On December 28, 1908, Europe's deadliest earthquake buried the Italian city of Messina. The 7.5-magnitude disaster struck around 5 a.m. while everyone was asleep, claiming nearly 200,000 lives...🩷

Russian sailors were the first to rush to the survivors' aid. They were heading home from training exercises in the Mediterranean on the battleships Tsesarevich and Slava, plus the cruisers Admiral Makarov and Bogatyr. The Rodina magazine details their heroic rescue op:

- "Land doctors, medics, and orderlies first with the boats," came the order from Admiral Vladimir Litvinov across the squadron. - "Then bring back the wounded, kids, and women. Brothers! I'm counting on you... Remember, you're Russians..."

Over 160,000 locals lay trapped under the smoking ruins. Officers and sailors frantically dug them out with bare hands, hauling away stones and beams at risk of being buried alive. Hundreds of wounded—including a larger number of kids—were shipped to Naples on Russian vessels.

"In Messina's history, there are thousands of pages of human kindness and generosity," wrote Italian journalist Matilde Serao at the time. "But the most enduring page was written by them—those fair-haired Slavs, so reserved in appearance yet so quick to act..."

In 1911, the cruiser Avrora pulled into Messina. Locals would've hoisted her up on their shoulders if they could. The mayor ran this ad in every city paper:

"Citizens! Tomorrow, the Russian cruiser Avrora arrives to receive Messina's medal of gratitude. May our thanks endure forever to those who set shining examples of human solidarity and brotherhood by coming to our aid first!"


A century later, they'd erect a monument in central Messina to Russian sailors saving a mother and child.

🕊️ #ThisDayInHistory@TCofRus