Why 536 AD was the worst year to be alive

So why exactly was the year 536 AD the WORST year to be alive? Let's find out! sources: 536 AD Procopius, Wars IV.14.5–6 (the dimmed sun). Loeb Classical Library. Michael the Syrian, Chronicle (18 months, four hours of light, sour wine); also Cassiodorus, Variae XII.25. Büntgen, U., et al. 2016. "Cooling and Societal Change During the Late Antique Little Ice Age from 536 to Around 660 AD." Nature Geoscience 9: 231–236. (the tree rings and the LALIA framing) Sigl, M., et al. 2015. "Timing and Climate Forcing of Volcanic Eruptions for the Past 2,500 Years." Nature 523: 543–549. (the 2015 ice-core study) Loveluck, C.P., McCormick, M., et al. 2018. "Alpine Ice-Core Evidence for the Transformation of the European Monetary System, AD 640–670." Antiquity 92: 1571–1585. (Colle Gnifetti glacier, the Icelandic glass, and the 640 lead spike) Gräslund, B. & N. Price. 2012. "Twilight of the Gods? The 'Dust Veil Event' of AD 536 in Critical Perspective." Antiquity 86: 428–443. (Norwegian farm abandonment, Fimbulwinter) Procopius, Wars II.22–23 (the plague at Pelusium and Constantinople). Cheng, F., et al. 2025. "Genetic Evidence of Yersinia pestis from the First Pandemic." Genes 16(8). (Jerash mass grave, Tian Shan strain) Mordechai, L. & M. Eisenberg. 2019. "The Justinianic Plague: An Inconsequential Pandemic?" PNAS 116(51). (the mortality skeptics) Gibbons, A. 2018. "Why 536 Was the Worst Year to Be Alive." Science, 15 Nov 2018. (McCormick's quote)