The authors study the phenomenon of economic disasters in different historical periods - from Ancient Egypt to the present. Particular attention is paid to the “resource curse”: using vivid, fascinating examples from the history of different countries, the authors show how minerals, geographical location, traditions, problematic neighbors and even people themselves can become a “curse” and lead to the death of the economy. The research work will be of interest to everyone , who were fascinated by the works of philosopher and futurist Yuval Noah Harari, Nassim Taleb’s discussions of risks and “antifragility,” as well as Andrei Movchan’s previous bestseller “Russia in the era of post-truth.”