Was 2020 the worst year ever? Historians take a look back

NorthJersey.com interviewed historians to gather their perspectives on the worst year ever. William Carrigan, a history professor at Rowan University who specializes in the Civil War, thinks a compelling case can be made for 1862 as the year the elevator dropped to the basement.

"If you're looking for the year that felt the most bleak at the end of December, I'd say it was the end of 1862," he said.