Complex sentence: What first motivated the theory was a study of rumors immediately following a severe earthquake in India in 1934 reporting the widespread circulation and acceptance of rumors predicting even worse disasters to come among people living in areas that felt the shock but sustained no damage.
Split into simpler sentences: What first motivated the theory was a study of rumors immediately following a severe earthquake in India in 1934. The study reported the widespread circulation and acceptance of rumors predicting even worse disasters to come among people living in areas that felt the shock but sustained no damage.