In 1755 the Portuguese capital Lisbon was destroyed by an earthquake, a serious fire and a tsunami. The destruction of the capital had a tremendous effect on the politics, the culture and the science in the country.
Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo was the Secretary of the State of Internal Affairs of the Kingdom in the government of Joseph I of Portugal from 1750 to 1777. He is known for his economic and financial reforms. After the earthquake he was in charge of the reconstruction of Lisbon, where many earthquake-proof buildings were constructed. In 1769 he became the 1st Marquis of Pombal.
The Praça Marquês de Pombal was built after the earthquake. It is located at the end of the Avenida de Liberdade. First it was known as Rotunda, Round Square. On the square is today a 36m tall statue of Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, which was built between 1917 and 1934.
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