While defining history's "darkest" period is subjective, World War II (1939-1945) is widely considered the most devastating due to its unparalleled scale of death (70-85 million), the systematic horror of the Holocaust, widespread civilian suffering, and the introduction of nuclear warfare, making it a strong contender for the darkest time in human history. However, other events like the Mongol conquests, famines (e.g., 536 AD), or prolonged genocides also present powerful claims for historical darkness, depending on focus.
' Falling in the time known as the 'Dark Ages', the year 536 AD fully embraced this moniker as Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia were plunged into 24-hour darkness for 18 months. Summer temperatures plummeted between 1.5-2.5°C causing crops to fail and millions to starve to death.
The 'Dark Ages' were between the 5th and 14th centuries, lasting 900 years. The timeline falls between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. It has been called the 'Dark Ages' because many suggest that this period saw little scientific and cultural advancement.
In 2018, medieval scholar Michael McCormick nominated 536 as "the worst year to be alive" because of the volcanic winter of 536 caused by a volcanic eruption early in the year, causing average temperatures in Europe and China to decline and resulting in crop failures and famine for well over a year.
World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China.
WW2 soldiers carried condoms primarily for disease prevention (STDs like syphilis and gonorrhea) and for practical combat uses, such as keeping sand and mud out of their rifle barrels, protecting small items, or even as makeshift waterproof bags, although the weapon-protection use is sometimes exaggerated in popular culture. The military distributed them widely (often in "prophylactic kits") to maintain troop strength, recognizing the significant manpower lost to venereal diseases in past conflicts.
Abstract. Ask medieval historian Michael McCormick which year was the worst to be alive, and he's got an answer: "536." In that year, a mysterious fog plunged Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia into darkness, day and night—for 18 months.
1816, also known as the 'Year Without Summer,' 'Poverty Year,' and 'Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death. ' The eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in 1815 triggered a change in the global climate. The heavier material fell to the ground and the ocean's surface.
Only wealthy people of means got to use cloth, rags, wool, or cotton to wipe their bottoms in the Medieval Era . The majority of peasants had to make do grass, straw, moss, leaves, wooden sticks, wood shavings, or hay.
Those who did not recant their heresy would be severely punished. Officials saw a break in moral and religious views because of homosexuality. Thus, it was seen as a pagan view; those considered guilty would be charged with capital punishment.
Patterns of violence appear to peak in the Copper Age (Circa 4500 BC to 3300 BC), as indicated by bashed skulls and weapon-inflected wounds, and then decline in the early/mid Bronze Age (Crica 3300 BC to 1500 BC).
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded.
AD 536. A year of failed crops and of famine. A volcanic eruption had thrown a vast ash cloud into the stratosphere and according to accounts 'the sun became dark'.
The Worst Times to Be Alive: History's Most Dangerous Decades
When imagining the worst year to be alive, many might think of the devastation caused by the Black Death in 1349 or the flu pandemic of 1918. But one will be shocked to know that it happened much before that. According to medieval historian Michael McCormick, the year 536 stands out as the worst period to be alive.
Temperatures in the summer of 536 fell 1.5°C to 2.5°C, initiating the coldest decade in the past 2300 years. Snow fell that summer in China; crops failed; people starved. The Irish chronicles record "a failure of bread from the years 536–539." Then, in 541, bubonic plague struck the Roman port of Pelusium, in Egypt.
But in the year 536, much of the world went dark for a full 18 months, as a mysterious fog rolled over Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia. The fog blocked the sun during the day, causing temperatures to drop, crops to fail and people to die. It was, you might say, the literal Dark Age.
3 AM is considered scary due to folklore calling it the "Witching Hour" or "Devil's Hour," a time when supernatural beings are strong and the veil between worlds thins, but it's also linked to physiological factors like being cold, deep sleep cycles (REM), and increased anxiety when awake in the quiet, dark, and still night. The quiet allows unsettling thoughts to surface, amplified by darkness and strange noises, making mundane things feel threatening.
Ever. What was the worst year to be alive on planet Earth? We make the case for 536 AD, which set off a cascade of catastrophes that is almost too horrible to imagine.
#1 1346 and The Black Death
Some estimates of the death toll of the Black Plague reach up to 200 million souls.
By the end of the war, approximately 7,000 of the 10,500 SIS staff were female. These women on the home front contributed to the Allied victory by successfully breaking codes and deciphering enemy messages. The women cryptologists were held to strict secrecy and would become one of the best-kept secrets of WWII.
'Bad' girls have always known how to look after themselves. Barrier methods were always very popular. A halved, emptied lemon skin placed over the cervix worked well, for example, as did sponges soaked in natural spermicides such as vinegar.
The Bible literally has zero to say on condoms.