the potentially even more devastating shocks that scientists say are inevitable in earthquake-prone California.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Since 1989, more than $US30 billion has been invested by various businesses and companies to strengthen San Francisco's infrastructure.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span></span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/today-in-history" target="" title="For more from our Today in History archive, click here."><strong><span>For more from our Today in History archive, click here</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank" title=""><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the 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