Year 536 Was the Worst Year to Be Alive - What Happened?

The term "worst year ever" gets tossed around a lot these days,

mostly on the internet, and for reasons like,

I was disappointed in the latest Star Wars movie.

But scientists and historians have actually

argued that no year in the long history of this planet

was worse than the year 536.

While, sure, there have been plenty

of worthy contenders for the worst year

ever over the course of history, no single year

has had more of a measurably bad impact for the decades

that followed.

Today, we're going to explain why the year 536 was the worst

year to be alive.

But before we get started, be sure to subscribe

to the Weird History Channel.

Oh, and leave a comment too and let

us know what piece of history you

would like us to explain next.

OK, now let's settle this once and for all--

year 536, worst year ever.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

While serving as a military advisor

to Belisaurius, one of the Byzantine Empire's

most distinguished generals, Byzantine historian Procopius

noticed some trouble was brewing in the air while traveling

with his boss in Sicily in the year 536.

He wrote of a sun that gave forth light without brightness,

during like the moon, during this whole year.

And it seemed exceedingly like the sun in eclipse

for the beams it shed were not clear nor such as it

is accustomed to shed.

Translated, it was all dark outside, like, all the time.

He, of course, wasn't the only one

to notice the sun appeared to be in a mood during 536.

Michael the Syrian, a Byzantine scribe,

would later write of this period, "The sun became dark

and its darkness lasted for 18 months.

Each day it shone for about four hours,

and still this light was only a feeble shadow.