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Concepcion earthquake 1835
On February 20th 1835, a large earthquake (estimated M8.1-8.2) shook the cities of Concepción and Talcuahano in Chile, and generated a large tsunami which battered the Chilean coastline. "He was accustomed to uncertainty, to the earth shifting beneath his feet, to the idea that life could be uprooted in an instant." -
Opium War
The Opium Wars in the mid-19th century were a critical juncture in modern Chinese history. The first Opium War was fought between China and Great Britain from 1839 to 1842. Allende writes, “In 1839, when the first Opium War between China and Great Britain broke out, Tao Chien was sixteen years old.” -
Chilean Silver Rush
Between 1830 and 1850 Chilean silver mining grew at an unprecedented pace which transformed mining into one of the country's principal sources of wealth. The rush caused rapid demographic, infrastructural, and economic expansion in the semi-arid Norte Chico mountains where the silver deposits lay. "The discovery of rich silver veins in Chañarcillo led to an economic boom, attracting miners from across the country and abroad." -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
On May 30, 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. “This treaty, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the war between the United States and Mexico.” Allende writes, “The yellow pellet that unleashed the madness was found nine days after the war between Mexico and the United States had ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.” -
First miners arrive from the East Coast
In February of 1848, the first miners arrived from the east coast to join the gold rush, ” 1st boat load of gold rush prospectors arrives in San Francisco from the east coast”. Allende writes, “ Tao Chien and Eliza’s feet first touched the soil of San Francisco on a Tuesday in April of 1849…By then thousands of adventurers had briefly passed through on their way to the placers.” -
California enters statehood
On September 9, 1850, California became the 31st state. In the novel, Allende says, “in September of 1850, Tao was present at the noisy patriotic celebration when California became the newest state in the union. The American nation took in the whole continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific.” -
Levi Strauss
In 1853, Levi Strauss founded a business in San Francisco during the height of the Gold Rush. He crafted tough pants made out of denim to withstand rough conditions, a necessity for miners. In the novel, Allende states, “ Minors were working on salary in the ones getting rich were the impresarios, as avid for sudden wealth as the adventures of ‘49, but much cleverer, like that tailor named Levi who was making pants with double seems and metal studs, the obligatory miner’s uniform.” -
SF population skyrockets
By 1859, San Francisco’s population skyrocketed to 25,000 once gold rush fever swept through the country. In the novel, Allende says, during the summer and autumn months of 1849, Eliza rode the length of the mother lode from south to north, from Mariposa to Downieville and back again, following the ever fainter trail of Joaquin Andieta from the rivers to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.”