10 Darkest Moments in Human History

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at 10 of the bleakest chapters of humanity’s past.

The Mongol Conquest (1206-1368)

Imagine living in 13th-14th century Eurasia when the Mongol armies swept with a storm of destruction that reshaped continents. Led by Genghis Khan and his descendants, the armies thundered across Asia, toppling kingdoms and wiping out entire cities. Populations were slaughtered and scholars estimate tens of millions lost their lives – a scale of bloodshed rarely matched in history. For over 160 years, people lived in fear of sudden strikes, never knowing if their homes would be next. And had the Mongols pushed further west deeper into Europe, the tragedy would have been even more devastating. For those who lived through it, this wasn't just war – it was one of the darkest nightmares you wouldn’t wish on your enemies.

Siege of Carthage (149-146 BCE)

In 149 BCE, Rome unleashed its full force against Carthage in what was known as the “Third Punic War.” For three years, Carthage was besieged on land and sea by Roman legions. For Carthaginians, their greatest threat came in the person of Scipio Aemilianus, the ruthless and relentless Roman commander. Under Scipio, in 146 BCE, Carthage finally fell and their defeat was nothing short of brutal. Roman soldiers marched across the city, slaughtering anyone they found, setting homes ablaze and unleashing hell. Survivors didn’t escape the horror; they were bound and sold into slavery, while their city was left in ruins. A Roman decree forbade anyone from rebuilding the city, marking one of the bleakest moments in ancient history.

Great Chinese Famine (1959-61)

Between 1959 and 1961, the people of China faced one of their darkest times as they were struck with a deadly famine. While natural disasters like floods and droughts may have played a role, the real blow came from government policies. Under Mao Zedong’s “Great Leap Forward,” China was meant to transform overnight from a farming nation into a modern Communist powerhouse. But instead, it turned disastrous. Farms were collectivized, harvests mismanaged, and the officials inflated food production reports. The result was mass starvation. Entire villages wasted away, and in just three years, an estimated 15 to 55 million people died. Some factions of the government attempted to cover up this tragedy, but for countless families, this manmade nightmare scarred the nation forever.

The Rwandan Massacre (1994)

April 1994 will forever be remembered by Rwandans as the start of a bitter genocide. For the next 100 days, Hutu militias carried out a wave of violence, slaughtering Tutsis and even moderate Hutus who opposed the killings. Armed with machetes and guns, the Hutu militia raided villages, tore families apart and subjected women to horrific sexual violence. By the time the killings stopped, the death toll was staggering–between 500,000 to 800,000 people had been wiped out. What made it even more chilling? The world stood by, offering little to no intervention as the horror unfolded. Although Rwanda is going through reconciliation and healing today, those haunting 100 days still reshaped its history.

Trail of Tears (1830-1850)

You wake up one morning to find your family's land, your farms, your rivers, even your ancestors’ graves all suddenly taken from you. That was the cruel reality for the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole between 1830 and 1850. The U.S. government eyed their resource-rich ground and forcefully uprooted entire nations from their ancestral lands. They were marched west of the Mississippi to what they called “Indian Territory.” The journey became known as the “Trail of Tears,” and for good reason. Diseases spread, food ran out, and tens of thousands died of exhaustion along the way. For the Native Americans who survived, the pain was immeasurable–they’d lost their culture and history, forever ripped from the soil that shaped their identity.

September 11th (2001)

Just an ordinary Tuesday morning turned out to be America’s darkest day in modern history. On September 11, 2001, out of nowhere, 19 terrorists hijacked four planes and shattered U.S. skies, targeting symbols of its power. Two planes crashed into New York’s Twin Towers, one struck the Pentagon, and the fourth plane–headed for Washington–was brought down in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. Behind this gruesome attack was al-Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden, framing it as retaliation against U.S. foreign policy. By day’s end, nearly 3000 lives were lost and thousands more injured. In response, America launched a global “War on Terror,” sparking conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and ushering in a decade defined by bloodshed, fear, and uncertainty.

Spanish Flu (1918-1920)

You survive World War I, thinking the worst is finally over; then comes an enemy far deadlier than any battlefield – the Spanish Flu. That was the reality in 1918, when the mysterious virus erupted suddenly and swept across the globe. With soldiers and civilians constantly on the move, it spread like wildfire, infecting nearly a third of the global population. Striking in multiple waves, and with no treatments or real medical knowledge available, the world was defenseless. Within two years, tens of millions were dead–far more than the lives claimed in the war itself. Despite attempts to censor reports on the virus, the devastation exposed a brutal truth–humanity is fragile and nations can easily be brought to their knees.

Atomic Attacks of Hiroshima & Nagasaki (1945)

In August 1945, World War II neared its end, but Japan was holding on. Then came a turning point that shook the world. The U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in Hiroshima on August 6, and three days later, they dropped another in Nagasaki. The effects were catastrophic – tens of thousands killed instantly, and thousands more perishing later from burns and radiation. Children, families, entire generations were erased in moments, and even survivors carried unbearable sickness and grief. What made this more haunting? The casualties were mostly innocent civilians, marking the only time nuclear weapons were ever used in war. While some argue the bombings forced Japan’s surrender, others maintain it was atrocious. Either way, the world vowed to never let such horror unfold again.

The Black Death (1346-1353)

In the mid-14th century, Europe was struck with a nightmare – the Black Death, also known as “The Plague.” It likely began in Central Asia, but found its way westward in Europe through busy trade routes, tearing up the entire continent. The plague, carried by fleas and rats, unleashed devastation of unimaginable proportions. Between 1346 and 1353, it killed an estimated 25-50 million people–nearly half of Europe's entire population. With its brutal symptoms and high mortality rate, it erased entire towns, making it one of the most fatal pandemics in history. Though the plague resurfaced in later centuries, these occurrences did not match this scale. The Black Death left a shock that shattered medieval society, weakening feudalism and reshaping Europe’s future forever.

The Holocaust (1941-1945)

From 1933, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party seized power, they pushed a twisted ideology – casting Jews as enemies of the state and an inferior race. By 1941, what started as propaganda and discrimination spiralled into something even darker – a ruthless and systematic mass murder. Millions of Jewish men, women and children were either herded into ghettos or executed in multiple death camps. By 1945, an estimated 6 million Jews had been killed, alongside millions of other victims deemed undesirable by the Nazi regime. They claimed they were purifying the world, but in reality, they carried out a barbaric genocide – what became known as “The Holocaust.” To this day, the world stares back at this horror, forever reminded of the dangers of unchecked hatred.

Which of these periods in history was the bleakest? Do let us know in the comment section.