In 1816, a major climatic anomaly occurred, so profound that it irrevocably altered the course of human history or, at least, gave rise to numerous events that would not have occurred under different temperature conditions.
In this article we are going to tell you everything that happened in 1816, the year without summer.
What happened in the year 1816?
The remarkable interaction between a significant decrease in solar activity and major volcanic eruptions, such as that of Mayon volcano in the Philippines and Mount Tembora in Indonesia (the largest eruption recorded in the last 1.300 years), caused a reduction in global temperatures of between 0,4 and -0,7 °C. This phenomenon consequently made the summer of 1816 in Europe the coldest summer documented between 1766 and 2000. This climate change triggered severe food shortages throughout the Northern Hemisphere, along with other related phenomena that will be discussed below.
The appearance of two volcanic eruptions, together with A decrease in solar activity led to the coldest summer ever recorded, with dire consequencesThe events took place in the last decade of the period known as the Little Ice Age, an era marked by episodes of global cooling that had been evident since the 1816th century. In the summer of XNUMX, Europe suffered a total freeze, with snowfall in some regions of the United States.
Art in instability
The significant levels of ash from the volcanic eruption resulted in stunning sunsets that inspired Turner to create his famous sunset paintings. Furthermore, Lord Byron used this moment to compose his poem “Darkness,” which includes the lines: «I had a dream (…), the bright sun had gone and the stars wandered dimly in eternal space».This was not just a dream.
While artists may have drawn on deep inner sources to produce remarkable creations, the general population struggled to discover the silver lining of their adversities. The 1813th century witnessed catastrophic crop failures, culminating in severe famine. However, a shortage of oats for horse feed may have sparked the inventive spirit of German Karl Drais, who conceived of the velocipede, an early version of the bicycle. In XNUMX, he developed a four-wheeled pedal-powered vehicle and was fortunate that rising oat prices, coupled with poor harvests during the year known as the “Year Without a Summer,” made it necessary to invent vehicles that did not depend on animal traction.
Consequences on harvests and famine
The 70.000th century saw the onset of the most severe famine, resulting from poor harvests. At the same time, countries such as Ireland and Italy were severely affected by diseases such as typhus, which, along with hunger and mortality (reportedly claiming up to 1816 lives), led to mass migrations to Russia and the United States. This migration inevitably led to the implementation of protectionist policies. In June XNUMX, New Yorkers faced a snowstorm, while New England farms succumbed to the frigid conditions. London was hit by hail all summer, and even our own country witnessed climatic phenomena that were previously unimaginable. Although data on the subject are scarce, Baron de Maldà recounts a snowfall that occurred in the central region of the peninsula in mid-July, a truly unprecedented event.
Lord Byron and his companions indulge in the act of invention
During this period, Lord Byron, possibly already imagining the poem Darkness, He took refuge in his villa Donati located in Cologny, next to Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Accused of sodomy and feeling discontented, he took in a circle of friends to keep him company for several weeks in the midst of a peculiar and oppressive summer marked by incessant rain, which forced them to stay indoors. Like the solitary figures of the Decameron during a plague, Byron and his companions spent their evenings sharing ghost stories, while the prevailing gothic atmosphere harmonized with the winter climate caused by the volcano.
At the same time, Bengal suffered from incessant rain that triggered an outbreak of cholera, which spread throughout the world and claimed millions of lives. What was initially seemed like a mere pastime, but ended up giving rise to some of the most important literary masterpieces in history.
During that period of leisure, the house was occupied by Dr. John Polidori, who would later create the vampire myth imbued with his animosity towards Byron (who would take his own life five years later without achieving fame), and Mary Shelley, who would create her own version of Prometheus with Dr. Frankenstein, inspired by their nocturnal discussions and the ensuing nightmares.
Consequences of a year without summer
In essence, while the world was dealing with devastation, a circle of friends seeking refuge in a village were making history at the same time. The repercussions of the volcanic eruption extended far beyond Europe. In Bengal, India, Torrential rains in 1817 triggered a cholera outbreak that spread throughout the world. The result was millions of deaths. The monsoon was interrupted for three consecutive years, leading to an economic catastrophe in Southeast Asia, which saw the resurgence of slavery.
More notably, famines in southwest China forced farmers to change the cultivation of rice for the production of opium, setting the stage for the subsequent epidemic of this pain-relieving substance. A massive cloud of particles enveloped the globe, blocking out sunlight and creating a peculiar reddish haze that persisted, imparting an eerily beautiful, apocalyptic quality to sunsets.
A small cluster of colliding rocks and erupting lava from the depths of a volcano resulted in an endless winter, bringing death and famine to the planet and laying the groundwork for later changes, including laws and social policies aimed at addressing the problems that arose.
The evidence indicated that the climate could (and can) exert control over humanity. Without a doubt, The early years of the 19th century were marked by extreme cold. The apocalyptic mood is further accentuated when we consider Byron’s poem: “Morning came and went, and brought no day with it (…), happy were those who lived in the eye of volcanoes.” Fear and despair permeated people’s hearts, feelings that resonate with us even today.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the consequences of a year without summer.