On 10 November 1940 a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the Vrancea region of Romania at 3:39 a.m., while most people were at home. It was the strongest earthquake recorded in Romania in the 20th century. Its focus lay about 133 kilometres deep, which spread strong shaking over a wide area: the greatest damage covered 80,000 square kilometres, and effects were felt across more than 2 million square kilometres, from Leningrad to Greece and from Warsaw to the Moscow area. Bucharest, to the south, suffered serious damage.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.