10 Moments in History That Were More Horrifying Than You Realize

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at times where the nitty gritty details of major events were even worse than you may recall.

#10: Cannibalism During WWII (1941-45)

While the Nazis may have gotten much of the attention, the Imperial Japanese Army committed numerous atrocities during WWII. Among the most horrifying were acts of cannibalism committed against civilians and POWs. Japanese historian Yuki Tanaka[a] details dozens of cases where Japanese soldiers engaged in cannibalism. Often, these acts were driven by hunger, amid Allied attacks on supply lines, but that was not always the case. In the Chichijima incident of 1944, Japanese officers executed and consumed captured American airmen. One of their commanders, Lieutenant General Yoshio Tachibana, was later tried and executed along with some of his subordinates.

#9: The U.S. Soldiers of the My Lai[b] Massacre (1968)

The My Lai Massacre is one of the worst crimes in U.S. military history. Hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians were brutalized and murdered by American soldiers in 1968. Warrant officer Hugh Thompson Jr. and his crew saved as many Vietnamese civilians as they could. He ordered his crew to open fire on their fellow soldiers if they continued the slaughter, evacuating those he could and reporting the incident to his superiors. The U.S. government then attempted to cover up the event. Lieutenant William Calley Jr., the only man convicted, served just three years under house arrest after President Nixon reduced the length and severity of his sentence. Meanwhile, Thompson faced years of death threats. He carried the psychological scars of his heroism for the rest of his life.

#8: The Partition of India (1947)

World War II led to the release of many colonial holdings by major powers. The most significant example is the 1947 Partition of India. It was meant to bring peace: British India was spun off into a mostly Hindu India and mostly Muslim Pakistan. Instead, it unleashed chaos. Critical boundaries were drawn by a British lawyer with little understanding of local complexities. This led to one of history's largest migrations. Around 15 million people fled across hastily drawn borders, often facing violent mobs, starvation, and disease. Communal hatred exploded into massacres, sexual violence, and kidnappings. An estimated 1-2 million were killed. The scars remain visible today. The current India-Pakistan nuclear conflict makes their shared border one of the most dangerous flashpoints in the world.

#7: Paragraph 175 (1945)

In the 1920s and early 1930s, Berlin was a beacon of gay progress. Its thriving gay scene made Berlin the global capital of queer culture, full of gay bars and entertainment. But the rise of the Nazis shattered this haven. Gay people became prime targets for persecution, seen as symbols of the so-called public immorality eroding Germany. Paragraph 175, a law criminalizing intimate acts between men was weaponized by the Nazis. Over 100,000 men were arrested. Thousands were subsequently sent to concentration camps. Marked by pink triangles, many were tortured, experimented on, and killed. Astonishingly, the postwar German government upheld Paragraph 175. The statute was enforced in various forms for the next 50 years until it was removed from the German criminal code 1994. In 2017, Germany overturned Paragraph 175 convictions from 1949 to 1969, a small step toward justice.

#6: Government-Backed Terrorist Radio in The Rwandan Genocide (1994)

The 1994 Rwandan genocide is widely recognized for both its staggering loss of life, and the world's inaction. Up to 800,000 lives were snuffed out in about 100 days and the world watched it happen. A lesser-known, yet undeniably horrifying aspect of the massacres was the role of state-sponsored media. Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines, a radio station backed by the Hutu-led government, broadcast hate-filled propaganda. Day in and day out, radio - the primary source of mass communications - dehumanized the Tutsi minority by referring to them as "cockroaches." DJs explicitly called for their extermination. This orchestrated media campaign not only fueled the genocide, but also mobilized ordinary citizens to commit atrocities against their neighbors. Mass media was a propaganda tool deadlier than any gun or machete.

#5: The Holodomor[c] (1932-33)

You’ve heard about the war in Ukraine after the 2022 invasion. Maybe you even know about the Russian annexation of Ukrainian Crimea in 2014. But did you know about the disputed human-made famine during Soviet Ukraine in 1932? The Holodomor, or “death by hunger,” wasn’t just a famine though - it’s considered by many as an act of terror by Joseph Stalin’s regime. Soviet soldiers and officials confiscated Ukrainian grain. Worse, they banned trade and prohibited many villagers from leaving their homes. Millions of Ukrainians starved to death. To ensure the world wouldn’t know, the Soviet government suppressed census data. They even executed statisticians who exposed the population collapse. This wasn’t just mass starvation; it was a mass erasure, engineered to break the Ukrainian spirit and erase their identity.

#4: The Congo Free State & A Savage Belgian King (1885–1908)

Often overlooked by western activists, The Democratic Republic of Congo remains one of the most dangerous places on Earth. This tragic fact is deeply rooted in its horrific colonial history. At the turn of the 20th century, the Congo was the personal property of King Leopold II of Belgium. Leopold ruled his massive, profitable state with unrelenting savagery. He turned the entire region into a nationwide labor camp. He forced millions into working in rubber and ivory extraction. Those who didn’t meet quotas faced mutilation and/or death, with entire villages wiped out. An estimated 10 million people perished during his reign of terror. While the Congo was eventually taken from him, the scars of his greed and inhumanity are permanently etched into the nation’s soul.

#3: The Suffering of the Hibakusha[d] (1945-)

A common narrative in the West is that the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were necessary evils. Historians have debated that belief ever since. Very little discussion, though, is had about the Japanese citizens who survived the bombs. The atomic bombings claimed a combined death toll of nearly 250,000. For survivors, known as hibakusha, the nightmare was only beginning. Beyond the searing trauma of lost loved ones and destroyed homes, they faced many health issues. Survivors suffered decades of cancers, and chronic illnesses caused by radiation exposure. Social ostracization compounded their suffering. Hibakusha were often shunned as tainted by other Japanese due to fears of contamination or illness. Many struggled to find work or marry, trapped by stigma.

#2: The Nuclear Arms Race Poisoned Navajo Nation (1944-89)

The Navajo Nation has paid a staggering price for America’s nuclear ambitions. Between 1944 and 1989, uranium mining on Navajo land extracted over 30 million tons of ore. Neither private companies nor the federal government gave any regard to worker safety or environmental health. Many Navajo miners toiled unprotected, inhaling radioactive dust and drinking contaminated water. Navajo Nation has since been plagued with cancers and chronic illnesses. Even decades after mining ended, over 500 abandoned mines and polluted sites continue to poison the land and water. Federal nuclear testing in nearby regions likewise exposed entire communities to radioactive fallout. While programs like the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act offered some aid, they’re only a small step in addressing the profound generational harm.

#1: The Black Death Led to Persecution of Jews (1300s)

The Black Death ravaged Europe, killing nearly half the population in the mid-14th century. But while the bubonic plague decimated cities, another horror unfolded in town squares across the continent: the widespread persecution of Jewish people. Jewish communities were accused of poisoning wells and spreading the plague, leading to both brutal massacres and pogroms. Ironically, their lower infection rates may have actually been related to Jewish everyday life: religious practices like the mikveh, a ritual bath, and strict dietary and hygiene laws seemingly helped keep Jewish communities healthy. But this was just misinterpreted as evidence of guilt. Instead of recognizing these practices as protective measures, superstitious fear fueled mass violence. Entire communities were wiped out in pogroms, and the plague became an excuse for rampant antisemitism.

History is full of tragedies compounded by bad choices and malice. What other tragedies are worse than we remember? Let us know in the comments below.

[a]YOO-kee tah-NAW-kuh

https://youtu.be/AoBaZyxGV2g?si=tyvbKP8OHgeAFN1X&t=2862
ch-CHEE-JEE-mah https://forvo.com/search/%E7%88%B6%E5%B3%B6/
yoh-SHEE-oh tah-CHEEBA-nah https://forvo.com/search/%E7%AB%8B%E8%8A%B1%20%E8%8A%B3%E5%A4%AB/
[b]mee lye https://forvo.com/search/My%20Lai/en/
[c]HOH-LUH-DUH-more / HOLA-DUH-more https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Holodomor
[d]hee-BAWK-shah / hee-BAWKu-SHAH https://youtu.be/5YN5TG-Yt2Q?si=4JwwGWxCL2vJciLz&t=9