Year Without a Summer

Wish the summer heat would go away? Be careful what you wish for.

Here is what happened way back in 1816, the so-called Year Without a Summer. In that year, there was an historic low in solar activity. At the same time, there was a series of volcanic eruptions ending in the largest in 1,300 years, Mount Tambora in the East Indies. As a result, Summer was canceled. Here is the quick rundown on what a year without summer looks like:

As a result of the series of volcanic eruptions, crops in the above-mentioned areas had been poor for several years; the final blow came in 1815 with the eruption of Tambora. Europe, still recuperating from the Napoleonic Wars, suffered from food shortages. Food riots broke out in the United Kingdom and France, and grain warehouses were looted. The violence was worst in landlocked Switzerland, where famine caused the government to declare a national emergency. Huge storms and abnormal rainfall with floodings of the major rivers of Europe (including the Rhine) are attributed to the event, as was the frost setting in during August 1816. A major typhus epidemic occurred in Ireland between 1816 and 1819, precipitated by the famine caused by "The Year Without a Summer". It is estimated that 100,000 Irish perished during this period. A BBC documentary using figures compiled in Switzerland estimated that fatality rates in 1816 were twice that of average years, giving an approximate European fatality total of 200,000 deaths.

So, as you toil in the hot sun, be thankful! It could be worse.