Major would probably be a 8.0 or 9. One that is a 7 can be bad too. A moderate one from personal experience would be 4 or 5.
I was 10 when the Sylmar earthquake hit southern California and it was a 6.6. I lived about 40 miles south and it shook our house pretty good. Been through countless others.
Earthquake magnitudes are measured using the Richter Magnitude Scale. On this scale (ranging from 0-10), anything below 4.9 can cause some shaking, but usually doesn't cause damage. These are minor quakes.An earthquake ranging from 5.0 - 5.9 can cause significant damage to poorly constructed buildings, and strong quakes from 6.0 - 6.9 can be destructive in a 100 mile diameter.
7.0 -7. 9 magnitude earthquakes only occur about 180 times a year. These are substantially destructive.
Anything above that (8.0-10.0) is highly uncommon, or has never happened.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.