2020 has been regarded by many as the worst year that the human race has witnessed as far as their memories go. The year started off with the death of 500 million animals in a destructive bushfire in Australia.
And then the arrival of Covid-19 claimed almost 3,45,000 lives out of 5.43 million total number of cases(at the time of filing this story). The most developed economies are destroyed, people went jobless, families separated, the fears of coronavirus are ever-increasing and then add up the natural disasters around the world – It’s a terribly unlucky and disastrous year for millions.
But this hasn’t been the only worst year we have known. History tells us about more such horrible years.
Here are five worst years in the history of mankind.
1347 - Black Death
From the years of 1347 to 1351, the Black Death caused by plague killed off almost 200 million around the world. It is by far is regarded as one of the most fatal pandemics in the world.
With all probability, as per scientists, the plague originated through fleas on rats in Asia and then carried off to Europe in 1347.
It is said that the plague killed off almost 50% to 60% of the total population in Europe.
It is during the same time the method of quarantine was invented. In a port city Ragusa, controlled by Venice, newly arrived sailors were isolated and kept in their ships for 40 days or a quarantine. This practice later came to be known as quarantine.
Black Death was caused by the same plague, popularly known as The Plague of Justinian, that created havoc in 542-546 AD in the Roman Empire. It had killed almost 100 million at the time. This establishes the fact that the plague from 542 AD returned hundreds of years later causing another deadly pandemic.
1665 – London Massacre
Plague never really went away from Britain at least after 1347. It kept on coming back after every 2 decades. It’s said the plague attacked the country almost 40 times in 300 years, the last one being in 1665.
London was the worst-hit in 1665 as plague resurfaced for one last time. It killed off 100,000 people only in the city of London within a span of only 7 months.
People went insane with the piling up dead bodies. The sick were locked inside their homes with Red Crosses put up outside. There used to be apologies too written as ‘Lord have mercy upon us’ outside the houses of the sick.
The family members of the infected had to carry a white pole whenever they decided to go out. As people believed that animals also carried the infection, there had been a massive animal slaughter in the city.
It was a very cruel year in the history of London.
1520 – Smallpox
Smallpox was brought in Mexico majorly by Spanish forces. And that ended up destroying the entire Aztec Empire. The war and the disease proved to be a fatal combination for the Mexicans during this period of time. For hundreds of years post-1520, smallpox created havoc in the country. It is said their population of 11 million was reduced to 1 million following the frequent outbreaks.
Smallpox also arrived in the Americas in the 1630s and killed off tens of thousands. The native population in the Americas was especially wiped out by the disease.
It is said the city of Boston witnessed 6 outbreaks over a period of 12 years. The final one took place in 1721 and the severity had made the whole population flee the city.
As per reports, there had been 500 million deaths in the world due to smallpox during the 20th century.
1941-1945 – The Holocaust
In a matter of a few years, Germany headed by Adolf Hitler, killed off six million Jews in Germany occupied Europe.
The German government systematically isolated the Jewish population from the mainstream through the years. From boycotting Jewish business to locking them in concentration camps, the then German authorities did everything to make the lives of Jews a living hell.
From the year of 1941 to 1945, the Jews were killed off in gas chambers or gas vans. A similar fate was faced by men who were gay, people suffering from diseases that could not be cured, Soviet POWs or civilians and anyone else who opposed the fascist government of Germany. Reports suggest such people also counted for another 11 million.
1918-1920 – The Spanish Flu
The 1918 Spanish flu had spread from an army camp in Kansas, USA. It had infected almost one-third of the total population within a span of just 2 years. It had come in four waves killing off almost 50 million – 100 million worldwide.
The 2nd wave of the disease specifically had turned out to be disastrous for the world. It had killed off thousands in the cities of USA, Europe and quickly it spread to India as well killing off 12 million to 17 million people.
The disease had returned as ‘Asian Flu’ in 1957 from China and killed off almost 2 million people. In the USA also, more than 69,000 people died. However, in 1957 itself Dr. Maurice Hilleman developed a vaccine that eventually saved lives.
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