Pandemics/Famines
When giving the Olivet Prophecy, Jesus warned that at the time of the end there would be Famines and pestilence (Lk. 21:11). Today more people die of starvation than die in war. Dispite great advances in technology, man is losing the battle against hunger. Furthermore, during the last century, famine and disease have wiped out huge segments of populations. Below is a timeline of the greatest pandemic amd famines of the 20th century.
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1918-1919 - An epidemic of "Spanish Flu" spread around the world. At least 20 million died, although some estimates put the final toll at 50 million. It's estimated that between 20 per cent and 40 per cent of the entire world's population got sick
1921 - A Soviet famine in 1921 began with a drought that caused massive crop failures. The initial death toll was greatly magnified when Lenin refused to acknowledge the famine and sent no aid. The Soviets later estimated that 5.1 million died.
1932-1933 - Failures in Soviet central planning and Stalin's decision to withhold food from the Ukraine led to huge loss of life. At least five million Ukrainians were among the seven million victims of that famine.
1957-1958 - The Asian flu swept around the world, making it the second flu pandemic of the century.
1959-1961 - The "Great Leap Famine" cost an estimated 20 million to 40 million lives in China as the policies of Mao Zedong resulted in massive social and economic upheaval. China was also hit by major famines in 1907, 1928-1930, 1936 and 1941-1942.
1968 - The Hong Kong flu became the third flu pandemic of the 20th century. The World Health Organization estimated that a total of 1.5 million died in the Asian and Hong Kong flu pandemics.
1980 to present - Toll from AIDS worldwide since 1980 is estimated at 25 million, with 40 million others infected with HIV.
1984-1985 - Famine killed at least one million in Ethiopia as severe drought led to desperate food shortages
