Terrorist activity, a new round of international tension, geopolitical upheavals, economic problems - the last few years have definitely been remembered for a long time. However, no matter how difficult the trials that fell for this period of time may seem, objectively we cannot include the year in the list of the worst years in the history of mankind. The next time depression shows its grip again, just reread this material and cheer up. There have been worse. Much, much worse.
1348 Plague
A terrible disease spread along the Great Silk Road and in just 18 months destroyed at least a third of the entire population of Europe. Hell on Earth represented the image of a plague doctor in a mask with a bird's beak: this is how doctors protected themselves from the unbearable stench of rotting corpses. However, the disease spurred a veritable golden age in history. Different social strata leveled their incomes, the economy exploded, and art flourished.
1492 Journey of Christopher Columbus
The colonization of North America by Europeans does not seem, at first glance, such a gloomy event. However, the diseases brought to the mainland caused the demographic collapse of the indigenous population. By the 19th century, about 90% of the Indians had died. To make matters worse, the colonialists turned to Africa in search of new labor - and this was the beginning of the formation of the slave trade throughout the world.
Promotional video:
1812 Patriotic War
The invasion of Napoleon's army into Russia was the beginning of a series of terrible disasters that seized almost all of Europe. The almost complete destruction of the invading army transferred the hostilities to the territory of modern Poland and Germany, while the economic consequences were felt even after a dozen years.
1914 World War I
The first year after the start of the Great War (the First World War was named much later) was a terrible test for humanity. Only during this period of time, about 10 million people died, during the entire war, 65 million people were registered as dead and missing.
1919 Influenza Pandemic
Almost immediately after the devastating carnage, a terrible flu pandemic erupted in the world. According to reliable estimates, almost 5% of the world's population died.
1942 World War II
The Germans raged on the territory of the Soviet Union, the Japanese destroyed the Western empires in Asia. It seemed as if nothing could turn the tide of history back - but at the end of the same year, the situation turned in favor of the Allies. Nevertheless, the outbreak of war really made 1942 one of the worst years in the history of mankind.
1945 Hiroshima
The nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki showed what nature is hiding in Pandora's box. Hundreds of thousands of people died on the spot and millions of people suffering from radiation for many years. Humanity suddenly realized that it could destroy itself due to some kind of territorial disputes - and, finally, it got a little scared.