5 of History's Deadliest Bear Attacks Hungry bearsâwhether grizzly, black, brown or polarâcan be shockingly brutal. Author: Few animals command as much respect and instill as much healthy fear as bears. While fatal bear attacks are rare—there have only been around 180 deaths from bear attacks in North America since the late 1700s—they never fail to shock with their brutality. The following list is not for the faint of heart, as it does include some gory details of camping trips gone terribly wrong. Here are five of history’s deadliest bear attacks 1. Night of the Grizzlies On one tragic night in the summer of 1967, two young women were killed by grizzlies in two separate attacks inside Montana’s majestic Glacier National Park.