Ridiculous History Was 536 Really the Worst Year in History?
9 snips
Dec 23, 2025 Is there really a 'worst year' in history? 536 CE gets the dubious honor thanks to mysterious dark clouds and failed crops that led to calamity across Europe and beyond. Discover how volcanic eruptions created a shocking climate shift and linked to the devastating Plague of Justinian. The hosts dive into evidence from ice cores and tree rings, revealing the long-lasting economic impacts. They even consider modern lessons in geoengineering, asking what we might learn from this catastrophic past.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Doomsday Predictions Keep Repeating
- Ben and Noel riff about doomsday prophets and end-of-world signs like 'cats and dogs sleeping together.'
- They highlight how repeated failed predictions have littered history with apocalyptic claims.
Mysterious Dark Cloud Plunged Sunlight
- In 536 CE a mysterious dark cloud dimmed the sun and triggered several unusually cold summers across the northern hemisphere.
- Tree rings and historical accounts show rapid cooling, crop failures, and widespread hardship following the event.
Belisarius Names The Year
- Ben and Noel explain why 536 is also called 'the year after the consulship of Belisarius' and praise Belisarius as a Byzantine war hero.
- The hosts use humor to anchor historical naming conventions and figures for listeners.
