8. The Nanking Massacre
Few historical events are more notable for their barbarity than the Nanjing massacre of the Chinese at the hands of the imperial Japanese. On December 13, 1937, Japanese troops occupied the city of Nanjing, often anglicized as Nanking, which was the capital of the Chinese Republic at the time. The atrocities the Japanese committed in the six weeks after the occupation are indeed the things of nightmares.
For six weeks, the Japanese slaughtered their way through the people of Nanjing. It is estimated that over 250,000 people were slaughtered in just six brief yet hellish weeks. Worse yet were the manner of the deaths and the additional cruelties visited upon Nanjing. Not content just to murder, the Japanese troops also raped and tortured many victims, and desecrated the corpses of many more.
At least 20,000 women and young girls were raped during the massacre. Most were executed immediately after, often in cruel and misogynistic ways. Children as young as newborns were murdered. The extent of the barbarity and cruelty can scarcely be imagined, especially given the massacre’s place in the 20th century. It would likely have shocked even the medieval mind, despite the frequently violent and cruel nature of punishments and warfare at the time.