The Christmas season is famed for joy, but the 10 worst things listed below show that even the holidays can be shadowed by tragedy, disaster, and dark politics.
10 worst things – Birth Of Karl Rove (1950)
Regardless of your political leanings, Karl Rove’s influence on American elections from 2000 to 2008 is undeniable. As the Republican Party’s chief strategist, his push to sideline moderate voters and rally the extreme base helped split the nation into two sharply partisan camps.
Rove also championed a flood of money into politics through his American Crossroads super‑PAC, which poured hundreds of millions into the 2012 race and helped amass roughly a billion dollars for GOP candidates. The eventual defeats of many of his protégés, coupled with a string of controversies, hint that his once‑dominant reign may be winding down.
The Tangiwai Disaster (1953)
On Christmas Eve, a passenger train bearing nearly 300 souls barreled toward the Whangaehu River in New Zealand when a massive mudslide, triggered by flooding from Crater Lake, undermined the bridge’s supports.
A nearby motorist warned the driver, but he couldn’t halt in time; the train surged onto the weakened span, which collapsed, sending the carriages plunging into the river. Rescue efforts saved some, yet 151 passengers perished. The tragedy’s name, Tangiwai, translates to “weeping waters” in Māori, a haunting reminder of the loss.
The Acteal Massacre (1997)
In Chiapas, Mexico, the paramilitary group Masque Roja stormed a Roman‑Catholic prayer gathering of indigenous people, leaving 45 dead—including 21 women and 15 children.
Compounding the horror, local police and the state governor were either negligent or complicit, with reports of the attackers wearing police uniforms and tampering with the crime scene. Though several perpetrators have been convicted, the full truth remains clouded by governmental opacity.
Kim Il‑Sung Becomes President Of North Korea (1972)
Although Kim Il‑Sung had led North Korea since 1948 and steered it through the Korean War, he only assumed the title of president in 1972. The new role shifted focus from the Juche self‑reliance program to a massive military buildup, while cementing a cult of personality around himself.
Following the Soviet Union’s collapse, North Korea endured economic disaster and famine. Kim’s groundwork for a hereditary dictatorship paved the way for the present‑day hardships that define the nation.
The Italian Hall Disaster (1913)
During a Christmas‑Eve party for copper‑miners in Michigan, an anonymous shout of “fire!” sparked a frantic rush toward the nearest stairwell.
The ensuing stampede claimed 73 lives—62 of them children—making it the deadliest unsolved manslaughter case in U.S. history. The mystery of who yelled “fire” endures, with rumors pointing to mining‑company operatives, though no proof exists.
The Laws Of Burgos Are Established (1512)
Amid widespread abuse of Native Americans, the Spanish Crown issued the Laws of Burgos, ostensibly to protect indigenous peoples. In practice, the statutes were weakly enforced and even contained patronizing language about native laziness and vice.
Dominican missionaries pushed the king to draft more concrete rules, yet the resulting regulations forced conversion, land seizure, and compulsory two‑year labor, followed by a brief period of Christian instruction before “freedom” was declared.
Fire At The Library Of Congress (1851)
On Christmas Eve 1851, a blaze ravaged the Library of Congress, consuming most of Thomas Jefferson’s donated collection. The fire destroyed roughly two‑thirds of the library’s holdings.
Congress later spent a fortune to replace what could be salvaged, yet the disaster highlighted the failure to invest in fire‑proofing—a recommendation made as early as 1826 but rejected for cost reasons.
Erzincan Earthquake (1939)
The 1939 Erzincan quake remains Turkey’s deadliest natural disaster, claiming over 30,000 lives due to poorly constructed buildings and engineering flaws.
Seven successive tremors struck the region shortly after Christmas, followed by a blizzard that froze survivors. The catastrophe prompted stricter, uniform building codes that accounted for lateral movement, a vital improvement given Turkey’s location on the North Anatolian Fault.
The Ku Klux Klan Is Formed (1865)
In the wake of the Civil War, Confederate veterans created a secret society—later known as the Ku Klux Klan—to thwart Reconstruction and maintain white supremacy.
Ironically, their terror tactics backfired, prompting Northern voters to back the Republicans, who enacted harsher anti‑racist laws. The Klan’s intimidation eventually led to the controversial Ku Klux Klan Act, granting the federal government broad powers, even military force, against the group.
Soviet Invasion Of Afghanistan (1979)
After a 1978 coup installed communist factions in Afghanistan, widespread unrest birthed the mujahideen insurgency. On Christmas Eve 1979, Soviet troops slipped across the border, marking the USSR’s only invasion beyond the Eastern Bloc.
The move sparked global condemnation and prompted the United States to arm and train the mujahideen. Decades later, the Taliban’s rise, bolstered by these fighters, facilitated al‑Qaeda’s emergence and the subsequent attacks on the United States.
Black Christmas (1941)
Following Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces turned their attention to Hong Kong, defended only by a token Allied garrison of British, Canadian, and Indian troops. After weeks of overwhelming combat, the defenders surrendered on Christmas Day.
The occupation unleashed a four‑year reign of brutal torture, mass rape, and atrocities such as the St Stephen’s College and Mui Wo massacres, leaving a scarred legacy of wartime cruelty.