Watch Movies2Watch. Modern science still researches how exactly tsunamis originate and cause additional havoc in cities they affect. A fascinating case for reconstruction purposes is the ruin of the Portuguese capital Lisbon, on 1 November 1755. The Tsunami killed a fifth of the population. Fear-paralyzed king Joseph's able prime minister, marquess Pombal, took charge of rescue and reconstruction. Minor seismic activity and religious fanatics kept complicating life. This made Pombal the real, absolutist ruler, who finally modernized Portugal.