A dark, painterly image depicting four historical disasters: Volcanic Winter, Black Death, Holocaust, and Spanish Flu, with the Grim Reaper overlooking them.

Why other years were worse: 536 AD: A massive volcanic eruption led to a "volcanic winter," causing famine, plunging temperatures for years, and making people vulnerable to the plague, which killed millions. 1348: The Black Death, a pandemic that wiped out as much as 65% of the U.S. population (in terms of current comparison), ravaged Europe. 1944: The Holocaust, the systematic genocide of millions, was at its height during this year. 1918: The Spanish Flu pandemic killed millions worldwide. See more