The biggest episodes of the past have altered the course of human events, according to researchers. An emerging one is drawing historic comparisons. An illustration published in 1877 depicted a scene in southern India. Millions died from a famine that coincided with an El Niño that year. [Photo Credit: Dea/Biblioteca Ambrosiana, via Getty Images] Well before it was understood, the El Niño phenomenon was leaving its marks on humanity. El Niño is the name given to powerful shif