Whose name is attached to the first scale used to measure earthquake magnitude?

Charles F. Richter, working with Beno Gutenberg, introduced the magnitude scale in 1935 for local earthquakes in California. The scale provided a way to quantify earthquake size using seismograph readings rather than only damage reports. Although the original Richter scale is now largely replaced by modern magnitude measures, Richter’s name became widely used in popular language. The scale was a major step in turning earthquakes into a measurable physical phenomenon. Today, scientists commonly use moment magnitude instead.