Editing Managua (section)

===20th century===
[[File:Managua terremoto 31.jpg|thumb|left|Aftermath of the [[1931 Nicaragua earthquake|1931 earthquake]]]]
A [[1931 Nicaragua earthquake|disastrous earthquake in 1931]] and large fire in 1936<ref>[https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA081FF83C5E167B93C2AB178FD85F428385F9&scp=1 "Managua trade area is swept by flames"], ''The New York Times''. April 20, 1936. Page 7.</ref> destroyed much of the city. Under the rule of [[Anastasio Somoza García]] and his family (1936–1979), the city was rebuilt and began to grow rapidly. New government buildings were erected, industry developed, and universities were established. The city's development caught the attention of [[Irving Fields]] and [[Albert Gamse]], who composed a [[Managua, Nicaragua (song)|musical piece]] about the city that became popular in the 1940s through the performances of [[Freddy Martin]], [[Guy Lombardo]] and [[Kay Kyser]].<ref name=Whitburn>
{{cite book
  | last = Whitburn
  | first = Joel
  | author-link = Joel Whitburn
  | title = Top Pop Records 1940–1955
  | publisher = Record Research
  | year = 1973 }}
</ref>

Managua's progress came to a sudden halt after it suffered a [[1972 Nicaragua earthquake|second major earthquake]] on December 23, 1972, which destroyed 90% of the city's downtown and killed more than 19,120 people.<ref>{{cite news |title=Deadly history of earthquakes: 23 December 1972 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/2059330.stm |work=BBC News |access-date=2007-08-19 }}</ref> Infrastructure was severely damaged and rehabilitation or restoration of buildings was nearly impossible and at the time, Managua's limited resources had to be directed to other disaster relief purposes. Managua's ability to cope with the disaster was also limited. Surviving fire squadrons and ambulance companies were not able to handle the skyrocketing demand for their services. Some buildings burned to the ground, while the foundations of others simply gave way. Not able to rebuild quickly, the city directed emergency workers to clear away much of the city's ruins quickly while burying the deceased in mass graves. Residences, government buildings and entire avenues were demolished. Escaping the city center, earthquake victims found refuge in the outskirts of the city. To add insult to injury, corruption within the [[Somoza Family|Somoza]] regime which allocated part of the relief funds hindered the reconstruction of the city's center which remains somewhat isolated from the rest of the capital.
[[File:Palacio Loma.jpg|thumb|right|Palacio Loma, Nicaragua's presidential residence, in the 1950s]]
The [[Nicaraguan Revolution]] of 1979 to overthrow the Somoza regime and the 11-year-long [[Contra War]] of the 1980s further devastated the city and its economy. To make matters worse, a series of natural disasters, including [[Hurricane Mitch]] in 1998, made economic recovery more difficult. After winning the presidential election in 1990, the [[National Opposition Union (Nicaragua, 1990)|National Opposition Union]] began the reconstruction of Managua in earnest. More than 300,000 Nicaraguans returned from abroad bringing their expertise and needed capital. Businesses mushroomed, new housing projects and schools were constructed, the airport was expanded and modernized, streets were widened, older malls were repaired and new ones were built, and buildings were cleaned up.