The biggest wave ever recorded by humans was documented on July 9, 1958, in Lituya Bay, in southeast Alaska, when an earthquake triggered a series of events that resulted in a megatsunami.

The colossal wave leveled trees on the steep slopes surrounding the bay up to a maximum height of 1,719 feet (524 meters) above sea level — higher than New York's Empire State Building (which stands at 1,454 feet, or 443 m). This is known as the runup height, or the height the wave reaches after it makes landfall.