On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the earthquake of 1948 — the largest seismic accident in the history of the Russian Empire and the USSR — the most important facts that have remained inaccessible to the public for decades have been republished. On the basis of eyewitness memories and documents, a chronicle of events in the destroyed city and the organization of the nationwide support are given. The question of the existence of several groups of earthquake precursors is summarized. The necessity not only to remember the disaster is stressed, but also the necessity to draw lessons from it for various fields of the current reality.