What was the month, day, day of the week, and time of day, of the 1989 earthquake: margin of error: 10 minutes in the time of day

The seismic event that rocked Northern California in 1989 struck on a Tuesday evening, October 17, at precisely 5:04 p.m. local time. This timing is particularly notable because it coincided with the lead-up to a major sporting event. The region's two Major League Baseball teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, were scheduled to play Game 3 of the World Series at San Francisco's Candlestick Park. The earthquake, which occurred just about half an hour before the game's start, was broadcast on live television, earning it the memorable nickname, the "World Series earthquake".

The earthquake registered a powerful 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale, with its epicenter located in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Loma Prieta Peak. For approximately 15 to 20 seconds, violent shaking caused immense destruction across the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Some of the most catastrophic damage included the collapse of a section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the failure of the double-decked Cypress Street Viaduct on Interstate 880 in Oakland, which resulted in the largest number of fatalities.

In a strange twist of fate, the World Series is credited with preventing an even greater loss of life. Because the game was about to start, many commuters had either left work early or were already at home to watch, meaning that rush-hour traffic on the freeways was significantly lighter than usual when the shaking began. Despite this fortunate circumstance, the earthquake was a devastating event, ultimately causing 63 deaths, thousands of injuries, and billions of dollars in damage.